Despite this instant frenzy of enthusiasm for young people, we rarely see political leaders speak to our interests, let alone make policy that is positive for us. We're managing staggering school debt, we're baring the brunt of the health care crisis, and the war in Iraq is being fought with our futures.
That's why Wellstone Action created Campus Camp Wellstone, a two-day training for students on campuses across the country. Our aim is to help students see the relevance of politics to their lives, and help them with skills to be leaders and organizers.
We've long been the engine that runs the internal grassroots efforts of campaigns; now we're the targets of that campaigning too. They've figured out that if they involve us and inspire us, we give back in multitudes.
So without a doubt, campaigns will be asking your support-in dollars, hours, connections and cache.
Give it. Definitely give it.
But you've got leverage in this relationship. You can ask for things too. You can ask the campaigns to ante up when it comes to pursuing young people-that they devote real resources to it and step out of the musty box of traditional campaign tactics.
If they're smart, they'll know that what you're asking for on behalf of young people is the very same thing that will make their campaign smarter and more viable. So here are some key win-win demands to put out there:
- Go where we are: We turn off political ads and rhetoric, but turn on when other young people talk with us about what affects our lives. So find out where we are en masse. Use teams of young people to "vote mob" bars, sports events, shows and clubs-have them register and talk politics with other young people at places they'd go anyways.
- Come correct: Young people don't want to hear about our "civic obligation" to the political process. Instead, focus on how our participation shifts the balance of power and takes it from powerful interests that ignore the issues that affect our lives. Don't give us the candidate's biography; tell us about how their policy choices will affect young people.
- Get good contact information: Most of us don't have landlines and we move constantly, so when collecting information from young people, focus on cell numbers, e-mail addresses, IM addresses and social networking pages.
- Work our connections: One of the first things you can do with young volunteers is challenge them to recruit five of their friends as volunteers. Do the same with each of these five volunteers. You'll quickly identify the "super volunteers"; those are the one you should give more responsibilities, like being a lead organizer on a campus.
- Make us leaders: At the beginning of the campaign, identify roles that you want to see young people fill as the campaign evolves-volunteer coordinator, field organizers, press aides-and make a conscious effort to recruit us to fill these roles.
And most importantly, make sure the campaign understands that for you the ‘big win' is not one or another politician getting into office. The win is what happens next-it's when real people can tangibly feel real change in their lives. So make sure they hear, loud and clear, the most important condition of our participation:
• Go to bat for us: When you do win, fight with us, for us. We'll do the same for you.Mattie Weiss is the director of the Campus Camp Wellstone program at Wellstone Action, and co-author of How To Get Stupid White Men Out of Office.
