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Tools of engagement
By Shayla Shrieves
April 10, 2008
Most of the political candidates this season are old enough to be our parents or even our grandparents, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't listen to what they're saying — or that they won't listen to you.
Barack Obama connects with Generation Engage members via iChat.
| Generation Engage is a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic-engagement initiative that connects young Americans to political leaders and organizations for meaningful debate. Its goal is to empower young people who may have fallen through the cracks of traditional political outreach.
The target audience is 16- to 30-year-olds who are not on college campuses. Half of these folks have had no college experience. They have jobs and are raising families; they may live in rural areas or in the inner city.
"These people are much more likely to participate and have more understanding [of the impact of political decisions]," said Executive Director Adrian Talbott.
Founded in December 2004 by Talbott, his brother Devin and their friend Justin Rockefeller, Generation Engage now boasts more than 30,000 members and 19 staff members in seven communities.
"We really believe we are not apathetic. Young people don't suffer from a lack of interest. They suffer from a lack of access," Adrian Talbott said.
Traditionally, he said, young people who couldn't afford to make major campaign contributions may have felt they were caught in a cycle of not being listened to. "What we're seeing here is people changing opinion," Talbott said.
Generation Engage has a simple philosophy of giving young people access to politicians. One of its most successful initiatives is using Apple iChat technology to connect candidates with young people in places where they'd hang out anyway. Members can gather at a bar, pool hall, community center or coffee shop and be part of an iChat session with a candidate or civic heavy hitter.
They've offered dialogues with notables like former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and film director Spike Lee. Last October, they hosted an Iowa event for the Republican and Democrat presidential candidates, with Generation Engage members in Raleigh and San Jose "attending" via iChat. They also plan to attend the national conventions this year.
What makes it work?
"Politicians do it to win new votes for fewer dollars. We ask them to show up for 40 minutes. We get in five to six media outlets at a time. All of a sudden, it's shifting the accepted paradigm," Talbott said.
Generation Engage doesn't yet have a presence in Ohio. Talbott said the first step toward developing a local chapter would be to gather like-minded people and start raising the money to pay a full-time staffer.
Becoming a member is easy. Log on to GenerationEngage.com to sign up by filling out a 25-question survey. Members commit to participating in upcoming events. There is no fee.
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