As part of ongoing efforts to motivate young people to engage in the
political
process, the League of Young
Voters
Education Fund (LYVEF)
recently teamed up with the National Coalition on Black Civic
Participations (NCBCP) Black Youth Vote! (BYV!) for an innovative civic
participation training at North High School in Des Moines, IA. The
youth later participated in the Black and Brown Forum Presidential
Debate.
Organizers underscored the importance of voting in the Jan. 3, 2008
primary even though people of color make up less than six percent of
the Iowa population. We are working diligently to educate young people
on the role the primaries play in the political
process, said Rob Biko
Baker, LYVEF organizing director. We used edutainment - spoken word and
writing exercises - to tie the struggles faced by young adults to the
power of the vote.
Young people must learn the entire process. From getting youth-oriented
issues on the table during the primaries, to holding elected officials
accountable once theyre in office, adds Melanie L. Campbell, executive
director and CEO of the NCBCP. This is one of many trainings we are
hosting across the country to educate young people on the importance of
voting and teaching them how to mobilize their friends and family
around issues important to them.
Last month Black Youth Vote! hosted a comprehensive training in
Washington, DC to prepare state BYV! coordinators to go into their
community and galvanize young
voters. Nearly 80 youth organizers from
across the country engaged in interactive workshops and panel
discussions to train them on voter registration, mobilizing young
voters, voter protection, and educating the youth on issues impacting
their demographic.
There are a number of issues important to Black youth including the
unprecedented levels of African American incarceration, high school
expulsion rates, and their economic future, said Jordan Thierry, BYV!
national coordinator. Black Youth Vote! connects the dots between
voting and resolving issues effecting their everyday life.
Its a new day in America. Black youth under 35 represent nearly 50
percent of the Black American electorate, says Campbell. Black youth
have the power to impact the serious problems confronting the Black
community. Their movement was energized with the historic participation
of young voters in the 2004 election, followed by the massive
demonstration in Jena. Black Youth Vote! is helping to channel that
movement energy into the 2008 election cycle, she adds.
Black Youth Vote!, (www.ncbcp.org)
the youth division of the NCBCP, is a national grassroots coalition of
organizations and individuals committed to increasing political and
civic involvement among Black men and women aged 18-35. Founded in1996,
the youth led organization educates young adults about the political
process and trains them to identify issues and influence public policy
through participation. BYV! has been instrumental reversing the
downward spiral among young voters and educating voters who are
increasingly disenfranchised from the electoral and legislative process.
The League of Young Voters Education Fund (http://youngvoter.org/iowa)
empowers young people nationwide to participate in the democratic
process with a focus on non-college youth from low-income communities
and communities of color. Founded in 2003, LYVEF makes civic engagement
relevant by meeting young people where they are, working on issues that
affect their lives, and providing them with tools, training, and
support to become viable players in the civic process.