Outreach efforts to the politically aware young are increasing

Whoever said that youth is wasted on the young was wrong, at least by current standards and especially with regard to voting, politics and social trends. Young voters appear to be coming out in droves and are likely to help change the course of history in the 2008 elections, as well as in mid-term congressional elections. Older voters, who historically cast their ballots more consistently and have had a substantial effect on political outcomes in the past, will find many more younger voters next to them at the polling booths and stations. Despite a steady decline in young voters after the Vietnam War, we are now experiencing a rise in 18-, 20- and 30-somethings getting more involved in how this country is being run. Why is this? Certainly the Internet, MySpace, text messaging, etc. are involved, but there is also a rising trend among youth-based organizations to use innovative techniques that address younger people on their own terms. That's in addition to also holding on to traditional grassroots strategies, such as working with artists and musicians, throwing parties and simply talking to young people where they hang out.

So far, the Brooklyn-based League of Young Voters has four affiliates in New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Maine. Each one can decide how best to empower young people to work toward solving their local problems. They all still use so-called old-school tactics like phone-banking, leaflet canvassing and candidate endorsements, but their approach is definitely about getting more real with the younger generation. "We may be young, but we're not naive," says Brian Hiatt, communications and online organizer for the League's Maine affiliate. "Like many of us, young people are skeptical and feel our system is corrupt and wonder if their efforts will make any difference. But, just voting is a giant baby step toward empowering them."

I buy it. As a typical rebellious youth, I was a member of many youth-driven political and social organizations and the camaraderie and enthusiasm was palpable and meaningful for many of us. I was out there shaking my conservative Afro and yelling anti-war slogans right along with the best and worst of them. We cared about where we were headed.There are so many new issues that affect young people these days that were less of a problem when I was younger. For example, when I was a kid, working at a restaurant or any service industry was often something that you did until your ship came in. But, today, many young people are essentially professional service workers, yet aren't treated as such from a benefits standpoint. The Maine League has advocated for paid sick days for all workers for a company with 25 or more workers. According to Hiatt, along with Opportunity Maine, they were also instrumental in getting a tax credit for college students who opt to remain and work in the state. If you live in Maine and you're going to be 18 years of age between June and November, you can vote in the June primaries.

All political parties will be affected by the rise in political participation by young voters, but according to a recent study called "Generation Next" by the Pew Research Center, they are increasingly going to vote Democratic, unlike previous generations who tended to follow the electorate as a whole, whatever that was. This is the world older people in positions of power are leaving behind to the young; ongoing wars, threats to national security, global warming and a dubious economy, not to mention a growing despair among our citizens. But, young people are rising to the plate and I laud them. "We don't just parachute in every four years. We're here on a yearly basis," says Hiatt.

Challenging the status quo, taboos and business-as-usual is, to me, a legitimate function of our motivated and inspired youth. The examples that past generations set forth should always be rigorously scrutinized for the betterment of society as a whole. To borrow a cliche, "Young people are our future."

I recently sat under a shade tree in a park, chatting with a man less than half my age to whom I was bemoaning the state of the world. He looked at me and simply said: "You're never too old to make a difference." I thank him for those words.