Sign Up, Speak Up: 80 Million Strong for Quality Jobs

Last month I wrote about the launch of 80 Million Strong, a coalition of civic-minded non-profits that are concerned over the lack of a youth (un)employment narrative in the media and policy circles. With the confirmation of a youth vote 'three-peat' - newly released data confirms the youth turnout rate increased for the the third straight election cycle - 80 Million Strong for Quality Jobs is the next step in connecting young people to politics in a more active, inclusive way. This coalition seeks to make sure that youth concerns and solutions about creating jobs are heard and implemented when possible, especially considering record high youth underemployment and unemployment. Think of it as a youth congress on the topic of jobs; or the Model U.N., but you represent yourself, your story, your ideas.

More details about the direction of this new coalition have emerged as the core coalition members--S.A.V.E., Mobilize.org and Roosevelt Institution--convened it's first meeting with other allies, now official coalition partners. As of today, the coalition has enlarged to include Generation Engage, Hip Hop Caucus, Future Majority, Advocates for Youth, Concord Coalition, Young People For (YP4), United States Student Association (USSA), Declare Yourself, ServeNext.org, Voto Latino and Campus Progress. It doesn't stop there: the coalition is looking to grow, reaching out to other organizations in constituent areas where more outreach is needed to encourage folks to join 80 Million Strong and be heard. Specifically, they are interested in partnering with organizations that work with under-served youth and those who rarely use the internet (many times these are one-in-the-same).

The coalition's goal of creating quality jobs, combined with anonymous, no-credit-grabbing branding, fits into the program agendas of various youth and civic organizations, and all without forcing groups to compete over the same resources or constituents. It's all hands on deck, and the coalition is asking young people to directly participate in creating legislation from scratch. To do this, an interactive summit is planned for in Washington, DC, June 17-18. No worries if you can't afford to be in DC; the plan is to partner with UStream and CauseCast to integrate youth from all over the country--dissolving geographic barriers and uniting young Americans in a deliberative dialogue that will probably be the largest, most democratic and interactive event of its kind.

The obligatory Facebook group and Twitter account have been created (so join!), but expect videos about young people telling their story, as well as swag, art, and music all around bringing our generation together, 80 Million Strong.