stephenr's blog

Bumped. We certainly need more campaigns reaching out to young people like Obama did. If these guys can make it happen even in a few local campaigns, that's a good thing. --Mike

With Barack Obama's unprecedentedly large margin of victory amongst young voters, it is quite clear that a generational shift is occurring in front of our eyes. As such, campaigns, now more than ever, will need to focus on the youth vote in order to either solidify or reverse this trend. After years of being referred to as an apathetic generation, the time has come for Millennials across the country to join together and take advantage of this unique opportunity.

The convergence of several factors will soon enable the youth to take charge in the present in order to create a more beneficial tomorrow. With campaigns looking to the youth now more than ever, we have become an invaluable resource. In many cases, without our support as volunteers and activists, it will become increasingly difficult for campaigns to sustain themselves. Thus, all campaigns will be looking to benefit from what we have to offer: excitement, support, and care for the future. Therefore connecting with the youth through concentrated outreach efforts will become more widespread than ever in an attempt to follow up the success President-elect Barack Obama had with our generation.

This presents an unbelievable opportunity for our generation, the Millennial Generation, to sculpt our future to our benefit in the long term. Seeing as campaigns will be looking to connect with the youth, we have the invaluable knowledge of how such an operation is most effectively completed. In this situation, campaigns will be more receptive than ever to including us in their campaign strategy and message. Not only will we be able to increase involvement in campaigns amongst the youth, but also we will be able to have more of an effect on what comes out of these campaigns, thus reshaping the future of campaigning and policymaking for our generation. While volunteering and grassroots efforts are of crucial importance, it is vital that the youth take this opportunity to enter into previously unchartered territory—campaign strategy. Imagine the possibilities and the change we can effect from the top instead of the bottom.

Our importance to the transformed political landscape has caused campaigns to seek our support more than ever, a notion that will make them more receptive than ever to our knowledge of where we live technologically, politically, and practically. This convergence of factors has led me and some of the most politically active youth our country has to offer to set out on a journey to create our nation's first youth-led political consulting organization, Youthocracy. If you feel the urgency of this moment, the opportunity of this scenario for our generation, then it is crucial you visit our website at www.youthocracy.org and jump on board.