White House Youth Liaison

There's a lot that can be said for someone who hasn't before ever done serious beltway work jumping in with both feet... especially among a community as diverse and unique as young voters. So I was sad to see that Kalpen Modi was on his way out.

"I think for most young folks who I'm talking to, it doesn't matter if they're on the left or the right, the issues that they cared about were the same," he said. "It is a kind of bummer if you look at the score keeping on the Hill ... and what we have been focusing on is getting folks on the same page, focusing on the solutions."

I'm a pretty big score keeper when it comes to the outreach I wish the White House had done to young people. This isn't necessarily to do with the Public Liaison's office its more on policy issues. You've heard me say before that the only demographic that supported and continued to support the President during the horrible TeaBagger Summer of 2009 was young people but we were never brought in to be advocates on HCR. The same could be said about the energy bill - except it was non-profit groups that did the proper outreach to youth.

Kalpen Modi's outreach has been good. He's done what the OPL does best - they do outreach and round tables and discussions and people discuss. It just doesn't translate into communications messaging, event outreach, or press that trickles down to the college newspaper level.

"Our office doesn't handle policy, but we help bridge the gap between policies," Penn explained. "So if there's a group that's particularly concerned with an issue, and they want to bring in 10 or 12 folks, we'll put them in a room with some of our policy team and they'll link up that way."

Therein lies the problem. I wish Kalpen was experienced and more schooled in these areas so that we could have put him in a policy role so you'd have a youth advocate among those folks. Because this team of people seems so far removed from the struggles facing young people that it's caused a lot of problems when it comes to messaging to young people or making them into advocates for the President's political agenda.

He touches briefly on this in the video above but he also says that a lot of people assumed that change would happen immediately - we would see immediate results like a switch is flicked. Kalpen says it doesn't work that way. And he's right. In our generation we're use to immediate results, immediate interaction, quick now quick now.... Government doesn't work that way - in fact it's the antithesis of how government works works. But as much as I would like to see immediate results - it's probably a good idea that it doesn't work that way otherwise any yahoo could come on there and sink our government into complete terror and destruction. Luckily it took Bush 8 years to do that. It's going to take some time to fix unfortunately. I just wish the WH would consider young people to be an ally in that fight

Lots of news today about President Obama and young people. From the looks of things he's up.. then down... then up... then down.

Don't forget if you're at #NN11 today there is a youthy panel:
Changing of the Guard: Youth Leading Democracy
FRI, 06/17/2011 - 4:30PM, M100 FG

• How to lose an internship in 10 ways
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• Entries open for SBA Entrepreneurship competition
• An older post I discovered today but totally worth the read - Using Peer Pressure to Change the World
• Letter to the editor for Salon
  

  You are far too generous

  in your assessment of Obama's performance. What you call poor communication I call a complete lack of conviction. Attempting a conciliatory approach is fine at first, but it quickly became clear the Repugs were going to have nothing to do with it. If he had wanted to, Obama could very easily have used the bully pulpit to at least advocate for all the progressive policies he campaigned on, but in the final analysis I think it is clear that was all a bunch of BS and lies. The man has no courage, no vision, no convictions. Totally worthless, and the worst part of all this is the disillusionment of the young voters who thought he would make a difference.

  —tballou

• Billionaire's front group attacks young voters among others
  In speaking about the American Legislative Exchange Council

  "In 2009, ALEC drew up the Voter ID Act to ban university students from using their college-issued ID's as proof of residency for voting. Seven states have adopted this model law, which is intended to bar eligible students from the voting booth. These kids must be disenfranchised, New Hampshire's house speaker bluntly said in February, because they're "voting liberal, voting their feelings, with no life experience." This model bill has been introduced in 18 other states this year in a rather obvious ploy to hold down the student vote in the 2012 presidential election."

• From the Miami Herald students facing unemployment with student loans
  
• Young voters aren't the only ones "Souring with Obama" it seems Young Environmentalists Displeased with Obama
  

  "The displeasure amongst young environmentalists does not necessarily reflect the feelings of young voters nationwide however. In a Harvard Institute of Politics poll, 55% of all voters between the ages of 18 and 25 approve of the President’s job performance. Amongst college students, the percentage raised to 60%. But despite high approval ratings, young voters are hesitant to back the President in the 2012 elections.

  The most important issue for these voters is the economy. In February of 2011, 43% feel their economic situation is “very” or “fairly bad” and 22% are currently looking for work. When asked whether they will vote for him in 2012, only 38% say they will while 25% say they plan to vote for his Republican opponent. The rest are unsure. While young voters have stuck beside President Obama, it seems the spirit of “Yes We Can” has faded."

• The other Obama's however are doing great work with young people! Michelle Obama Africa Trip Focuses on Youth Leadership
• Young Voters win at GOP Debate
• Red State blogger calls Social Security a Ponzi Scheme and instructs young voters to Opt Out
• Here's an important notation to mention: US Supreme Court Rules a Youth's Age is Relevant in Miranda Analysis. More specifically
  

  "Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the majority opinion (PDF). “It is beyond dispute that children will often feel bound to submit to police questioning when an adult in the same circumstances would feel free to leave,” she wrote. “Seeing no reason for police officers or courts to blind themselves to that commonsense reality, we hold that a child’s age properly informs the Miranda custody analysis." You can read more about the specific case at the link.

• 4H Shout Out: Youth learn Responsibility and Leadership through raising Livestock
• Congressional personal financial disclosure forms reveal some still have student loan debt... welcome to my world. You'd think these members would be the ones leading the charge to fix it!
  

  "Nevertheless, the reports offered reminders of the more typical financial burdens faced by most Americans. Many lawmakers reported unpaid student loans or hefty credit card balances. One cash-strapped freshman put himself on his campaign payroll to make ends meet last year."

• Should you start a business right out of college?
• And today came an email from the White House:
  

  Good evening everyone,

  As many of you know, last week, President Obama met with a number of inspiring young Americans here in the West Wing to de-brief on the “100 Youth Roundtables” Initiative. In that session, young folks reflected on the feedback given to the White House during the course of the initiative. They discussed issues regarding environmental regulations, community organizations, legislation that the President supports, and how to really make a difference all around. To follow up on that feedback, the President announced a new series that will take us through the summer, called, “How to Make Change.” Check out video of his announcement here.

  This series will specifically foster a conversation between young Americans, advocates, and the White House on the issues that matter to us all. What are specific deliverables you would like to see? What tools can we offer you so that you can achieve what you set out to achieve? Let us know! The full schedule for “How to Make Change” will be announced next week, so stay tuned.

  Have a good Thursday night,

  Kal

Here's a question - whatever happened to the proposed White House Youth Liaison?

You'll remember that during the Presidential Transition, many youth leaders met with the transition team in DC. Part of that conversation touched on the creation of a White House Youth Liaison - someone to represent Millennials of all ages (not just children) in the White House and help young organizers and policy geeks get their voices heard in the policy making process. I even wrote a memo, submitted to the transition team and endorsed in part by many youth groups, outlining why the position was necessary and what it should aim to accomplish.

Almost three months later, the transition has closed up shop, and rather than more clarity as to the process and what is happening, we seem to have far less. No one seems to have any clue what the White House is thinking wrt the creation of such a position within the Office of Public Liaison, or the process by which a final determination and/or hire for such a position will take place.

One step forward, two steps back. Anyone have any idea what's happening on this front?