Millennials Rising: AGECommon Sense Action (CSA) is a Millennial grass-roots organization passionate about addressing important policies that really matter in the years and decades ahead. In working with many colleges around the United States and the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), CSA just released the Agenda for Generational Equity (AGE), a comprehensive policy document with a menu of options on three key pillars.

The three policy pillars include:

  1. Advancing Generational Fairness. A focus on Social Security, Medicare, national infrastructure, and tax and budget responsibility
  2. Investing in Millennial Mobility. A Focus on access to post-secondary education, jobs, early childhood education, and reintegration
  3. Repairing Politics. A focus on Millennial voter turnout and national service

Embedded below is the complete 72-page policy document or, if you prefer a PDF version, the BPC offers one.

Millennials rising to address key issues.

The AGE document is smart and impressive. As they point out, this isn’t a 10-step program. Instead, the document thoughtfully and thoroughly outlines the issues and options to address each one. AGE is driven, discussed, and led by Millennials. This is a wonderful thing! Getting engaged early on in policies that impact them is the way to raise awareness and begin to facilitate required changes. This is leadership!

We haven’t left our country in a better state for the next generation. We need to step up in a practical, balanced, and inclusive way. What CSA has delivered is exactly this type of policy document.

No blame is assessed. The information is presented, along with policy options and certain calls to act.

One area initially highlighted for action is a call for Millennials to vote. This is a responsibility of all citizens, and it needs to be taken seriously. Millennials need to vote in every election.  As they point out in the report:

“In the 2012 election, only 45 percent of the 46 million Americans aged 18-29 years old eligible to vote actually voted… Even more alarmingly, 18–29-year-old voter turnout decreased by six percentage points from 2008 to 2012.”

Leadership begins by participating, and voting is foundational.

And the call for Millennials to act does not stop here. CSA calls on Millennials to take the following actions:

“So this is our message to Millennials: Take a chance with us. Help us create the political space that will allow lawmakers to put solutions first and Millennial priorities into effect. Without a critical mass of Millennials and without uniting our siblings, friends, and families, politicians will not have the incentives to make principled compromises. For politicians to take action, we must show them that we care first.”

This is a call for Millennials to act by continuing the conversation, getting involved in raising awareness, and holding current political leaders accountable in doing what is right for future generations. CSA offers many ways for Millennials to get involved, so explore them and then take the next step forward.

In an earlier post, we highlighted another initiative led by Millennials. The Can Kicks Back is a movement to address the economic and fiscal challenges and seems to align well with what CSA is driving toward.

Striking the right chord to move important policy conversations forward.

In reading through AGE, I am impressed. The document and approach does strike the right chord and balance. The statement below demonstrates this point:

“We must make the critical investments that will promote commerce, improve our standard of living, and ensure that the United States expands its economic prosperity. Similarly, we must simplify the tax code while raising revenues to create more room for businesses to innovate and the necessary funds to pay for our spending commitments. But as we live within our means, we must ever be investing in expanding our means.”

The challenge now is for AGE to gain attention and momentum. Millennials need to engage fully in voting, understand the issues, and lead the efforts forward. For all generations, these are important policies that demand civil and collaborative work. We need to work together.

I am ready to see this happen and do what I can to support the effort here. Millennials need to play a major role, as do all generations. By working together, we can address these important policy issues and create a more sound future.

Are you ready to raise your hand, step-up, and engage to pursue important policies to create a better place for generations ahead?

 


(Special thanks to Deb Scofield for highlighting and promoting this initiative!)