80 Million Strong for Quality Jobs

First the vote, now the advocacy. Student Association for Voter Empowerment (S.A.V.E.), Mobilize.org and the Roosevelt Institution have partnered together to launch 80 Million Strong, a youth-driven coalition to secure quality jobs for young Americans. Citing the growing age disparity in the American workforce, 80 Million Strong seeks to build off the momentum of high youth engagement in the 2008 elections, when the young voter turnout rate increased for a record third consecutive presidential election. The youth unemployment rate--the highest among all age groups--has climbed to 15.5 percent, fully double that of adults 25 and older. Going deeper, the 20.8 percent unemployment rate among 16 to 19 year olds hasn't been this high since 1975. What's more troubling is that young Americans are hurting in other areas, too, namely health insurance and college debt. The 80 Million Strong website goes further, noting:

Educated but unemployed, nearly 87 percent of the Millennial generation holds a high school diploma and nearly 30 percent holds a bachelor's degree or higher. It's still not enough. With tens of thousands of dollars in debt from student loans and credit cards, young people need jobs, yet in times like these the newly graduated are forced to compete with more experienced workers for even the most entry-level positions.

But it's not just the statistics driving this coalition. "Young people have been relatively excluded from the dialogue," says Matt Segal, Executive Director of S.A.V.E., in reference to news stories not covering the alarmingly high youth unemployment rate. Segal believes that young people have to be part of the solution to this economic crisis, "I felt there needed to be an advocacy side to propose solutions that tap the talents of our generation, and to embrace things like social entrepreneurship." Caitlin Howarth, National Policy Director at the Roosevelt Institution, adds that Millennials feel a great responsibility and it's not just about me, but we: "We have to give back to our families. They need our support, because they don't have the luxury that we do: time to rebuild."

With quality jobs as a goal, the coalition was created upon a foundation of citizen-centered involvement, transparency and inclusiveness. 80 Million Strong will not advocate for any one particular youth sub-demographic, whether that be by ideology, education, income or geographic location. "We do know the problem--jobs, health insurance, debt--, but we don't know the solutions and that's what we're asking from our generation--to innovate," saysMobilize.org CEO Maya Enista. In very Millennial fashion, the coalition will convene a summit to identify a diverse set of issues facing all Millennials, and then propose and advocate for legislation to solve these issues. Already, there is interest from the House and Education Labor Committee to hold a hearing on the proposal coming out of the summit.

To ensure a diversity in ideas and perspectives, the coalition is already reaching out to other youth-focused organizations around the country to get involved. The summit will be held in Washington, DC, and the coalition is hoping to have travel scholarships available for low-income youth and those that reside well outside of the beltway.

"There is no clear [policy] agenda just yet, and that's a good thing," says Segal. "It [not having a pre-planned policy agenda] means we're really keeping this process open to all voices; the summit is where that process begins."

More details are to come on the summit, but you can take the first step towards winning quality jobs for young Americans by visiting 80 Million Strong today. See you at the summit!