Millennial Action Project (MAP) announced today the launch of its policy Innovation Lab, a fulcrum for policy education and bridge-building that connects the dots between the next generation of legislators and politically diverse experts and thought leaders to support bipartisan collaboration and innovative policymaking on key issues.
Gen Z and millennials have high hopes for the future. Except when it comes to politics.
State Rep. Bill G. Schuette (R-Midland) represented Michigan at a Millennial Action Project conference in early August to discuss the future of the nation and the challenges it will face.
On a January day more than 10 years ago, I first stood beneath the rotunda of the Mississippi state Capitol as an elected representative of the people of my hometown.
On March 20, State Sen. Eric Lesser, SPARK Boston and General Assembly Boston, hosted a SPARK talk featuring a fireside style chat between Amy Mahler, director of SPARK Boston, and Lesser. Mahler supervises a council of 38 members between the ages of 20 and 34 who live throughout 20 different Boston neighborhoods.
While division and strife mark the national news, the news here in Western Massachusetts is about coordination and collaboration - especially among an emerging group of young leaders in government, business and the nonprofit sector who are tackling our region's longtime challenges with new energy and fresh perspectives.
State Sen. Ryan Fattman, and a handful of his State House colleagues, are among the youngest lawmakers on Beacon Hill.So when the 33-year-old Webster Republican found himself sitting next to state Sen. Eric Lesser, 32, D-Longmeadow, last year, a conversation about their generation soon put in motion an initiative: talk to fellow millennials and hear their concerns.
A group of young senators who set out about a year ago to study the attitudes, interests, frustrations and aspirations of the so-called millennial generation has recommended formally establishing a legislative millennial caucus and creating a scorecard to gauge progress on issues important to young people.
State Sen. Eric Lesser, a Longmeadow Democrat who moderated the panel, said the lack of engagement in politics by members of his generation is alarming, particularly in state and local elections. At the same time, the level of civic participation and community service by young people is at an all-time high, Lesser said, suggesting millennials are engaged, but not with government.
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By Michael J. Rodrigues
Massachusetts State Senator
Posted Apr. 1, 2016 at 5:55 PM
As the largest generation in the United States, the most ethnically diverse generation, and the generation where Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat have come of age, Millennials represent one-third of the total U.S. population, and by 2020, they will make up 50 percent of the nation’s workforce.
Because Millennials are starting down their educational and career pathways, they have an immense opportunity to become agents of social change and shape the direction of our economy for many decades to come.
However, Millennials remain seemingly disengaged with government. It is not enough to put forward policy solutions that aim to address the student debt crisis, income inequality, transportation equity, and assume that the largest generation in the U.S. will suddenly become engaged.
To increase engagement and interest, legislators — at both the federal and state level — must reach out to Millennials, engage them where they are: in schools, at community centers, at work, online, etc., and include them as part of a collaborative effort on how we can address the various challenges that their generation faces.
Whether it is finding ways to make student loan payments more affordable; promoting digital literacy and innovation; pushing for equal pay and paycheck fairness; supporting investments and policies that create better-paying jobs; or expanding access to programs for those who want to buy their first home; Millennials have to be a part of the larger discussion on how we address the issues that are important to their everyday lives.
However, it should come as no surprise that Millennials are turning toward alternative means of civic engagement to meet their desire for meaningful and measurable progress.
Because many Millennials no longer view the government as a viable solution to their problems, they are becoming more involved in non-profits and community service as an alternative. Yet, there is hope still that government can play a role. According to a 2014 Deloitte Millennial Survey, three-quarters of Millennials believe that government has the potential to address social challenges.
If Millennials believe in government itself, why are they not getting involved? As a 2007 CIRCLE study explains, young people are not “eschewing politics as much as they do not see politics as an option. They see no clear access points, and their perceptions and experiences with the political system suggest to them that they cannot have an impact, which is what they seek.” It is clear that Millennials desire to have an impact, but they are often mistaken as disengaged by older generations.
The Millennial Engagement Initiative, launched by Senate President Stan Rosenberg and Sen. Eric Lesser, is a series of discussions across the Commonwealth that will allow the Massachusetts State Senate to better engage Millennials, encouraging them to have their voices heard and to make an impact on shaping their futures.
This initiative not only gives legislators an opportunity to understand the needs of Millennials, but also provides Millennials a platform to become a part of a larger collaboration to finding solutions to our shared challenges.
Millennials: we are bringing the conversation to you. Please join Senate President Rosenberg, Senator Lesser, and I at the SouthCoast Millennial Engagement Roundtable on Wednesday, April 6 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the UMass Dartmouth Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (151 Martine St., Fall River). Reserve your spot at southcoastmillennials.eventbrite.com.
State Sen. Michael J. Rodrigues, D-Westport, represents the First Bristol and Plymouth District and serves as the Assistant Majority Whip and Senate Chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Revenue.
State Representatives Ryan Fattman (R) and Eric Lesser (D), co-chairs of the Millennial Engagement Initiative, recently penned an op-ed in support of their work to bring more millennials into state policy conversations.
