Driving Civic Engagement
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driving civic engagement AN NAA FOUNDATION RESEARCH STUDY Newspapers Play a Role in Encouraging Young People to Get Involved With Their Communities “I don’t think it is that teens are disinterested in politics or don’t want to know about it, but the two-party system is just not set up for our generation. Our generation is a much more independent generation.” ~ TRICIA FAULKNER ~ Young People Are Turned off by Politics? Not These Teens Tricia Faulkner joined the staff of The She disagrees with those who say “We are the next generation,” she Voice, the teen section of The State young people are turned off by politics. adds. “If we sit around and talk about it Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill., when “I don’t think it is that teens are and don’t do anything, we are as much to she was 14 years old and a high school disinterested in politics or don’t want to blame as anyone else. We need to take a freshman. She was interested in writing know about it, but the two-party system proactive role. I am registering to vote as when she applied for the staff, but not in is just not set up for our generation,” she soon as I am 18. Most of my friends are newspapers. says. “Our generation is a much more registering to vote. They want to vote and As soon as Faulkner started working independent generation. A couple of take part in things.” for The Voice, however, she started read- people in our JSA chapter say they are Rachel Molenda, 18, a 2007 graduate ing both the teen section and the rest of anarchists, and two are libertarians. Of of South Charleston (W.Va.) High School, the newspaper. Before long, she turned course, you are talking about youth, and also has been active in politics. But right into a news and political junkie. you are going to have a good majority not now, she says, “I’m not happy with either “That’s when I started having my daily interested in politics or civic matters.” political party, mostly from the standpoint ‘NewYorkTimes.com’ binges. When I started Abigail Vanim, 17, a correspondent for that I feel one political party isn’t doing reading more, I became more interested in Voices at the Reading (Pa.) Eagle, says things that I morally agree with, and the politics,” says Faulkner, now 18, a 2007 she understands why many of her fellow other one isn’t doing anything at all.” graduate of Springfield High School who is teens are skeptical about the current However, the former photographer for majoring in journalism and Middle Eastern political system, but she has little time FlipSide at The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette studies at Northwestern University. for those who won’t get involved. aims to participate in the 2008 presidential In her senior year of high school, “Teen-agers right away are prone to campaign. Faulkner served as a page for the Illinois thinking that all authority is bad,” Vanim “I think you can be active even if you State Senate. With two friends, she says. “When someone tells me to do are disillusioned with both parties,” says co-founded Springfield High’s chapter of something or not [to] do something, I Molenda, now a student at Shepherd Junior State of America, an organization am going to do the opposite or at least University. “You just have to talk to people devoted to preparing students for lifelong consider doing the opposite because it has and voice your opinions. I will be voting. involvement and responsible leadership in been told to me. The system now has a lot The politicians don’t know what to do a democratic society. The chapter spon- of flaws, but most things have flaws. It unless you tell them what you think.” sored debates on various current affairs angers me when teen-agers complain topics, including the Iraq war, gun control about what is wrong with the system when and laws banning smoking in restaurants. we could be fixing it. 2 introduction “Lifelong Readers: Driving Civic Engagement” was undertaken by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation to examine the role of newspapers in developing and shaping future community leaders. his research is part of a continuing initiative habits – in this case, the types of constructive T aimed at helping newspapers attract and actions that make solid contributions to the keep young readers. community as a whole. In 2006, a related study conducted for the NAA In this report, the NAA Foundation and MORI Foundation by MORI Research of Minneapolis Research have moved beyond the traditional focus provided the first solid evidence that newspaper on voting rates to measure civic involvement. content for teens has the ability to attract young Although the voting rate among young adults has people to the printed word and keep them as increased in recent years, they still have the lowest newspaper readers as they age. turnout of all age groups. Yet the number of young people volunteering and engaging in significant Now, the NAA Foundation is looking at how the efforts to better communities is higher than ever. use of newspapers in the classroom, the use of newspapers for homework assignments and access Because of that seeming contradiction, we to a teen section or teen-focused content in news- decided to look beyond voter turnout to find the papers encourages young people to get involved in true measure of commitment to community and volunteer work to better their communities, and to civic engagement. As you review these findings, remain civically engaged as adults. you will find it heartening that young adults are indeed demonstrating the traits of solid citizens, The findings of this study underscore the impor- regardless of voter turnout rates, and newspapers tance of newspapers in shaping positive future are helping to make that happen. “Recent research suggests that newspapers play an important role in helping all readers — young and older — become active and informed citizens. Young readers first learn about their community and about public issues through such reading. We learn about elections, candidates and public issues from newspapers in more depth than from other media. Along with a sound education in civics and government, newspapers are an essential resource in guiding the younger generation to fulfill their civic responsibilities.” SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR : : Associate Justice (Retired), U.S. Supreme Court 3 “I had a very comfortable, lucky childhood, and I think it is a responsibility to give back if you are in such a position.” ~ THAIS-LYN TRAYER ~ Former Teen Writer Uses Her Journalism Experience in Peace Corps Work Thais-Lyn Trayer, a Peace Corps volunteer Trayer, a 2006 graduate of New York When she returned to teach at in the Republic of Georgia, is drawing upon University, says the impetus for the club the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for her experience as a writer for her local was her work for Voices, the teen section International Studies, which she attended newspaper’s teen section to teach young of the Reading (Pa.) Eagle. in high school, Trayer talked to a number people the art of critical thinking, a skill “To me, journalism was such a great of former Peace Corps volunteers, and that was not particularly encouraged in learning experience – how to ask questions, they convinced her to join the Peace the former Soviet Union. interact with people – and I can use that Corps after college. Trayer, 23, recently started a journalism now to help my students,” she says. Trayer plans to enroll in law school club with her host sister. She asks students While in high school, Trayer was active after her two-year stint in the Peace to choose topics to write about, and then in several education-related programs and Corps. Whatever the future brings, she helps them figure out how best to get also participated in various extracurricular says, volunteering will always be part of information on those topics. Often, she activities. But it wasn’t until college that her life. brings in experts in students’ fields of her volunteer work really took off. “I had a very comfortable, lucky interest for question-and-answer sessions. “I tutored other students and worked for childhood, and I think it is a responsibility “We teach them the vocabulary to use, international organizations and for political to give back if you are in such a position. help them write, [to] ask open-ended campaigns,” she says. “I worked for the I am interested in international politics questions and the right questions, and John Kerry campaign and I worked at and law. Wherever that field may take me, even work on skills like note-taking during the United Nations for a year, and then I want to be of service to other people.” interviews and typing at a computer,” I worked for the former head of the New she says. York City housing system.” 4 executive summary Voter turnout among young people ages 18 to 29 increased for the second major election in a row, according to a report on the 2006 mid-term elections from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. But that age group is still the least likely to show up at the polls. ow voter turnout often is taken as prima facie • Voice activities that offer people a way to speak News-related activities, such as talking about current L evidence that young people are turned off by the their minds and make their feelings known on events during the teen years with parents and peers, political process and, by extension, civic affairs.