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Youth Engagement: a Celebration Across Time and Culture

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Youth Engagement: a Celebration Across Time and Culture Youth Engagement: A Celebration Across Time and Culture Framing the Issue An Agenda for Change Without the active engagement of young In 1968, about forty thousand students on people, even in the relatively short history of nearly one hundred campuses across the this country, the story of positive social change country demonstrated against the Vietnam War would be a very different one. Young people and against racism.2 In 1960, a small group of organized “Bacon’s Rebellion” in 1676 well young people formed Students for a Democratic before the war for independence. Aaron Burr Society (SDS) and adopted The Port Huron and Alexander Hamilton were student leaders. Statement, written by student leader Tom Thomas Paine, great propagandist of the Hayden. The manifesto urged participatory revolution, was a young person. Even Thomas democracy, or the idea that all Americans, Jefferson drafted our country’s Declaration of not just an elite group, should decide major Independence when was a very young man. The economic, political, and social issues that Civil Rights movement of the late 1950s and shaped the nation. The statement also criticized 1960s was powered by young people who American society for its focus on career organized the Student Nonviolent Coordinating advancement, material possessions, military Committee (SNCC).1 The young leaders of SNCC strength, and racism. By 1968 some 100,000 organized direct action and voter registration young people around the nation had joined efforts in the Deep South where racism was SDS.3 most prevalent, elevating the importance of equality and justice in the minds of the American public and its government. Many of SNCC’s leaders, such as Congressman John Lewis and Children’s Defense Fund Founder and President Marian Wright Edelman, have become our country’s leading voices for civil rights and equality of opportunities. An Agenda for Change 1 The Issue 4 The Opportunity 6 Promising Approaches 8 Youth Service 9 Youth Leadership 10 Youth in Decision-Making 10 Youth Philanthropy 11 Youth Civic and Political Engagement 11 Youth Organizing 12 Youth Media 12 Youth Research and Evaluation 13 W.K. Kellogg Foundation Commitment 14 Expected Seminar Outcomes 15 Acknowledgements 16 1 See History of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee at http://www.ncsu.edu/chass/mds/sncchist.html., Cozzens, Lisa, “Sit-ins,” Civil Rights Movement 1955-1965, 1997. <http://www.watson.org> (July 13, 2005) Davis, Dernoral, “When Youth Protest: The Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, 1955-1970,” Mississippi History Now, 2001. http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/features/feature21/civilrights.html (July 13, 2005). 2 See SDS: Students for a Democratic Society at http://ma.essortment.com/sdsstudentsfo_rmsx.htm Retrieved July 15, 2005. 3 See Vietnam War Era Ephemera Collection at http://content.lib.washington.edu/protestsweb Retrieved July 15, 2005. 1 Youth engagement did not stop in the 60s. This modern approach to youth engagement In a multicultural and multigenerational society, This event will build on the W.K. Kellogg Young people are continuing the tradition of has the potential for profound effect in many the creation of an agenda for community change Foundation’s legacy of strengthening local citizen action using a variety of traditional and communities and at all levels. But too often, requires collaboration and bridge building, and philanthropy and volunteerism through youth innovative strategies. For example, according history ignores or minimizes young people’s must offer opportunities for reflection on lessons engagement. It will bring together youth and to the report, the Civic and Political Health of contribution to social progress. The impact that learned. This agenda for change demands adults from 14 community-level civic initiatives, the Nation: A Generational Portrait, youth are young people have had across time and within intention and commitment. It also requires and the 100 participants will reflect the rich volunteering at ever-expanding rates. During many different cultures is only beginning to be conscious, organized efforts to bring together cultural, ethnic and geographical diversity of spring 2002, 15- to 25-year-olds reported recognized and embraced, even by social the considerable energy and wisdom of young the United States. Participants will be selected volunteering at the rate of 40.2 percent over change organizers and leaders. What is crucially people and adults who have done the work and from the Kellogg Youth Innovation Fund sites, the previous 12-month period compared with needed now is a deep exploration of the roles of contributed to change. the Kellogg Leadership for Community Change a national volunteering rate of 31.7 percent young people in creating positive change. Such Session II sites, and Battle Creek, Michigan. in 2000.4 an exploration will generate lessons of inclusive The Philanthropy and Volunteerism program engagement, inform current work, and inspire area of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation hopes to The seminar will create opportunities for These examples are not isolated incidents. and empower young people well into the future. contribute to this agenda for change through its intimate, purposeful dialogue in small and large Young people have catalyzed and fueled social 75th Anniversary seminar, Youth Engagement: group formats. Diverse cultural approaches change movements throughout history and This exploration of young people’s place in A Celebration Across Time and Culture. The and discourse hold the potential to facilitate a around the world.5 Their contributions of society is the catalyst for an agenda for change. seminar will bring together a diverse community deeper level of meaning and insight. The use inspiration, creativity, and public work have A healthy democracy requires that people learn, of youth leaders and their adult partners from of innovative methods is particularly important. laid the foundation for modern approaches to listen, dream, and work together as they across cultures and social movements. These Youth engagement does not occur in isolation; community-based problem solving, civic unleash their collective potential to build the groups will share and explore the lessons and it is expressed in cultural and generational participation, and a range of social justice common good. When young people are experience of youth engagement from the past contexts whose boundaries are often not efforts that are cornerstones of our democracy. excluded from participation in this dynamic, the to the present. Participants from across the crossed by others from outside a particular potential for common good is deeply diminished. country will engage together using a multi- tradition or cohort. This seminar will attempt Despite a common misperception of today’s generational lens to reflect on and celebrate to bridge these gaps, catalyze new dialogue, youth as self-absorbed and uninvolved, in youth engagement over time, and in so doing capture lessons, and create tools to inspire example after example, young people ages 15 deepen their understanding of contemporary and equip local communities to increase youth to 25 demonstrate a strong desire to engage cutting-edge work and opportunities to engagement in community change efforts. And actively in the work of building a just national strengthen future youth engagement. The it will serve to sharpen the focus on this issue, and global society. This high degree of youth seminar will provide an unprecedented drawing the attention of organizers, funders, involvement not only develops leadership and opportunity to evoke cross-generational, scholars, and community leaders at all levels. civic skills in young people, but also adds much culturally diverse wisdom, ideas, experience, needed energy and perspective into community and energy to generate meaning and action. change efforts, policy debates, and governance Beyond a simple exploration of ideas, the at all levels. Yet, in isolation, youth cannot seminar will result in a very specific call to engage fully and productively in their action, developed by seminar participants to communities. Adult allies, youth-serving call out the urgent need for local communities, organizations, schools, and faith-based and organizations, and individuals across the country governmental institutions play a critical role in to pursue an even greater level of youth supporting and empowering young people to engagement in positive community change. engage in all aspects of civic life. Lasting community change is inclusive; it transcends traditional age, cultural, political, and institutional boundaries. It demands openness to new opportunities and fresh attitudes, and it builds on deeply-rooted traditions, experience, and history. 4 Lopez, Mark Hugo, “Volunteering Among Young People,” The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement. June 2003, Updated February 2004. <http://www.civicyouth.org> (July 27, 2005) 5 HoSang, D. (2003). Youth and Community Organizing Today (Occasional Paper No. 2). New York, NY: The Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing. Yates and Youniss, 1999 2 3 The Issue The story of youth engagement is told in many 1. Youth involvement is expanding beyond 7. As adults and youth talk about making In this dynamic context, the work proposed contexts: The anti-war, civil rights, immigrant community service to emphasize democratic change, they are giving new meanings for this seminar can have a profound impact in rights, and indigenous language movements are citizenship
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