community service

I just finished reading through the National Conference on Citizenship's 2008 Civic Health Index (pdf). Here are the highlights that are most relevant to our work:

• The 2008 survey finds that Americans are actively engaged with this year’s presidential election. For example, more than half said they had tried to persuade someone else to vote for or against a particular candidate; and 39% said they had watched an Internet video that supported or opposed a presidential candidate. But more say they are “frustrated” (43%) than “excited” (19%) by the presidential election.
• We know that Americans will engage in many ways after the election. [...] Not many people expect to work on the issues raised in the campaign after Election Day. Just fourteen percent, for instance, were confident that they would try to change local policies in schools, neighborhoods, or the workplace. Less than 20% were sure they would talk about the issues raised in the campaign after it is over.
• However, citizens overwhelmingly support changes in laws and policies that would support greater citizen engagement between elections.

I thought these were pretty interesting, especially considering the fact that it looks more likely than ever that Obama will win the election. If that happens, it's going to be our jobs to get our generation to specifically engage on the very issues being fought over in this election - the economy, the environment, health care, the war. Many people - young and old - are engaged in their communities and/or the electoral process, but there is still no connection between that work and becoming involved in a way that can help shape and push through the legislative changes that the country wants to see. Making this conversion from electoral activism to issue work is going to be the big challenge for many organizations and individuals in the next year.

The report goes on to talk about Millennials specifically:

The Millennials so far appear to be considerably more civically engaged than their immediate predecessors, “Generation X.” The voting turnout of young adults (ages 18-29) almost doubled in the 2008 primaries and caucuses compared to the most recent comparable year (2000). There were also substantial youth turnout increases in 2004 and 2006. Youth volunteering rates are higher in the 2000s than they were in the 1990s.

Compared to the Baby Boomers when they were young adults, Millennials are somewhat more likely to volunteer. They are less likely to vote and to participate in face-to-face civil society, as reflected by questions about attending meetings, belonging to groups, and attending religious services. Declines in face-to-face engagement occurred before the widespread use of the Internet; but clearly, today’s youth have new opportunities for online interaction. Overall, if we compare Millennials to previous generations when they were young, the Millennials appear more engaged than Generation X and engaged in different ways from the Boomers.

Despite the emphasis on "different ways" that the internet is enabling Millennials to participate, the report singles out the fact that Millennials are still more likely to become involved in service work than politics, and that there is little in the way of institutions, educational opportunities, or legislative proposals to help connect the two:

The Millennials’ parent generation, Baby Boomers, were more likely to belong to groups and clubs when they were young, but the prevalence of the Internet is helping the Millennial Generation to get more involved. However, we classify more than half of the Millennials as “not very engaged.” A substantial group (17%) is involved in volunteer service but not in other types of engagement; they may need help connecting their service to leadership in formal groups and clubs and political participation. [...]

In other words, electoral participation is different from volunteer service, and increasing the former does not automatically boost the latter.

That's a pretty strong endorsement for programs like Democrats Work, which attempts to bridge the gap between service and politics.

Finally, the report had some interesting information that can help inform our messaging around our own work, and the service work of our peers. Specifically, the report found that:

• 42% of Millennials don't have a clear ideas as to what the term civic engagement means. Those who offered potential answers often mentioned service work and volunteering. Only 16% thought the term had political connotations.
• 32% of Millennials didn't have a clear idea of what Social Entrepreneurship meant. Many respondents thought it referred to business and capitalism (lacking any political connotations), and others thought it referred to a socialist "nanny state."

That's pretty shocking, but I guess it's just indicative of the bubble that I live in, talking about this stuff all the time. Clearly we have a work cut out for us when two of the most important terms to describe our work are virtually unknown to the majority of our peers.

Peter Levine of CIRCLE has a substantive post raising quite a few good points about service in America, especially as it relates to the Kennedy-Hatch 'Serve America' Act (S. 3487), a bill that, if passed, would significantly increase federal support for citizen service programs within the U.S.

My favorite part:

On balance, I think the field of "service" merits more federal support today. Despite the diversity of programs that would be supported, "service" generally advances several important goals.

First, it treats people of all ages as potential public assets, as contributors to the common good. This is philosophically appealing to me because it reflects a basic principle (which we could call Kantian) of respecting other people's moral agency. It also reflects a psychological theory known as "positive youth development." This theory proposes that young people, especially, are more likely to avoid pitfalls such as crime, unwanted pregnancy, suicide, and academic failure, if they are given opportunities to contribute their talents to the community. Most of our schools and other institutions basically treat them as bundles of problems or risks and seek to evaluate, track, prevent, and punish their failures. Cumulatively, such treatment sends a debilitating message. Opportunities to contribute can provide a powerful antidote.

This theory may seem romantic, but it is empirically testable and has been demonstrated in numerous studies. For example, a randomized experiment showed that it was possible to cut the teen pregnancy rate by offering young women service opportunities.

The bulk of the research has been focused on teenagers and young adults--hence the term "positive youth development." But there is no reason to think that the advantages of service to those who serve stop at age 25 or 30. We know that among elderly people, service correlates with mental health.

Emphasis is mine. This is why I think service is something in which the federal government needs to be involved.

One of my favorite books, Nixonland (by Rick Perlstein), asserts that the 1968 election is the basis for our campaign dialogue today. Republicans -- led by Nixon -- found political success in exploiting the cultural divide between "effete" liberal snobs/privileged, rebellious college students and the middle- to lower-class white worker. Since then, the Republican electoral coalition has perfected its practice of the wedge politics that has divided Americans into the red state/blue state "two Americas" that makes up our current political landscape. This kind of politics rejects the principle that everyone has something to offer the country. It's the "you're with us or against us" mentality.

A politics based on service -- and thus, the common good -- embraces the uniqueness of each American. A federal government that supports efforts to heighten service and civic education is advocating for the molding of a citizenry that is empowered, validated, and understanding of America's ideals.

Levine also makes a good point toward the end of his article -- service is not civic education or citizen engagement on its own. Service forms a vital portion of citizen engagement, but it needs to be paired with other empowering opportunities for citizens, such as participation in local political decision-making.

For decades now, we -- the citizens -- have taken a backseat to much of the important decision-making in this country. We've not been asked to sacrifice. We've been told that consumption is patriotic. We've been told to trust the government in making decisions on our behalf. Now that we're in the mess we're in, service and active citizenship are looking better and better.

"Politics of service" is a phrase heard often around these parts. It means building and learning from your community. It means becoming part of something bigger than yourself. It claims that being politically active can be about more than just asking for votes.

This is September though - September of the "most important election of our lives". This is definitely vote asking season.

So what does that mean to Democrats Work, a politically affiliated service organization? It means literally combining "politics" with "service".

We've spent the past few weeks mutating traditional campaign techniques to fit our brand of service. With the help of young voter organizations like New Era Colorado, we've instituted a "Do-to-Door" Campaign that twists the standard canvass to our unique desires. We've been cleaning up neighborhoods as we canvass them. Registering voters while our fellow volunteers plant trees. And this Saturday we're having our first ever "Can"-vass that mashes door knocking together with a food drive.

These events have proven to us that service can be a part of even the most intense weeks of the election cycle. Be it voters who are more receptive to canvassers who've invested in the community or seasoned volunteers who appreciate the hell out of a splash of variety, we've learned that these "mutant" events can be quite effective.

Our hope has always been that our values could speak through our actions. We're finding out that those actions are pretty damn convincing.

(This week's author, Ted Velie is the newest member of the DW team. Because of the importance of youth activism, we brought him on board with that as his focus. To find out how you can help, reach Ted at info[at]democratswork.org)

Thursday night the presidential candidates talked about their views on service.

Obama: "America is the greatest country on earth, but it didn't just happen on its own. It is not a gift only.... it is a responsibility."

This has been a key component of the Obama campaign from the very beginning. If you remember his acceptance speech during the Democratic Convention his line "We are the ones we've been waiting for" is key in his belief that Americans can solve the difficult challenges we face with millions of hands working together.

"The choices we provide young people are too constrained. " Obama went on to say "The fact is that we have to have government. When a hurricane strikes, as it did with Katrina, we have to have a FEMA that works, which by the way, means that we should be encouraging young people, the best and the brightest, to get involved as civil servants, to pursue careers of public service so we've got people who are trained in federal emergency management who are able to take on the job. Now, that does not crowd out the Red Cross. That doesn't crowd out the thousands of church groups that went down there. What it means is that each area has a role to play"

Sen. Obama goes on to say that the 3 years he spent as a community organizer working with churches and setting up after school programs for youth were the greatest years of education he ever had because it enabled him to see the ways in which people were empowered when they were given a chance to take charge of their own lives.

"Ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they come together. That is what I want to inspire people to do."

When it was Sen. McCain's turn he used similar opportunities to talk about the importance of service but failed to talk about young people being encouraged by increases in federal or presidential enthusiasm. Instead he used the forum as an opportunity to talk about our impending war against Russia

"They understand the challenges that we have in this world. They see the Russian invasion of the little country called Georgia. They see the problems in Afghanistan growing larger. They see a whole lot of things happening in the world that's going to require us to serve, and that opportunity has to be provided to them."

McCain instead said that the government should limit its involvement in service encouragement.

"I'd be glad to reward [volunteers] them as much as possible. But you want to be careful that the reason is not the reward of financial or other reasons, but the reward is the satisfaction of serving a cause greater than yourself. ... Finding new ways to serve. That's what this next few years should be all about."

This is a stark contrast to Obama's plan to encourage people who can't always afford to serve after graduating from college $20,000 in debt. Obama said his education plan outlines a $4,000 credit to students each year that is dependent on the dedication of those same students giving back to their communities.

The highlight of the forum was the question about previous statements by Gov. Sarah Palin that she made accepting the VP nomination last week where she said:

"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities,"

McCain's response to the question

"Look, Gov. Palin was responding to the criticism of her inexperience and her job as a mayor in a small town. That's what she was responding to. Of course I respect community organizers. Of course I respect people who serve their community. And Sen. Obama's record there is outstanding."

The spin on CNN afterward had a commentator who feared he would use naughty words in response to that statement saying that it was a boldface lie and that the McCain campaign knew exactly what it was doing when attacking Obama's work as a community organizer. The same commentator then said that Obama's response was weak and he was probably more angry about the comment by Palin.

When asked about McCain's comment, Gov. Sarah Palin said that it was sexist. (kidding)

One thing left out of the forum was the important statistic that your nation's youth are some of the most active community organizers and service volunteers in the country.

On August 28th, 2008, I was uploading pictures for Democrats Work onto Flickr from the day before. It was taking me longer than usual because I was posting them to my personal and work accounts, I was sending them in emails, and I even sent a copy to my mom. They were really a big deal for me. I had just planted trees with President Jimmy Carter. For a guy like me, whose job is community service, that is like meeting the Pope. Few people have lived their lives to be such an example of service, and it was awesome meeting one of my heroes.

Some people in the public eye help get the message out by showing up to an event and drawing people in, but they don't do a lot of the heavy lifting. They cut a ribbon, or dig out a ceremonial shovel full of dirt, and then they do what they do best: communicate a message. I applaud them for that, but I have to admit that when someone rolls up their sleeves and puts their values into action, the leadership of their example hits home for me. Jimmy Carter was born in 1924. He has paid his dues, and I would have been grateful for him to just show up. Fifty years ago, the man was already the senior officer on a submarine. If he had planted a tree, I would have been amazed. He planted three. And while he went from job to job surrounded by a bubble of cameras, he pushed his way through so he could talk about fishing and nature with the other volunteers getting their hands dirty.

At sites all around Denver there were over a thousand volunteers taking time out from being delegates at the Democratic National Convention to give back to the city that hosted the big show. Michelle Obama was filling care packages for the troops on one side of town, there were delegates building a playground for kids on another. All told, there were thirty one different teams working in different ways to make America better, and working on my project was Jimmy Carter, his son Jack, and his grandson Jason. Three generations, all political, and all with an understanding of the new politics of service. President Carter passed the torch, and found a generation waiting to take it farther than a single lifetime ever could.

On August 28th, 1963, another hero had delivered one of the greatest speeches ever recorded. On it's forty fifth anniversary, it was playing in the next room. As I uploaded the photos, Martin Luther King was preaching, "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood..." "...I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

I listened to those words and looked at the pictures of this delegation from the red hills of Georgia. There was a man, a former President, finishing up his third tree. There was a man, the bus driver whose job for the convention brought him to this site, who once there wanted to join the planting. A black man, a white man, a young man, an old man, and between the two of them a single shovel. It was another sort of passing of the torch. Tired arms handed the work to vigorous arms, but nowhere was there a tired spirit. All around Denver a youthful vigorous spirit was moving. Democrats were feeding the hungry, helping the elderly, cleaning the parks, and getting ready that very night to nominate a new leader for a new time. Someone who could take us the next step closer to the dream.

We have been handed the torch. We can use it to light the way or to burn everything down. We have been handed a shovel, and can use it to plant or to bury ourselves. I have seen the example of Jimmy Carter, and I know the choices of his grandson Jason. I was at the convention when those delegates, who had just given their time and energy to serve their neighbors, gave their voices to nominate Barack Obama. At that moment, I felt the eyes of the future upon us, I knew King's dream was coming closer to reality, and I knew that being judged on our character implies an obligation as well as a freedom. I am no King. I am no President. But I do know how to use a shovel, and left the convention eager to get to work.

In 1963, it was a dream. Unless we build it, that is all that it was. Groups like Democrats Work are a chance for us to make it something more.

I have always been interested in politics. I could recite the presidents in order when I was in the first grade. I was fascinated by the red/blue maps they would show on TV on election night. The first time I really remember being captivated by politics -- knowing what was going on and what the ramifications were -- was when I watched the results of the 2002 congressional elections in my residence hall room with my Republican hallmate and friend (he's now a Democrat). As 2004 came, I remember being obsessed with the election and closely monitoring it on both the internet and television. I was frustrated during both cycles -- Democrats were showing a remarkable ability to fight the battle exclusively on Republican ground. Issues like gay marriage, abortion, and immigration were complemented by weak Democratic positions on the war in Iraq. Voters were offered no compelling narrative to balance the Republican platform -- so given the choice between Republicans and impostor Republicans, they chose the real thing.

Things are different in 2008, though. The gloss to these superficial issues began to wash away in the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. No longer could we pretend that immigration, right to life issues, or same sex marriage were real priorities for this country. Poverty was devastatingly linked with actual people; America got a glimpse of why it is ineffective and heartless to talk about wedge issues rather than solve the actual problems our country faces. There were Americans who were suffering and were gagged; career politicians didn't care to hear their cries for help. In 2006, after Republican scandals further decimated the notion that the GOP's way of doing things would be good for the country, Democrats ran a populist campaign largely based on the issues the country cared about, and they were wildly successful, reclaiming both the Senate and the House.

Young people were enthused by the campaign in 2006. In 2004, Kerry won 18-29 year olds by 54-45 margin over Bush. In 2006, 18-29 year olds voted Democratic by a 60 to 38 margin. Candidates like Jim Webb in Virginia and Claire McCaskill in Missouri ran campaigns that appealed to the gut. Webb's State of the Union response only twenty days after he was sworn in demonstrated why he had so much success while beating former Republican senator George Allen. It was short and to the point, focused on the issues that were relevant. In 2005, after he lost his bid for the Democratic Party's nomination in the previous year, Howard Dean was elected as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and he immediately announced plans to broaden participation among rank-and-file party members, creating a fifty state strategy aimed at mobilizing the people. This call to action combined with a focus on shifting the debate back to the problems affecting people's lives led to a Democratic landslide in 2006 and set the stage for something bigger in 2008.

This year, we've been blessed and/or cursed with a protracted primary battle between two candidates. One candidate in particular demonstrated his understanding of the culture of America's youth. Embracing technology, creating opportunities to serve, and emphasizing the solving of problems led to a surge in support of Senator Obama among the youth community. Democrats, following Howard Dean's and Barack Obama's lead, have made participatory politics chic. Whether they both had read Millennials Rising or not, the change in political approach was exactly what was needed to capitalize on this new civic-minded generation.

We've been reading over the last several months now about how Barack Obama can not close the deal. We've been reading about how American voters may still entertain racist feelings because they're unsure of Obama. We've been reading about how people are worried that Obama might be elected and destroy the government. We've been reading about how Obama isn't patriotic because he doesn't wear a small piece of metal on his jacket. We've read a lot. But while we've been distracted on these issues -- defending Obama's patriotism and his capacity to lead us -- the strategy over the last couple years has actually put us in an enviable position.

This Democratic Party, one tending to focus on youth, on service, on technology, on being connected to one another, on solving problems, on getting involved, on taking responsibility for your community, is a winner. When we ask people to sacrifice and articulate why it's important they do so, that is an appeal to the best Americans have to offer. When we all participate, we're all better off. That is, in my mind, the message that differentiates this Democratic Party from those of years past.

Peter Levine, the director of CIRCLE, wrote on Thursday about the momentum behind the service movement, given that Barack Obama and John McCain have both agreed to appear and participate in a September 11th summit on national community service in New York City. Levine notes that this signals how far service as an American priority has come over the years. Both candidates will make statements -- they will not debate -- on a variety of philosophical and financial questions about the service movement.

This is once more evidence of the Democratic Party, the Left, whatever you'd like to call it, being successful at reframing the debate to talk about issues that are more tangible to the American people. This is also an example of the current foresight of our Democratic leaders -- forcing a discussion on a topic that is hugely important for our future leaders. Our up and coming generation has had a long love affair with volunteering and helping others. Many cite service's immediate impacts as the appeal (although youth seem to be becoming more patient with the process and getting politically involved as well). Of course, it will only help that Sen. Obama was a community organizer when he speaks next month.

As this campaign heats up over the next couple months, please notice the difference between this Democratic Party and the one that we had to suffer through five or six years ago. And then, please think about the difference between this Democratic Party and the one we will build five or six years from now. There are problems with funding the youth arm of the left's infrastructure as Mike as done a great job of noting here, so in order for this to happen, we still need to make sure we're backing it with all the resources we have. But if we do, and if we make a commitment to talking about these issues, the goal of creating a future majority among youth couldn't help but be met.

As part of my gig with MTV as one of their Street Team reps for the 2008 election cycle, I cover politics and young people in Nebraska.

Candidates in Nebraska are getting dirty…in rivers and parks that need to be cleaned up.  Come meet some of the candidates running for office in Nebraska that are taking part in new brand of politics—the politics of service.

The candidates talk about what service means to them, why young voters are so important this election and what each of us can do to take a stand as a generation.  Democrats Work is a national organization, founded by two  young people Thomas Bates and James Carter, that encourages individuals and campaigns to live and show their Democratic values through service.  A chapter was started here in Nebraska by Natalie Benson.

Candidates getting dirty in Nebraska include:

Heath Mello, State Legislature, NE-05

Jeremy Nordquist, State Legislature, NE-07

Jim Esch, House of Representatives, NE-02

Scott Kleeb, US Senate

Get Involved with Democrats Work:

www.democratswork.org

Jane Fleming Kleeb is the Executive Director of the Young Voter Pac which helps Democratic candidates and State Parties win with the 18-35 year old vote through endorsements, on-the-ground support, training, strategy and money. She is also a MTV Street Team rep for Nebraska.

Don't wait for the future. Build it.

When I first joined the community service projects hosted by Democrats Work, I knew that at the end of each day my small corner of the world was a little bit changed; a few homeless people were fed, a few bags of trash were cleaned from a park, some cans had been recycled, some graffiti painted away. I always came home feeling pretty good, but in the back of my mind was the thought that in a few hours the hungry would be hungry again, the gangs would have tagged the walls, and the trash would already be piling up along the fence lines. I would console myself by believing that even if I wasn't making the world any better, at least through my actions it was getting worse a little slower. Thinking like that kept me going long enough to finally see the real difference being made.

I already knew that the benefit from each tree I helped plant would grow over time. As the tree grew in size and beauty it would scrub carbon from the air and pull toxic metals from the earth. When my car drove beneath its shade, I would not run my air conditioner and my gas would go 20% further. A shadow across a Southern wall would save a home owner hundreds of dollars. I appreciated that the small action of planting a tree could yield large results. What I didn't yet grasp was that an even more basic action - the action of taking a small action - could change everything. I wasn't just planting a tree. I was working together with a team of people to plant a tree, and while what we were doing was giving life to a growing thing, how we were doing it, and why we were doing it, was something equally alive and growing.

Paint a wall if you want to make the world look a little better. Paint the wall of a school if you want to make the future look a little better. But, if you really want transformative change, see what happens when you bring a neighborhood together to paint a school. That is what happened on Saturday in Colorado.

Cole Middle School was designed for failure. For much of Denver's history, the families of black workers were segregated into a narrow patch of North side neighborhoods. Long after the law ceased to permit it the real estate agents still knew where red lines circled the map and showed which houses were reserved for white buyers. After years of determined efforts, those racist times were pushed into the background, but the socio-economic problems remain visible. The Cole neighborhood is still struggling with low incomes, scarce local retail, and under-funded schools.

In an inspirational moment, Mayor Hickenlooper promised a middle school class that if the students persevered the city would pay their State University tuitions. By the time that class would have that chance, the middle school had closed due to failing standardized test scores, the high school had shut its doors due to dropping enrollment, high pregnancy rates and low graduation rates took their toll, and when the final survivors stood up this year and showed they had made it through the gauntlet, and showed that they could pass the entrance exams, ten of the remaining few discovered that what they could not show were the immigration documents to prove that they were ever legally eligible. Many other disappointing chapters of the School’s history were written in that demoralizing style.

Cole Middle School closed its doors after a history made final by 'No Child Left Behind' and Colorado's 'CSAP' tests, but the course had been set years before by poverty, despair, and a community that looked like it was done trying. The city struck a deal with KIPP, a charter school corporation that had been started in Dallas with the early support of Texas Governor George W. Bush and seed funding from the GAP Corporation. Giving credit where it is due, successful KIPP schools are famously good. They go into low income areas and usually change the game. There is a bleaker side to their track record, however. Sometimes when it looks like a school might pull down Kipp’s average they very abruptly leave.

A concerned parent’s group looking at the organization hadn't even rated KIPP as their second choice, but the city liked the contract terms and handed over the money and the keys. After two years, KIPP pulled the plug. The only reason they gave the stranded community was that they had difficulty finding a permanent principal.

Denver Public Schools could have looked outside the community again, but instead they did something harder and smarter. They made a commitment to building the right way. Students, parents, teachers and neighbors were invited to help plan a new school. This time starting fresh with a K-8 elementary, they even let a 'kid-ocracy' vote on the school colors and mascot. Being just as happy as the adults to make a break with the past, the old Cole Eagle was retired and the new school would be the home of the Dragons.

The old building needed paint, and so they went to the neighborhoods and found high school students already wanting to give back to the place that had given them their start. They found young parents who wanted 'their' school to be more than just a place to drop their children for a few hours. They found teachers - and yes even the principal that KIPP could not find - who wanted not only to pick up a paycheck in the new institution, but who wanted to use their hearts, and hands, and paintbrushes, and sanding blocks to give this school a new identity and rebirth.

And they found Democrats Work; volunteers like me that want to do something positive on one afternoon that might bring something positive in the future. People like me who might look up on some days and realize that it was never a painted wall that would give this school a chance. It was never even a painted school that would give this neighborhood a chance. It was one neighborhood, uniting with hope to build the future, which had already planted something amazing.

Guest blogger Aaron Silverstein can be found at asilverstein@democratswork.org

We all know the importance of targeting and engaging young voters. In addition to well-established approaches – you know, like actually talking to young voters about issues we care about and using peer-to-peer outreach to do that – we have seen a number of successful non-traditional outreach methods. One of those tools is community service.

Young people volunteer for community service at much higher rates than they volunteer for traditional political activities. There is a culture of service in the Millennial generation that is rooted in the belief that community service is an effective way to solve important issues, locally and nationally. Our friends at Democrats Work are harnessing that passion for service and linking it to politics.

As many of you know, Democrats Work connects grassroots Democrats to community service projects. Through this service-based approach, Democrats Work is moving politics onto the turf of young voters, making community service an integral part of political activism. Their latest efforts to build the “politics of service” movement is an innovative contest with General Wesley Clark.

The “Serve with the General" contest will send General Clark to a competitive Congressional district to do a Democrats Work community service event helping returned veterans, painting a public school that needs it, supporting our troops, cleaning up a neglected part of town. We have a chance to send Clark to a district where a youth-friendly candidate is running for Congress.

You can vote to send General Clark to a Congressional district where the candidates are already making young voters a priority. I want to point out a few: Darcy Burner (WA-08), Bob Lord (AZ-03), Ashwin Madia (MN-06 MN-03), Gary Peters (MI-09), Dan Seals (IL-10), and Gary Trauner (WY-AL).

Take a look at these districts when deciding where to send General Clark. You can cast your vote here: www.democratswork.org.

P.S. We hope to have a candidate or two here in the next few days talking about how his or her campaign is targeting young voters. Stay tuned.

Jane Fleming Kleeb is the Executive Director of the Young Voter PAC which helps Democratic candidates and State Parties win with the 18-35 year-old vote through endorsements, on-the-ground support, training, strategy and money. She is a regular on Fox and is part of MTV’s Street Team ‘08 representing Nebraska. She is married to Democratic candidate for US Senate Scott Kleeb.

Traditionally partisan youth political organizations have been based solely on promoting the party and its candidates. Membership has been dominated by hyper-political and super-active aspiring politicians, staffers, activists, and party leaders. With the rise and coming of age of the new Millennial generation, we must branch out and expand membership to those that are not necessarily die-hard party politicos.

First, organizations need to welcome members that are more casual politically than traditional members. I have seen chapters of organizations that are extremely active scare off potential members by not truly accepting those that are not dedicating every waking hour to politics. With the concepts of the Pareto Principle (20% of your members will do 80% of the work) and The Long Tail (the small actions taken by the many less active members will be substantial in aggregate), we have to accept that not every member is going to be super-active and that casual members are valuable.

Second, integrating community service into your organization's activities will expand your appeal. Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais, authors of Millennial Makeover, write "Eighty percent of Millennials have done some sort of community service in high school. Eighty-five percent believe that directly contributing something to the community is an important way to improve it." In an earlier Future Majority post Alice wrote about the Culture of Volunteerism among Millennials.The appeal of community service to young people can draw members into your organization if you integrate community service into your program. Organizations like Democrats Work have been very successful, and Sen. John Edwards used community service with his One Corps program to draw people in. Not only can a community service program help you find new members, but will also associate your organization's brand with giving back to the community and possibly result in earned media.

It is also important to reach out to allied issue organizations. There are a number of strong youth environmental movements that could be partnered with. Net neutrality communities are often overlooked by youth organizers. Standing for issues that are attractive to Millennials and partnering with those issue organizations will serve your organization well in recruiting members and expanding your reach.

What other steps can youth political organizations take to expand their appeal and move beyond pure party politics?