Ascent: The Rise of Youth Activism

Anna Green
Ms. McKoy
English II
21 May 2012

Ascent: The Rise of Youth Activism

Last year, Egypt, when frightened by the rising number of political protests, completely shut off the internet and all of its cell phone services. If you were resourceful, you could resort to classic telephones, ham radios and walkie-talkies (which is still cool). Needless to say, none of the citizens of Egypt enjoyed it very much. Should governments be allowed to freely control internet and satellite services? What if the United States could suddenly remove itself from global communication by just the angry flip of a switch? Americans everywhere would be enraged, deranged, and desperate: no Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, Cell phones, Tumblr, Digg, Pinterest or Google. You wouldn’t know what was going on. Stocks would fall and people would lose millions. After Egypt cut the power, people got a little- no, a lot-  angrier. Soon enough, young and old picketers alike finally convinced Mubarak to step down, giving Egypt a new direction for the future.

So, is this still not your problem? Civic youth engagement is a necessary asset to future change. If the youth don’t speak out, nothing will change. What if the youth of Egypt had decided that the future of their counrty was unimportant to them? Would Mubarak had stepped down, or would he have continued to rig elections, ignore calls for help against invasions in bordering countries, and neglect the basic needs of his people? The literal definition of revolution is the usurping of a government or organization that is suppressing

And this is not the only case of such actions: All over the world, every day, there are movements taking place. Revolutions, wars, crimes against humanity, loaded elections, and other dark things are happening right now. But why should you worry, right? After all, you’re just a teenager. This is a problem for the grown-ups. This is how many, many teens feel. And many.many teens are quite wrong.  The topic of my argument is this: Teenagers, in the U.S. and other parts of the world, should become openly active in politics and their communities. Here is one excellent reason why: According to the U.S. Census Bureau of 2009, roughly 13.8% of the U.S. population are youth aged 16-25.

This may not seem like too many people, but in reality, that is somewhere around 21 million people. 250,000 people attended the Martin Luther King Jr. speech in D.C. (Recalling MLK speech). Over 500,000 people attended Woodstock in 1969 (UNC.edu). My point is that it took a fraction of a million people to make these events history. Both of these events were encouraged by the new ideas and beliefs experienced by the younger generations of America. With the current accessibility of the internet, phones, and other advanced ways of simple communication, there is no way that we cannot make a difference if we try.

In the book “Beyond Resistance” by Pedro Noguera and Julio Cammarota, a very important question is asked of the reader. “...I will explore the need to promote the development of citizenship across the growing population diversity of youth in this county- in regard to ethnicity and culture, social class, religion, sexual orientation, and handicap status. Across these dimensions of variability, youth are not equal in their access to the rights and responsibilityes of citizenship; for example, gay and lesbian youth are not afforded the right to marry.” (Neguera 289) My topic here is a rather different one: Are youth of today heavily and negatively impacted by the views of the past? The current LGBT movement has members both young and old, male and female, yet it seems as if their biggest enemies are in fact the previous generations. And these issues do not apply just to gay marriage. Traditional versus innovation has always been one of the biggest arguments in politics. “In established democracies, young people face the challenge of fitting into an established political system or making changes. In new democracies, a discredited regime is no more, but young people have the challenge of promoting their country's new freedom.” If youth of the United States wish for change, they must face the very faiths that they were raised upon. It takes large amounts of courage, and a strong will, but if the youth work together to make small changes to the old ways of working our democracy, we can begin to fix the flaws that have slowly begun to sink us.

You may say that becoming so involved in all of the political turmoil surrounding us impacts us negatively: It creates societal friction, takes the fun out of being young, and could even put us in harms way. And all of these things are true. Youth activism is not for everyone, nor should anyone throw their lives away for just any cause. You must evaluate yourself first: what matters the most to you? Is it poverty? Taxes? Rights? It could be anything. You have the choice, however, to opt out from becoming involved in politcs. It is perfectly fine to not want to be an activist. Nevertheless, it is my personal belief that you should support a cause that matters to you, in any way you see fit, even if that is only tweeting or udpating a status. Youth activism is for the brave, the just, and the hopeful. If there is something or someone that is dear to you, then fight for it, and never let the shadows of a corrupt dream get in your way.

The United States has thousands of ways to support a cause, anything from petitions to picketing to throwing feathers at strangers. The population of youth within this country is massive, and in the past, it has taken only fractions of the current amount to change the world forever. Youth are responsible for so much, and it is their new ideas and young dreams that keep the world alive and thriving with creativity. It only takes one person to change the world. Will it be you?

This paper should be very dear to you. Every thing you have experienced has also happened to someone else, and for almost all of those things, there is a battle waging somewhere. So what if you don’t feel like you have any problems? You have great pay, a great life, a great family, great friends, and great ideas? Share them. The world will swallow your ideas like a starving billy goat. No matter how many times something is said, it will always be repeated. And for every time it is repeated, it echoes in the hearts and minds of others. As someone who doesn’t have the most perfect lifestyle, I constanlty dream of change. I want to change the world, give back to those who have made me who I am, and create a new dream for another person. If you want to feel like a part of something, to feel like you’re not alone, to save others, or to simply make yourself known, then become active. Show the world what you can do. The globe may not wrap around your pinkie, but if you have something good enough to say, it may just bend your way. And if you can benefit society, then someone, somewhere, will most definitely know that it was you who saved them.

“L'homme c'est rien - l'oeuvre c'est tout” - Sherlock Holmes quoting Gustave Flaubert.

Works Cited

U.S. Census Bureau. "International Programs." U.S. Census- Region Summary. United States Census Bureau, 2009. Web. 22 May 2012. <http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/region.php>.

CBS Interactive. "Recalling MLK's "Dream" Speech." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 11 Feb. 2009. Web. 23 May 2012. <http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-273_162-570525.html>.

Fox, Stacy. "Woodstock Paper." Woodstock Paper. UNC. Web. 24 May 2012. <http://www.unc.edu/~sfox/woodstock.html>.

Noguera, Pedro, and Julio Cammarota. "Google Books." Google Books. Google. Web. 24 May 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?hl=en>.

Lagos, Marta, and Richard Rose. "YOUNG PEOPLE IN POLITICS." YOUNG PEOPLE IN POLITICS. International IDEA. Web. 24 May 2012. <http://archive.idea.int/df/99df/daniela-int3.html>.

Annotated Bibliography (Research Articles & Documentaries)

• Invisible Children. "The Fourth Estate." Vimeo. Vimeo, LLC, 2011. Web. 24 May 2012. <https://vimeo.com/22679976>.

Invisible Children is an organization dedicated to bringing criminals like Joseph Kony -and other fugitives that have committed crimes against children- into custody all across the world. This particular advertisement relates the power of youth activism to the revolution of France, in which the lower class rebelled and overthrew the nobility and the clergy.

The Invisible Children group is a rather dubious group. They promote activism via social networking, something which is looked upon rather distastefully. Also, reports of the members behavior shames the purposes of this group. The future they try to project, however, is not something to be looked down upon. It is possible that worldly change is within the hands of the world’s youth. Even if the leaders now are not too much to look up to,

• Wolf, Matt, and Jon Savage. "Teaser." Teenage. Teenagefilm.com, 2011. Web. 24 May 2012. <http://teenagefilm.com/film>.

“Teenage” is a novel by Jon Savage that examines the history of youth culture. This video is a teaser to the feature-length documentary called Teenage, based off the novel by Savage.

It describes the birth of the modern teenager, from first being a tool of society -a war asset and an economy machine- to becoming the very symbols of change in a conflicted world.
 

• Felice, Celina D., and Andria Wisler. "The Unexplored Power and Potential of Youth as Peace-Builders." Journal of Peace Conflict & Development 11 (2007): 1-29. Peacestudiesjournal.org.uk. Web. 24 May 2012. <http://peacestudiesjournal.org.uk>.

   
The authors of this article are Celina Del Felice and Andria Wisler. Felice is a PhD student at the Centre for International Development Issues in the university of Nijmegen, Netherlands. She has considerable experience with government politics, especially regarding youth. Wisler is a PhD candidate in Comparative and International Education. at Teachers College, Columbia University in NYC. This article, considering the authors, seems to be very unbiased and decently legitimate.

The article answers one of my essential questions in its own manner. Should youth be more involved in politics? According to this article, yes, they should. “There is a strong tendency among
politicians and researchers to see youth as a problem to be solved. However, many youth are
peaceful and peace-builders. Equally affected by various forms of violence, they decide to act
constructively towards building a culture of peace. Youth are underestimated as positive
agents of change and key actors in peace-building, both by policy-makers and academics.” (Felice 2) This article was useful to me because it reminded me of the importance of more peaceful protest, not just the more aggressive ones that we see so many of today.

• Lesko, Wendy. Maximum Youth Involvement: The Complete Game Plan for Community Action. Kensington, MD: Youth Activism Project, 2003. Print.

Wendy Lesko is the author of Maximum youth Involvement. She created this “game book” in order to answer a large array of questions that she created just for the educational purposes of activism in youth. Her questions are quite thought-provoking. It is a very useful source, making you think while also listing many, many ways that you can become involved in your community, or get others to join your cause.
   
in this game planning book, Lesko also offers numerous quotes about youth involvement, proposes milestones for ascending youth activists, and giving encouraging tips to them. I assume that this author would also support my essential question- Should youth be more politically involved? She obviously realizes the importance of youth involvement. However, being executive director of the Youth Involvement Game Plan group, this book is most likely biased towards these results. This was a very interesting article.

• Davis, Dernoral. "When Youth Protest: The Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, 1955-1970." Mississippi History Now. Mississippi Historical Society, Aug. 2001. Web. 24 May 2012. <http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/articles/60/the-mississippi-civil-rights-movement-1955-1970-when-youth-protest>.

This article by Dernoral Davis comes from a relatively credible source; it comes from an education Mississippi museum website. In this article, Davis, Ph.D., who is chairman of the history department at Jackson State University, recalls upon the past youth protests in Mississippi for the Civil Rights Movement. Although it is an older source, the importance of the material included has not changed. \

“When Youth Protest” offers a much more personal look into the lives of youth during the 1950’s-1970’s Civil Rights Movement. This article answers my essential question: What are some of the effects of youth activism? The Civil Rights Movement was almost entirely caused by the participation of youth hoping for a brighter future. When others read this article, I hope it offers them a new and insightful look upon the simple action of just standing up for yourself.

Philippe Diaz's "The Empire In Africa"

NewVideoDigital. "The Empire in Africa." YouTube. YouTube, 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 May 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_srovvMLoA>.

This is a sadly true example of dangerous internal conflict. In Sierra Leone, a country abundant with valuable resources, rebels tried to reclaim the dignity and lives of their people. However, interested foreigners began causing a lot of trouble, rigging elections, bombing, and overall causing much havoc.

Warning: Some graphic material (Blood, shooting, etc). Watch at your own risk.

Ron Paul, Pokemon Master

Ron Paul,

American

Republican

Author

Texan

    It's time for a revolution, American Style.

Obey the Pure Breed. Advertisement. Obey The Pure Breed. CafePress, Inc, 2012. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://www.obeythepurebreed.com/images/ron_paul2012_sticker.jpg>.

RonPaulStickers. Advertisement. Ron Paul Stickers. RON PAUL BUMPER STICKERS, 2012. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://www.ronpaulstickers.com/images/ronpaulinfo.jpeg>.

This is probably one of the coolest uses of revolution I've seen yet. Political warfare, change, and big guns. That's what I call a revolution. Or at least, that's how it's depicted in these pieces of art. Ron Paul is a presidential candidate from the Republican party of Texas, in case you didn't know.

As if that wasn't good enough... Meet Ron Paul, Pokemon Master.
Gotta catchem all! Ron Paul!

Viva La Paul!

An Interactive Timeline of The Arab Springs



Screen shot:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/mar/22/middle-east-protest-interactive-timeline

 While looking for a chart to represent the powers of change, and of youth activism, I came upon this wonderful timeline of the Arab Springs. It takes you on a well-informed tour of every country involved in the middle eastern uprisings. The uprisings in countries such as Syria, Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt are prime examples of youth involvement, albeit dangerous involvement. Thanks to internet connections and other electronic sources, more and more people are becoming aware of what is happening in the world. Information like the chart above, in an aricle by the UK Guardian, are helping to make the whole world an informed network of young and old alike. Revolution, revolutionized.

A little Bit of Research Here and There

Hypothesis:

Many young people aren’t interested in what happens on the other side of the globe. And that’s not an entirely bad thing: they want to live their lives in the carefree manner that has always escaped the realms of adult responsibility for generations. They fear becoming cold, stubborn intellectuals or thinking about things like ‘taxes’ or ‘mortgages’ -and they have the right to live like that.You’re only young once, after all. However, these youth should understand and be aware of their basic worldly surroundings, and what is going on around them. If the youth of today aren’t educated on their political, cultural, and societal environments, then they will fail to understand the importance of their involvement. Also, youth would openly accept opportunities to vote while older generations would find that ill suitable due to youth’s lack of experience.

Context:

My targeted audiences included everyone. I wanted the answer of both young and older people in order to compare them.Youth, of course, would probably tend so support it, whilst the older generations would find it in bad taste. I realized after my first survey, which was on the topic of revolution- a topic that was simply too broad to relate to a graph or chart. Therefore, the initial results were invalid and I had to rewrite my questions. I altered them to fit to my new topic of youth votes and political involvement.

Data:

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Survey Results!

Questions
Have you ever been to another country?	No	No	Yes, Mexico	No	No	No	No	Yes- Bahamas
What does the right to vote entitle?	Exactly that.	The freedom to choose a leader.	freedom of choice and change	The ability to choose a leader	To choose who runs your country	democracy	freedom of choice	The ability to change how the country is run
What is your current occupation?	student	Student	Student	Student	Student	Student	Student	Domestic Engineer
Do you read any informational documents? Check all that apply: Newspapers, Informative Essays, Other (please specify)	No	No	Yes, Newspapers and Political Magazines	No	No	No	No	Yes, Newspapers
Please choose the topic that is the most relevant to you: a. The Cultural Revolution b. The Technological Revolution: Silicon Valley c. The Syrian Revolution: Fall of Gaddafi d. The Occupy Revolution: NYC	A.	A.	B.	B.	C.	D.	D.	B.
Some of today’s youth don’t understand the actual importance of politics.True or False?	True	True	True	True	False	True	True	True
On a scale of 1 to 8, with 1 being the least, how well do you understand the following topics: The revolution of music/ Revolts in Egypt & Syria/ Caste System of India/ Death of Steve Jobs/ The future of the Internet/ Presidential Election/ Electoral College/ Presidential Primaries	(Items in order) (0) (2) (6) (1) (0) (1) (1) (2)	(Items in order) (0) (2) (6) (1) (0) (1) (1) (2)	(Items in order) (0) (2) (6) (1) (0) (1) (1) (2)	(Items in order) (0) (2) (6) (1) (0) (1) (1) (2)	(Items in order) (0) (2) (6) (1) (0) (1) (1) (2)	(Items in order) (0) (2) (6) (1) (0) (1) (1) (2)	(Items in order) (0) (2) (6) (1) (0) (1) (1) (2)	(Items in order) (0) (2) (6) (1) (0) (1) (1) (2)
Do you believe youth ages 16+ should have the right to vote?Yes or No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Why is it important that young people become of aware of their political, societal, and national surroundings?	Because they are going to inherit the world	So they are aware of those things, and see what they can change.	Education	Because it is ignorance that is destroying the U.S. now	Because they will be the ones voting, living out the laws, and running for office and other political positions in the future. So they should be aware of whats happening and how its going to affect them in the future	Because it is their future	They will one day be in charge	They'll be in charge eventually.
How Old Are you?	16	16	15	16	12	15	15	43

This is the second set of questions that I asked. The first set was decently informing, however, I felt it left some specifity to be desired. I only had 8 respondants for this survey, but I feel that all of the people that took this survey generally felt the same way. They felt that young people should be involved because they are going to inherit the world.

A majority of the respondants were ages 12-16. Only one older adult answered my survey.
I could have gotten many more replies had I posted it online in more places, and printed out tangible copies to pass out.

Most of them were students. All of the 16 year old agreed with the lowered voting age. However, a majority of the younger respondants had never traveled to another country and never read informative papers.

I could have added a wider range of informative papers, however, and included online articles. Many young people read those on a daily basis.

They were interesting results, and I hope to receive even more responses.


Follow-Up:

I sincerely hope to be able to continue this project. Not only do I feel it is an important subject, it is also one that is a normal, everyday political problem in multiple other countries. It is not my personal belief that people under the age of 18 should vote, but others believe differently. However, I believe that those who are of age to vote should register and vote whenever they get the chance. Isn’t it only right to take hold of the lives our forefathers fought for? We should never waste a chance to become politically or socially involved in our country. When I started, I focused on just voting. Now, I want to know something else: Are we involved enough in civic duty? Should we youth not volunteer and lead in order for a better tomorrow? I guess I will find out soon enough.

Essential Questions

1.Why is it important that youth are aware and or involved in their communities?

2. How are youth of other countries getting involved?

3. Should youth (ages 16 and up) have a larger role in politics?

4. Which type of revolution matters the most to the youth of today?

5. What are some of the effects of civic youth involvement?

These essential questions are the questions that I essentially want answered.

Civic Youth Involvement Survey

Are youth involved in their political communities?

1.    How old are you? ____

2.    Have you ever lived in another country? If so, which one?_______________


3.    What does the right to vote entitle?


4.    What is your current occupation? (student, nursing assistant, teacher, etc.)
________________________


5.      Do you read any informational documents? Check all that apply:

__Newspapers              __Other (Please Specify:_________________________________)
__Political Magazines     __Informative Essays      
                 
6.    Please choose the topic that is the most relevant to you:

a.    T.V. & Movie culture
b.    Technology: I-phones, I-pads, Cell phones, and Computers.
c.     Fall of Gaddafi, Egyptian Uprising
d.    The Occupy Camps: NYC
e.     Sports: Basketball, Bowling, Football, etc.

7.    True or False: Some of today’s youth don’t understand the actual importance of politics.


8.    On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the least, how well do you understand the following topics:
__The revolution of music     __Revolts in Egypt & Syria   __Caste System of India
__ Death of Steve Jobs         __The future of the internet  __Presidential Election     
__Electoral College        __ Presidential Primaries   


9.    Yes or No: The right to vote is a fun thing, not a responsibility.


10.  Why is it important that young people become of aware of their political, societal, and national surroundings?


This is the survey I created in order to find out the opinions of people regarding youth involvement in politics, and to also discover people's awareness of current world events.

"The Diversity of Youth Engagement"

Some Info on Civic Youth Involvement: Some facts about many youth that are actively involved (that you probably don't know).

This image provides some pretty fascinating statistics about the involvement of young adults in their communitites, and the correlations between groups, ideas, and actions between them.

Why would I want to do that?

I remember hearing about the recent political upheavals in Syria and Egypt and not understanding a word of what was really happening- or why they happened. I noticed that many of those country's and neighboring country's youth had a large hand in spreading awareness and rallying support for the rebels, many even in the front lines. Yet many of the teens I know here in the U.S. had no idea what was happening half way around the world. I do not believe that there is a big problem with this; After all, you are never young twice. People will always live out their youth to the fullest, rebelling in that 'live like you're dying' lifestyle before they enter the age of responsibility. However, I believe that since this world being left to us, we should know how to live on it. I also believe that today's youth should be aware of how important the freedoms we have in the U.S. are, and how we should better grasp the reigns of the opportunities that lie ahead of us.

The Question:

Why is it important that youth become involved in their worldly surroundings, and do they understand the importance of 'revolution'?

At first, I limited myself to the topic of revolution. Then, on a whim, I altered it to youth activism. However, I feel as if my project would never be complete without both questions answered, or at least revealed to general awareness. It is a personal belief that youth should always be involved in their surroundings, and that they have a relatively good understanding of the many possible meanings of the word "revolution".