Make the extraordinary, ordinary: The power of advocacy and coalition

On Tuesday night, I got the opportunity to participate in a very interesting group discussion on the power of advocacy for the non profit sector. This group discussion was lead by Larry Ottinger, President of the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, and it was hosted by the Young Non profit Professionals Network. The goal for this discussion was to hear different perspectives on the real impact and influence that well driven advocacy strategies can bring to any organization. The discussion lasted for more than an hour and a half, many important statements where said, and many question also flourished.

I strongly suggest for anyone who is interested in trying to make a powerful change in the world, to help me understand, if at the end it might be accurate to conclude that in any event(it does not matter if it is made by a non profit organization, by a for profit, by the private sector or by the government), advocacy, coalition and even lobbying should be almost mandatory in order to spread the word, have a more powerful voice and to make what seems extraordinary, almost ordinary.

But what happens when this secret power ends up in the wrong hands, and all the information is suddenly favoring only one side of the story? When it comes to advocating, and spreading the word, everyone has something to say, and it can be related to any current event. This reminds me of the article that was posted on Wednesday on USA Today call “A legacy of 2008: facts, lies and videotape” by CGNS political writer Chuck Raasch. In http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/raasch/2008-10-29-raasch-column-10292008_N.htm. Which made me wonder if it is safe to compare non profits advocacy strategies, to the power of media and the way they are constantly spreading the word.

Finally, to help you understand even more everything related to Advocacy and Coalitions (not just in the non profits, and during the elections, but for any type of movement), I suggest you to read the “Mobilizer’s Guidebook”, which you can purchase from us, for a discount price of $20.

Campaign for College Affordability Issues New Backgrounder on The Economy and Its Effects on College Students

Read the new fact sheet from the Campaign for College Affordability.

www.collegeaffordabilitynow.org

Twitter Vote Report--Citizens Driving the Election

A volunteer network of software developers, designers, and other collaborators have teamed up with the award-winning blog techPresident to launch Twitter Vote Report. Individual voters will use their cell phones to report on their individual experiences – the good, bad and ugly. How long is the wait in Cleveland, Ohio? Are the new optical scan machines staying up and running in Palm Beach County, Florida? Is failure to bring ID to the polls thwarting first-time voters in Indianapolis? With Twitter Vote Report, we’ll know the answers to those questions straight from voters from all over the country.

Twitter Vote Report was inspired by a techPresident blog post on October 6th proposing the use of Twitter for election monitoring. In less than a month, volunteers across the country, with no other resources than their know-how and volunteer time, built www.twittervotereport.com to stream individual messages from Twitter and that will aggregate messages into maps and graphs.

Voters will use Twitter and the code, or hashtag, #votereport on Election Day to report whether they had a long wait, or voting machines were faulty or if there were registration problems – or if everything went well.

Voters can also send a message to Twitter Vote Report by:
• Sending a text message to 66937 beginning with #votereport
• Calling to (567) 258-8683 (258-VOTE) to leave a message by touch tone keypad
• Downloading the Twitter Vote Report iPhone application

Participating in the Twitter Vote Report project are an impressive range of organizations including the Election Protection Coalition, Rock the Vote, Credo Mobile, Common Cause, Plodt, YouTube, Twittervision, NPR’s Social Media Desk, Independence Year Foundation, The Center for Community Change, Student PIRGs, PBS, Video the Vote, Election Suppression Wiki, Women Donors Network, and Demos. In addition, Current TV will be using the #votereport information as part of their special election coverage throughout the day.

Matt Cooperrider, a key architect of the effort, called Twitter Vote Report “the best aspects of grassroots activism and digital technology combined with an open source ethos to really change the way we participate in elections.”

"The goal of Twitter Vote Report is to expand the ways in which Americans participate in the electoral process this Election Day," said Nancy Scola, associate editor at techPresident. Andrew Rasiej, founder of techPresident, added, "This Twitter campaign is an ideal example of the combined power of social media and impassioned citizens to participate in our democracy. Power and control is shifting from politicians and campaigns to people and we'll be able to see that in real-time on Election Day."

Please visit www.twittervotereport.com to learn more about how Twitter and other technology tools will be used on November 4th to track voters Election Day voting experiences.

When I find good all-partisan advice, I have to share it.

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GOOD Magazine several weeks ago began posting little newspaper print issue briefs at Starbucks. They have covered issues like immigration and gas prices, and most recently, education.

But reading today the explanation of what GOOD is to the information consumer of these issue briefs, they posted a key tagline which is an opportune piece of advice during this time in our country:

AMERICA. LOVE IT OR FIX IT.

Our Voting Bloc--The Importance of Millennials Taking Their Seat at the Table

Over the weekend at a talk I gave about the power that Millennials can play in the political sphere, I emphasized that we all need to think not just about how our country will be affected by which candidate we decide to vote for, but how our voting bloc will be affected by our choice to vote at all.

If Millennials show up to the polls, we WILL matter. We will no longer be ignored if our numbers changed the direction of the election or we make up a notable portion of the electorate.

People often counter prompts to vote during any election with, "I do not like either of the candidates." Regardless, you should care about your future, and your position as a member of a generation that does need to be taken seriously.

Cannot wait til November 5th!

Where Will You Be November 5th?

Where will YOU be November 5th?

Join us at Mobilize.org’s B.Y.O.C.

(Bring Your Own Computer)

Bring yourself, your computer, and invite five of your
Facebook friends to Mobilize.org’s first social media meetup.

November 5 from 6-8 p.m. at Mobilize.org.

Hear from guest speakers in the non-profit, business, and tech communities regarding a question on all of our minds:

What Now?

Facebook, Twitter, blog, Digg, or use other social media tools
to spread the word about Mobilize.org.

Meet other D.C. area people interested in making a change after this election.

R.S.V.P with Ian at ian@mobilize.org.

Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Location: 1133 19th Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20036

Maya Enista Interview Featured on YouthActionNet

Check out Mobilize.org CEO Maya Enista on YouthActionNet.

http://www.youthactionnet.org/index.php?fuse=additionalcontent

Millennials Get Politics - We Told You So

Harvard University’s Institute of Politics Poll Released

Millennials are increasingly engaged and understand that poiltics can effectively solve our problems. In the last two years we’ve seen a 9% increase, according to Harvard University’s Institute of Politics’ latest poll of 18-24 year olds out yesterday.

Among the many results is this one:

“More young people see the effectiveness of political engagement than one year ago. Nearly seven in ten 18-24 year-olds today (69%) say they see political engagement as an effective way of solving our nation’s problems, up six percentage points from fall 2007 (63%) and fall 2006 (60%) IOP polling. Fewer young people today agree that politics is not relevant to their lives (28%) than did one year ago (32%) and fewer believe that elected officials don’t share their
priorities (69%) than did one year ago (71%) or two years ago (75%). In addition, over six in ten young people (68%) say running for office is an honorable thing to do, up from one year ago (67%) and two years ago (66%).”

This is great news, and yet not surprising. It’s great that we have more polling on this. Mobilize.org and many others have been saying this for a long time. It’s shown up in our gut-instinct, anecdotally, and in our own survey of thousands of Millennials that created the Democracy 2.0 Declaration.

The key is for us to support the growing sense of political awareness with opportunities to build more grassroots and netroots action that build Civic Currency. Mobilize.org is working on this and our next Democracy 2.0 Grant Summits focus on just that.

The work enters a new phase on November 5th.

Poll: Americans angry, worried over state of nation

A new national poll suggests that only a quarter of Americans think things are going well in the country today, while the rest of those questioned are angry, scared and stressed out…


To read the full article go to :http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/21/america.poll/index.html

My Comments:

Being so close to the Election Day, it is easy to find a lot of polls on the perception that people have of the current situation of the country and how the President handles things. These polls are the reflection of what the average American feels and thinks about how the country is supposed to be managed. By analyzing a few of the polls, I think it is safe to say that to the unknown eye, it is very easy to one day just answer a few questions about your opinion on the proposals and results of a candidate or another. But what is really hard to do is to actually follow up, with what they are saying. What is the agenda behind what they are proposing? How will it benefit or affect you directly, and how you can help to make the situation better? Everyone has the right to speak up, but only the informed people are the ones who will be heard. Get informed, read about it, and form your own opinion. Information is the key to a good decision. The power of real change is in your hands.

Get Involved This Election from the Comfort of Your Own Home

Tweet. The Twitter Vote Report.

Check this out: https://votereport.pbwiki.com/

Creative College Financing?

Millennial College Solution: Blogger Scholarship

http://gawker.com/5067303/-opportunity--blogging-scholarship-avail

Yet Another Book About How "WE" Are

In the Wall Street Journal a few days ago, a new book, The Trophy Kids Grow Up, was covered. The book addresses how the Millennial Generation is interacting in the workplace.

I have not read the book, so I cannot comment on the content in its entirety, but the tips that the Wall Street Journal pulled out for "managing Millennials" were condescending and semi-ridiculous.

Examples:

"Even if a chore seems mundane, explain why it's meaningful and critical to a project."

or

"Managers should be very clear in explaining job responsibilities and how meeting them will pay off."

Just like other generations, most of us understand that a job is a job, and that sometimes we have to do things at work that are not quite so "riveting."

This feeds into a key insight that the media and researchers don't quite understand: you cannot label "Millennials." We are a very diverse generation, and because of the age span of the generation, roughly ages 16 to 30, it is tough to don a label.

I also wonder who is being studied in these multiple studies, since it never seems to be anyone I know.

Hmmm...

New from Gallup---How Many Young Voters Will Really Vote?

See what the latest Gallup poll says about youth candidate preference this election and whether or not the fabled "youth vote" will come to the polls on November 4th.



http://www.gallup.com/poll/111310/Young-Voters-Favor-Obama-How-Many-Will-Vote.aspx

Tough Times Yield New Opportunity

Warren Buffet says the key to his success is that he is greedy when others are fearful, and fearful when others are greedy. The underlying idea is that at a time of instability and hardship, potential and possibility are at their highest. 

By no means do I intend to give financial advice. But I would like to suggest that in the similarly rough times we are experiencing more broadly in our country, when, like the market, confidence is low and our future uncertain, it is now the time to invest, and invest heavily. 

CNN reports today, “A new national poll suggests that only a quarter of Americans think things are going well in the country today, while the rest of those questioned are angry, scared and stressed out.” Add to this the fact that confidence in our President and in Congress are the lowest they have been in decades and it becomes evident that we are in a very perilous situation as a nation - not only because of the immense issues we face, but also because our capacity to face them is severely inhibited because out lack of faith in our own government. 

The unfortunate thing is that these trends can be self-perpetuating. As soon as Joe the stock trader starts selling off his assets, Jane does too. It is in this downward spiral where the smart investor goes in the opposite direction, as should the social entrepreneur, if you will. We know the market will rebound, much like our country will. So, as the saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. 

I see young people as being “the tough.” Now is not the time to be discouraged, but to dream. Now is not the time to sit back, but to stand up. We have seen two national leaders attempt to capitalize on the hope and change that every American deep down desires. What is clear to me is that neither hope nor change can be peddled as commodities in America. These are qualities that are innate in all of us, and things that we, ourselves, need to start acting on, through dedicating our time and talent into self-improvement. 

Reiterating the Democracy 2.0 Declaration, we as citizens are called to be the leaders of today. If the Millennial Generation is able to take advantage of these tough times and start investing in our communities and taking action to address societal problems, then we will stand to gain a lot, as both a generation and a as country. 

As those who stand to both lose and gain the most, depending on the direction we take, young people ought to be the catalysts behind a ground-up reawakening of American dream. It is in these tumultuous times that we find the best opportunity to do so. 

Why Young Voters Need to Vote This Election

Millennials on Speak On It talk about the importance of voting in this historic election.

So Sad in This "Youth-Friendly" Election

In a display of age discrimination in this supposedly youth-friendly election, Delaware Valley School Board Director John Kupillas writes the following (Pike Dispatch, 10/16/08) about a nineteen year-old candidate for the board, Ryan Balton:

“Can a teenager fresh out of high school connect to the residents served by this board? Maybe in the future, but not at this point. The section of the brain responsible for decision making and rational thinking doesn’t fully mature until the mid-twenties. Proof? Try to get auto insurance if you are a teen. The risk is the highest of any age group.”

The above commentary comes in the midst of community concern over recent appointments to the Delaware Valley School Board. Mobilize.org sincerely hopes that this situation can be resolved in accordance with the district policies and in the spirit of transparency.

As an organization dedicated to the Millennial Generation, we are disheartened to hear public officials dismiss the intellectual capacity and talent of members of our own generation, especially when these members take active steps to be a part of the political process.


Show your support and get the scoop:


http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/event.php?eid=36475382266&ref=nf

http://rbfordv.blogspot.com/

Democracy 2.0 and the Soul Of A Citizen

This week the Mobilize.org office was turned into a movie lot, complete with a green screen and a make up artist for the filming of A Soul of A Citizen, a powerful documentary by Jeffrey Abramson (of GhostBusters fame) about what it means to be a responsible citizen in today’s tumultuous, yet exciting, times. I had the pleasure of being interviewed for this documentary and shared the updates and successes of our Democracy 2.0 Campaign. More importantly, we were joined by 11 members of the Millennail Generation, who have signed on to support the Democracy 2.0 Declaration who took turns reading their favorite lines for the Declaration. If you haven’t read the Declaration yet, please read it here: www.mobilize.org.

In the fast paced and often hectic world of Mobilize.org there are few times that I have the opportunity to sit back and really see the impact of the work that we’ve done and listen to the transformational experiences of the people within the Mobilize.org network. I haven’t loved my job as much (and I really love my job) as I did while listening to the Declaration being read, over and over again – with conviction, and passion and sass. Over the past eighteen months we’ve done a lot of work, hosted a number of conferences, written some amazing reports and worked with thousands of people and the one constant has remained the Democracy 2.0 Declaration. This powerful document has continued to impress and inspire both our staff and our partners and most importantly, the amazing millennials that we work with across the country.

Thank you to Liz, Henri, Joe, Ian, Kristen, Karlo, Caitlin, Chris, Nick, Kenneth and Kimi for participating in this exciting event and I’m looking forward to sharing the finishing project with you.

Stay tuned to Mobilize.org for more information about our participation in The Soul of A Citizen documentary and please take a moment to share your favorite line from the Democracy 2.0 Declaration.

The Effects of Our Economy on Millennials Felt by Students and Families in Financing College

This is only the beginning.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/business/17student.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Mobilize.org featured on Think.MTV

Christina Gagnier, CIO of Mobilize.org, featured on Think.MTV in a short video by MTV Citizen Journalist Carl Brown, shot at California State University, San Bernardino.

The Key to Participation This Election: Winning Hearts and Minds?

What do you think?

We Partied for the Presidency Almost a Year Ago...Three Weeks to Go

In the midst of this election, it is important to remember the issues that concern the Millennial Generation. Below is a link to some confessionals Current did with the ambassadors from around the country who attended Mobilize.org's Party for the Presidency over New Year's Weekend in 2007.




http://current.com/topics/88793587_party_for_the_presidency

Another Digit for the Debt Clock

When the people who maintain the National Debt Clock in New York had to make way for another digit last week, it was yet another reminder how we're digging a hole in this country deeper and deeper by the day. And of course, it will be the Millennial Generation and successive generations that will pay the price.

Our national government cannot strike an equal balance between the money it takes in and the money it sends out. It seems like such an elementary principle. But our legislators are immensely irresponsible on both fronts. We prove time and time again how shortsighted we are. Right now, a whopping 8% of our budget goes to paying the interest on these loans, many of which are to foreign countries like China.  

Our national debt is over $10,000,000,000,000 (ten trillion). When will this insanity end? Some propose a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget, as many states have. Others suggest Presidential line-item veto power. Whatever the solution may be, we need to get the debt paid down and start doing something about the tens of trillions of dollars in liabilities we will be facing over the next decades through Social Security and Medicare. 

The issue of the national debt is fundamentally one for young voters. It is time we put more pressure our elected officials to devote more attention to solving this issue. 

We Need a Platform for the Millennial Voice

Read this great article.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/shoptalk_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003871312

A Piece from Chalmers Johnson

This is one of my favorite authors talking about this election in The Nation.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081020/johnson

Whether you agree or disagree, it is thought provoking. I have been appreciating the break I get from pundits when I get to breathe and get some insight from someone else on the importance of this election (or the non-importance in the view of some).

Go Vote...Absentee!

Mobilize.org is pleased to provide funding to a great organization, Go Vote Absentee. In a few steps, these amazing college students get you what you need to register absentee.

Visit today. http://www.govoteabsentee.org

Research Says, Practice Shows ---CA Politics and Millennial Voters

http://cbs5.com/local/proposition.8.poll.2.834082.html

Interesting. I would not have guessed that.

Thoughts?

Polling places lack resources, civil rights group says

"Polling places in six battleground states, including many with large minority populations, could be overwhelmed on Election Day because officials have not allocated enough voting stations, machines and poll workers, a study released Thursday by a civil rights group warns..."

For the rest of the article http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-10-08-racevote_N.htm


My comment

Even before the economic crisis that the United States is facing, the election process in this democracy has received too little investment and inadequate oversight and accountability. The shortage of poll workers, machines and voting stations, are a clear example of how the financial resources dedicated to democracy are not being well managed. As part of the Millennial generation, and as a supporter of the Democracy 2.0 declaration, I honestly believe that we need to increase civic currency in order to guarantee the public's support for full investment in the electoral process. When that happens we will see democratic government at the local, state and national levels that is more responsive to the economic needs of the people and protects the long-term interests of the whole economy from Wall Street to Main Street.

Cover Story: Millennials Hint at Electoral Shift

The following is a summary of the young voter profile in the 2008 elections according to a USA Today/MTV/Gallup Poll:

Tuned-out (17%) - None are registered to vote and giving a lot of thought into the election; the group least likely to be registered or paying attention to the election and the youngest of the groups. 

Downbeat (26%) - 1/3 are registered and giving a lot of thought;  The most pessimistic about the future and somewhat less likely to be engaged in the election. 

Fired up (29%) - 2/3 are registered and giving a lot of thought;  Registered to vote, paying a lot of attention to the election and firmly committed to a candidate. 

Upbeat (29%) - All are registered  and giving a lot of thought;  the most optimistic about the future and favorably inclined toward both contenders.

Poll: 75% are registered - 73% say they will vote 

Supporting Obama - 61% 

- Among all polled, 71% favorable/23% unfavorable 

Supporting McCain - 32%

- Among all polled, 43% favorable/45% unfavorable

Democrat - 40%  Republican - 21%  Independent - 36%  

"Big Question: Will young people turn out to the polls?"

From the USA Today article:

The support for Barack Obama was described as "...the most lopsided contest within an age group in any presidential election."

"From the opening caucuses in Iowa — where he organized at every college and many high schools — Obama has targeted young voters with his political messages and campaign methods. He has made unprecedented use of online fundraising to finance his campaign and social networking and text messaging to reach voters. Those techniques have underscored his connection with younger Americans."

"Scott Keeter of the Pew Research Center calculates there are 58 million members of the Millennial generation eligible to vote this year, about one-quarter of the total electorate and second in size only to the aging Baby Boomer generation. Voters under 30 made up 14% of the those who voted in 2000; 16% in 2004."

My Analysis:

The article goes on to quote the director of CIRCLE, Peter Levine, who explained that in 2004 young voter turnout was the highest it has been in a while, and "as several of these happen in a row you start to wonder whether it's about the kids, not the candidate, at least to some degree."

I tend to agree that maybe, just maybe, our generation should be getting a bit more credit for higher civic participation than just attributing it all to Obamamania. Other civic measures are also increasing, he points out, such as volunteerism. The 2008 Civic Health Index demonstrates further that the millennial generation is more engaged than their immediate predecessors. 

We know also that young people are less attached to their political party than older generations (over a third are registered Independents). Again, this should make us wary of attributing the excitement and participation to anything in a narrowly political context. The headline to the article is "Energized by Obama, voters under 30 show signs of shifting the electorate." 

It may be true that young people support Obama more, but it is a completely separate argument to state that he is the sole or primary reason for increased youth civic participation. (Where was the polling that supports such a claim?) Just look at Ron Paul's candidacy. His presidential bid drew more young people than any other of his Republican colleagues because he too was perceived as a reformer and pragmatic decision-maker.  

So I would caution the writer of the USA Today article about picking up on any "hints" of an electoral shift. The shift is not as much a partisan or ideological one as it is an anti-partisan/let's get things done/control our foreign policy/increase government transparency/communicate to us through our medium/end the influence of money and special interests/stop mortgaging our future - one. And whether its Barack Obama or Ron Paul or anyone else who offers that message, and offers it in a way we can relate to, we will support.

And to answer the BIG QUESTION: yes we can! 

Uhmm, I mean will. YES WE WILL.  

Bail Me Out!

In April 2008, Mobilize.org, in conjunction with Common Cause, issued a report on college finance issues entitled, "We're Broke, Let's Fix It." The report detailed the growing problems with the student loan industry in the United States.

Feedback on the report was mixed. Some thought the report was of great value, since we attempted to address the problem from both points of view, a student borrower's and a lender's. Others felt that our paper was meant to be a scare tactic.

Six months later, it is clear our fears were rightly placed. Personally, I know people with law school debt who are getting job offers rescinded, students, who due to poor credit, may not get loans to complete their undergraduate education, and recent graduates who are losing jobs left and right in the financial sector. And, let's not forget the millions of Millennials who do not attend college and how the current state of our economy will effect them. Our generation is in debt, with some of us just struggling to survive.

Millennials, who is going to bail us out? This issue affects all of us, and although the conversation on the issue nationally has been strictly partisan, the solutions, those that are sustainable and innovative that is, will have to come from people who are willing to think holistically.

The cost of college already places an insurmountable barrier for many people. Without available financing, our generation will bear the cost, not only losing access to dollars but access to the knowledge we need to survive in our information economy.

Democracy 2.0 on Youtube

The Search for the Stereotype

I do not find it hard to believe that a search far and wide for workplace Millennials ended up in the same place as many other Millennial commentaries: at a stereotype. Certainly, when you are actively searching for the stereotype, you are going to find it.

It is again unfortunate to read an article about members of the Millennial Generation that leaps to wholesale conclusions about the entire generation. It is even more unfortunate that Catherine Waxler’s September 19 commentary, “The Millennial Outlook,” once again comes from someone who is not a member of the generation, merely an outsider following what has become the “Boomer line” on Millennials. (To stay true to avoiding stereotypes, not all Boomers would agree).

A read of blog rolls is indicative of the negative impressions that some members of older generations have of the Millennial Generation in the workplace. It is not as though Millennials themselves are commenting on their own colleagues in the workplace in a negative manner. Using personal anecdotes of angry co-workers should not amount to a negative pallor being cast on entire generation.

The quantitative research does not side with the assertions made in Waxler’s article nor do other forms of qualitative research. One study, in particular, found that the Millennial Generation takes themselves quite seriously in the workplace. In the study, Millennials at Work: Myths v. Reality, 67 percent of Millennial respondents agreed that formalities in the workplace were important for career success. Millennials also do not take the jobs they have for granted: 56 percent of Millennials feel that the jobs they do have are a privilege, not a right. This mirrors, not diverges, from the attitudes that Boomers and members of the Greatest Generation have of their employment status.

Despite merely these attitudinal measures, Millennials also have a financial impetus for appreciating their work: they are in massive amounts of debt, especially those who had to take out loans to pay for their college education. Thanks in no small part to the skyrocketing cost of college tuition, predatory credit and lending practices, lack of financial education, and a consumer-driven economy that gives little regard to the importance of saving, Millennials are widely regarded as the first generation not predicted to be “better off” than their parents, and many Millennials are under constant economic stress. In a survey commissioned by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, 47% of the respondents stated that they were living one paycheck away from having to use credit cards or getting money from relatives to make ends meet. This certainly does not exude a feeling of entitlement, but rather a feeling of necessity to earn higher wages to dig themselves out of the same types of financial woes being faced by millions of Americans in our current financial crisis.

Most troubling about this piece is its ignorance of another portion of the Millennial Generation, those low-income, non-college members of the generation who are just struggling to make ends meet and find a position in our information society. As aptly declared by one Millennial blogger, lnunez123, no one focuses “any attention on the minority Generation Y kids who did not have little league classes (because our parks were dangerous) and never got a thank you or a coddle in their respective lives.”

It is important to differentiate what is a generational characteristic from what is a stage-of-life challenge. Therefore, it is important to change the language from its negative connotations to those that more accurately reflect the fervor, passion, and career growth potential of the Millennial generation. Words like “impatient” and “entitled” conjure an obviously negative spin and proliferate stereotypes, when words like “enterprising” or “passionate” may more accurately reflect what this generation is longing for—the opportunity to use their unique set of skills and talents to make a valuable contribution to society and the workforce. Their whole life, Millennials have been told “You see a problem? You want something? Then do something about it.”


In any age demographic, one could seek out people who fall into the stereotypes of that particular generation. But searching for the stereotypes ignores the reality that millions of others in the same generational cohort have completely different attitudes.

A general suggestion for future commentators: Ask a Millennial.


***Thanks to Kristen Cambell for her guidance with this piece.***