On July 29th and 30th, nearly 80 legislators from 36 states and Guam came together to affirm their belief in transcending the partisan divide and intention to work across the political spectrum to create a more functional democracy. They all arrived for the fifth annual Future Summit.
These legislators represent a cross-section of the more than 1,600 Millennial state legislators included in our State Future Caucus Network (SFCN). The SFCN creates space for bipartisan dialogue and action among legislators committed to working on innovative and future-focused policy. This year Future Summit attendees from both sides of the aisle shared their experiences adapting to the unique challenges of 2021, learned tools for leadership and bridge building by renowned speakers, and communicated best practices gained from their engagement on vital policy issues.
Thursday night started off with the Aspen Institute’s Better Arguments Project, holding a workshop on taking winning off the table to have more productive conversations. The evening wrapped up with a networking reception where we reflected on takeaways from the previous session and looked ahead to the full day of Future Summit programming on Friday.
The full day of Future Summit programming began on Friday morning with remarks from MAP President & CEO, Layla Zaidane, who laid out her vision for this upcoming chapter of MAP.
After sharing her vision for the future of the network, Reginald Darby, Vice President of Programs had a fireside chat with White House Intergovernmental Affairs Director, Julie Chavez Rodriguez. She discussed the Biden Administration’s work with state legislators across the country and the ways in which her department can assist state legislators. She said it best on the current cross-collaboration between the federal government and state legislators:
“There tends to be a lot of noise in terms of polarization and partisanship, but what we have found and what we are encouraged by is our state and local leaders who are focused on getting things done and delivering results. We have found tremendous partnership across the aisle and throughout the country."
Legislators gathered in breakout rooms to discuss remarks from the IGA Director and discussed ways they could utilize the resources at hand from the federal government. After an engaging breakout session, legislators reconvened for the state roll call, allowing representatives from the 36 different states and Guam in attendance to introduce themselves and represent their state!
After a quick break, legislators reconvened for their selection of three lunch networking and skill sessions. MAP heard the calls from legislators for assistance in expanding their brand, preparing them for legislative success, and how to expand their legislative portfolio. We addressed all of those in breakout sessions that legislators could move around and hear from experts. In the lunch session Don’t Be a One-Trick Pony, legislators heard from Natalie Wood, NCSL Director for the Center for Legislative Strengthening and Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-TN). Legislators shared methods for cultivating expertise in different policy areas and learned how to develop informed legislation in these areas.
In the lunch session Spring Training: How to Prepare in the Offseason, Elizabeth Whitehouse, Chief Public Policy Officer from Council of State Governments and Rep. Thomas Pressly (R-LA) discussed ways to make the most of the legislative offseason. They surveyed upcoming legislative trends and best strategies for networking with colleagues, promoting legislation, cultivating an efficient and effective office staff, and connecting with constituents.
Other legislators attended the lunch session Hot Takes, Hot Mics, and Hot Tips: All Things Media led by Yvonne Wenger, Communications Director for the Baltimore City Council President and Rep. London Lamar (D-TN). Folks exchanged techniques for developing a strong and effective media presence. Addressing traditional print media, television journalism, and social media, participants will discuss strategies for constituent outreach and promoting legislation. The conversation also covered strategies to combat misinformation and use digital media responsibly.
As we moved into Friday afternoon, we dove right into the keynote presentation from Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap, Inc., in conversation with Layla Zaidane. Evan answered questions from legislators and shared his thoughts on the importance of public policy leadership among millennials, the role of platforms like Snapchat in young civic engagement, and his experience founding Snap as a young entrepreneur. On the unique power of young leaders, Evan said:
"We have found that young people are really open to new ideas, and that's one of the things that's so exciting about young people working together to create change in our country."
After hearing inspiring remarks from Evan Spiegel, legislators took that energy and excitement into policy breakouts. Legislators had the opportunity to participate in the following breakouts:
Preventing A Lost Future: Leveraging Pandemic Momentum in Juvenile Justice Reform
Skills, Start-Ups, and Supply: Catalyzing Innovation and Expanding Opportunity in your Communities
Strengthening our Democracy: Emerging Civic Technologies & the Future of American Elections
A New Forecast: Responding to Changing Energy Dynamics for a More Resilient Future
These breakout sessions were led by legislators who are leaders and policy champions in their field. With one Democrat and one Republican legislator co-leading each breakout session, attendees were able to learn about successful legislation from other states, trade insights on passing legislation, identify solutions to legislative obstacles, and highlight notable consensus on each of the four policy areas.
We ended our day reflecting on the reason we are all here: the State Future Caucus Network. Rep. Devin Carney (R-CT), Rep. Tory Arnberger (R-KS), Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D-IL), and Rep. Ajay Pittman (D-OK) discussed their involvement as co-chairs of the Future Caucus in their respective states in a session moderated by State Caucus Network Director, Jennifer Blemur. They did not shy away from the hard questions addressing how their caucuses work when at an impasse or how to refresh a caucus after a period of inactivity. They shared how their caucuses worked together, whether socially or in collaborative legislative work!
To end this incredible day, Layla Zaidane gave her thanks and rallied legislators for our call to action: to activate young leaders to bridge the partisan divide and transform American politics.