7 Things We Learned About Millennials In 2014

There is no better way to reflect on the year than to catch up on all things millennial in 2014!

Putting this list together demonstrated for me that this really has been the year of the millennial. We are a powerful generation. Take a look at my favorite articles and studies from 2014 and see what I mean. 

1. Millennials fighting traditional gender roles in six stories.

2. Millennials are learning that your buying power is also your political power. Here are some great tidbits to help you start buying more responsibly. Did you know that Olive Garden donates to Republicans and Tiffany & Co. donates to Democrats?

3. Redefining charity- terming it "investment." Saving the world like we live here. 

4. This title is deceptive. This is an important piece about the millennial financial seesaw between paying off debt and saving for retirement.

5. The Pew Survey that started it all! My fave- Millennials in Adulthood. 

Seriously, if you haven't read this, you live under a rock.

6. Are the majority of millennials libertarian and just don't know it? Draw your own conclusions, but I think this shows that millennials will be changing the citizenry's relationship with government, no matter what they end up calling themselves.

7. This one is... fun. Understand how millennials interact with their main source of news, satire. 

Biting the Hand That Feeds You

When I was approximately four years old, my aunt was feeding me chicken nuggets, and when I realized that her finger was slightly in my mouth, I bit her. She screeched and launched into a barrage of “why would you do that” and “that really hurts.” Of course, she had every right to be upset. I was left wondering, and still wonder 21 years later, why I did it.

It brings me to another scene that sticks with me, not from my own life. In the movie “Love and Other Disasters” Brittney Murphy is speaking to a new acquaintance and photographer’s assistance, Paolo, about his boss’s talent. When Paolo comes off less than impressed, Murphy’s character says “I think one shouldn't bite the hand that feeds him.” I don’t quite know how to gauge her character from this scene, as the rest of the movie finds her holding a loving disdain of her profession, and a gutsy way of circumventing her own boss.

It leaves me wondering, is it ever okay to bite the hand that feeds you?

I think of organizations I admire like the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, which serves as a watchdog on the philanthropic community, but is also enthusiastically funded by nearly 100 major foundations. This seems like a good example of biting that reaps big rewards.

I ponder, as well, our comedy female role models like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, whose on-screen

personas constantly polish the floor with authority, demonstrating contentious yet often amiable  relationships with their superiors. These TV work environments hardly scratch the surface of the balancing act that is professional relationships, too often opting for familial and safe as opposed to impersonal and detached. Though I wouldn’t try this at home, I do find that these shows demonstrate, especially to women, that standing up for your opinions at work can be rewarding and often worth the risk.

In our personal lives, when is it better to hold our ground or succeed? One end of the spectrum leaves us stagnant, the other, alone, with only an angry aunt to show for it. I am still experimenting in this area, but I believe it is a question we should consistently ask ourselves. 

Capitalism That Gives a Crap

“Caring capitalism” may seem to some an oxymoron, but it is the newest buzzword for the increasing trend in socially conscious investing among millennials. According to the Chronical in Philanthropy, the nation’s top news source for those interested in nonprofit development and grant-making, millennials are becoming increasingly aware of the political capital housed in their financial capital. In fact, $1 in every $6 of professionally-managed assets are invested using sustainable and impact investing strategies.

As government continues to express blatant disregard for its constituents’ wishes, young people opening retirement accounts and inheriting money are acting to shape the private sector instead. Instead of donating to political campaigns, they are seeing better results in buying according to their values.

Conscientious consumerism, as with all political capital, is narrowed down to a very simple formula: the more you put in, the more you get out. How does one become a caring capitalist? It can be as simple as buying a reusable shopping bag. I break it down into four basic actions:

1. Boycotting- this is a classic, a very powerful tactic. I personally boycott any product tested on animals or clothing made with fur. Given the right publicity and right-sized mobilization, these methods can see significant results very quickly (I think back to the Montgomery Bus Boycott).

2. Buycotting- the opposite of a boycott. This tactic is responsible for the increase in availability of organic foods in supermarkets. It’s as simple as supply and demand. When we demonstrate demand for a certain product, businesses scramble to supply it.

3. Socially Responsible Investing- While I understand that it is nearly impossible to convince a twenty-somebody to open a retirement account, once you do, make sure you know the companies you are supporting with those dollars. Many asset managers have funds designated “socially responsible,” and the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible investment keeps track of these funds while monitoring performance.  

4. Donating to charity- though this tactic won't render a direct return, it is still a vital component to a healthy financial life. According to Giving USA's 2013 report on charitable giving, 72% of charitable contributions come from individuals. Personal giving is the single most important determinate of a thriving nonprofit sector, and there are even ways to be conscientious about charitable giving, with organizations like CharityNavigator.org and CharityWatch.org can help you maximize the power of your donation.    

Is asking for special treatment really the new feminism?

I don't usually get this political, but I am a bit protective of the feminist movement, and when I see it being threatened, I get a little angry. Today the topic is paid menstrual leave. Seriously. The world of work may be the high school lunch room, but that doesn't mean it should also be gym class.


How is this threatening to feminism, you may ask....

You want pay equity? Stop being so expensive to hire! Competitive pay comes from being competitive in the workforce. Government can't force that on business (see the American Disabilities Act of 1990 that actually increased unemployment among the disabled).

And before you try to make the argument that women will be more productive overall with menstrual leave, let me tell you that no one can make up for three days of missed work by simply being happier with their job.  

This is infuriating. I have insane cramps and hot flashes. I know what this feels like. But I dealt with it, because my strength doesn't come from being treated differently. I hope no one ever makes an exception for me because I am a women. This just opens up feminism up for reactionary sexism.

I think the fourth wave of feminism should be characterized by the fight for equality among the sexes with a healthy appreciation of the differences between women and men. When we try to ignore our differences (e.g. how carrying children and motherhood is part of the female experience that cannot be duplicated for men), our arguments fall apart. However, when we try to use these differences to ask for special privileges, we ask for society to care for us.

The fight for economic equality is fought in the workforce, when we ask for privileges like paid menstrual leave, we step off the field, even if it's for a couple of days a week. Women become less competitive and more expensive to employers. 

During the fight for suffrage, it took fifty years to convince society that women should be equal to men in the public sphere, let's not set back that argument by proving them wrong.

Thesis Pieces: Millennials and Social Media

Are Millennials Digital Natives or Techie Savages?

The period of the 1960’s was pivotal, during-which the Baby Boomers were coming of age, and saw climactic generational tumult. During this time period, a great majority of the public (74%) believed that there was a generation gap in America. Taking into account the current dynamics, the perceived gap has actually increased. In 2010, 79% of the public believed there was a gap (Pew, 2014). The modern gap is not viewed as malignant, however; it is largely attributed to technological shifts.  

Robert Putnam (2000) brought to the fore the possibility that advances in technology, such as TV, air conditioning, and the Internet, were harming collective activities. It does not seem that increased technology and Internet use have damaged Millennial political activity and civic engagement. Rather, it appears that Millennials are using increased connectedness to engage in new ways. In other words, they digitally participate in different ways from their counterparts from previous generations. The rise of the internet has provided Millennials with new tools and avenues to become involved.

          The Pew Internet Research Project (2009) attempted to uncover whether online activism corresponded to offline activism. Indeed, they found that 73% of those who were politically active online (participated in two or more activities online in the past year) were also active offline. However, when one reverses the variables, the study found that less than half of those politically active offline were also active online. In 2003, M. Kent Jennings and Vicki Zeitner performed a cross-cohort analysis attempting to uncover generational differences in relation to Internet usage and civic engagement. They found that those already politically engaged supplemented their engagement with the internet. Internet use among younger people positively correlated to indicators of civic engagement, but the generational divide over technology was reinforced by an older cohort continued the same trends of political access after the internet was introduced.

Sharing is caring. This seems to ring true for political issues on social

media platforms like facebook, twitter, and youtube. Thirty-nine percent of adults political engage on social media sites. This is done in myriad ways, posting news articles on issues, “liking” posts from others, encouraging people in one’s social network to vote, and following elected officials and organizations on social media. Millennials stand out in their political engagement on social media, with nearly 75% of 18-24 year olds in the Millennial cohort who use social media engaging in political activities (Smith, 2013). Millennials often use social media to connect with their favorite nonprofits instead of the organization’s website. Of the Millennials who interact with nonprofits on facebook, 92% have “liked” an organization’s page. 74% said they would share information about events on facebook, and 69% looked for news from these organizations (Achieve, 2013).

          Social capital may also be benefitting from social media. Initially, the fear was that local community would suffer as people became more vested in web-based relationships, but social media sites like Meetup encourage users to find and connect with people of similar tastes and interests. Meetup is often used to unite religious groups, hobbyists, book clubs, and crafters that would not have had the resources to find each other just a few short years ago. As highlighted earlier, social media is reinforcing and strengthening community and political engagement on many fronts, and it is part of the fabric of Millennials’ lives, so it is imperative that organizations seeking to reach them become tech-literate.

Diane Ty, Co-Founder of YouthNoise, Inc. and former AARP Senior Vice-President for Strategic Market Development, emphasized the digital realm as a mechanism to reinforce engagement. She told me, “Millennials are digital natives, we [older generations] are digital immigrants. It is very important to have people in key outreach positions who understand how technology can facilitate engagement.”

Millennial donors and loyalty

There are simple ways your organization's development team can cultivate millennial donors and gain their loyalty. As millennials begin to fill the boards of major foundations and think about their personal giving, they will arrive with a set of perspectives that correspond to their unique formative experiences. As I often emphasize, the trust deficit affects millennial decision-making (Pew, 2014). Thus, millennial philanthropists will arrive with a unique set of demands of grantees.

          Mistrust may manifest itself in a reversal in the trend toward funding general operating support. Millennials constantly ask the question can you make change without the institutions? This may result in more program-specific funding (GrantCraft, 2012). In my informal survey, 61.5% of respondents stated that if they had $1,000 to donate to a nonprofit organization, one of the most important factors (they could choose two) would be “if they are transparent about how they spend donor money.” A quarter of respondents chose “if they used effectiveness metrics to measure their programming.”

The high frequency in millennial social entrepreneurship and very young Silicon Valley CEO's are accompanied by a rise in venture philanthropy, with more rigor in giving objectives, more hands-on work with grantees centered on impact evaluation, and smart innovation (GrantCraft, 2012; LaFrance, 2008).

Additionally, millennials are a highly collaborative cohort, eager to bridge chasms between the public and private sectors to foster innovation. Millennial donors are eager to collaborate with diverse organizations, e.g. nonprofit, for-profit, media, government, and communities (GrantCraft 2012, Deloitte 2014). 

Signs You’re Still Not An Adult

Oh, do enjoy this one =)

Old Lady Lifestyle Tips for Twenty-Somethings

Cosmo does not often resonate with me, but I think this article will speak to all twenty-somebodies.

7 cartoons that perfectly capture being a twenty-somebody

What SOPA and PIPA Taught Us About Millennials

          On January 18, 2012, it was hard to get online without pages being blacked out or censored, signs of panic and outrage preventing each consumer from going about their day on the Internet regularly. Those previously unfamiliar with the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) quickly learned that this legislation was driving Silicon Valley to flex its political muscles. Wikipedia shut down all of its content

for the entire day, only showing the message “Imagine a world without free knowledge” and a way to contact one's representatives. Blogging site Tumblr harshly censored its content and encouraged users to take action. The resulting failure of the bills was no doubt hurried by the highly effective ways Millennials mobilized on the issue.

           Brian Knappenberger (2014) discussed the Millennial link to the SOPA protests, “I think SOPA shows that a generation felt very personally about the Internet as something they really cared about and that they didn't want to see changed. They wanted to maintain the freedoms of the Internet.”

Since Millennials grew up with the Internet and it has been an integral part of their formative lives, organizations protesting SOPA had to tap into Millennial civic energy to mobilize their voices. They found success in three vital ways. First, the blackouts certainly found Millennials where they were. Affecting their favorite sites in a noticeable way and immediately providing an action call was highly effective. As a result, three million people contacted Congress on Blackout Day. Over 115,000 websites participated to varying degrees (Wortham, January 20, 2012).

          Next, this event proved that there is power in social media shares. As the Electronic Frontier Foundation explained the day after the blackout, “Wednesday’s blackout day signifies a new era for the global digital civil liberties movement. Through

blogs, tweets, and posts, thousands of organizations, activists, and individuals truly made it the success that it was. This has only been a sample of the great advocacy work that took place yesterday (Rodriquez and Sutton, 2012).” Social media was a natural format to vent frustrations, as this was a web-based mobilizing effort, but this netroots organizing soon became a face-to-face showdown. Meetup.com is a social media platform that helps people find groups that meet in person in their areas that have shared interests. The NYC Tech Meetup staged an emergency protest in Manhattan at Senators Gillibrand and Schumer's offices on the day of the vote. This event reached thousands and physically mobilized hundreds in less than a day (NY Tech Meetup, 2012).

          Third, this movement spurred one of the most successful boycotts in recent history, providing Millennials a quick and relatively painless way to use their buying power to fight for a cause. After the domain provider GoDaddy.com demonstrated their support for SOPA, a coalition of organizations speaking against the bill called for people to boycott GoDaddy by transferring to other hosts. This boycott was massively successful and nearly bankrupted GoDaddy, and pulling domain names continued even after the site changed its stance (Masnick, 2011). According to GoDaddyBoycott.org, 22,000 people signed the pledge to pull their domain names, which totaled over 82,000.

        
     This movement's ability to reach Millennials where they were- on the Internet, effectively use social media and translate it into physical action, and spur conscientious consumerism shows us just how powerful tapping into Millennial civic energy can be. Though we cannot say that all of the participants were, in fact, Millennials, we can see that these methods are very powerful catalysts for Millennials in particular since they are the most tech-saturated generation.

          Nonprofits can learn a lot from the success of the SOPA and PIPA protests. See my whitepaper, Twenty-SomethingCitizen: Keys to Reaching and Keeping Millennials for Your Organization for a comprehensive guide. 

Keys to Reaching and Keeping Millennials for Your Organization

Download the pdf by clicking here.

Volunteering Sets Millennials Apart

“I ‘do’ citizenship by actually getting out and physically doing things. I do not have money to throw at public concerns and endeavors so I get involved personally. Most people my age (29) and younger think they are ‘doing’ things simply by being involved digitally. While a digital presence is important to any endeavor now, manpower (or womanpower) is what gets things done not sitting at home talking (read: bitching) about it.”

 -Anonymous Millennial Respondent

About a quarter of Americans volunteer in their communities. Marriage and religiosity often most strongly correlate to volunteerism, but Millennials are volunteering at high rates despite these trends (Flanagan and Levine, 2013). Many are volunteering in high school, as they are encouraged or required to do so, and even

more are volunteering in college. According to Deloitte’s Millennial survey (2014), 43% of respondents volunteered or were members of a community organization.

Once Millennials form relationships with the organizations they serve, they tend to become donors. According to Achieve’s Millennial Impact Report (2012), 70% of Millennials said they have raised money for a cause or organization. The highest priority for the Millennials surveyed was knowing their volunteer work would have a real impact. Forty-eight percent expressed that they wanted to use their education and skills, and 45% wanted to work with a group to develop a strategy for organizational growth. Finally, of those volunteering, 77% said they were either in or desired to be in a leadership position. Of those not in leadership, 40% had never been asked to service on a Board of Directors (Achieve, 2012). It is important for organizations to include Millennials at all levels of leadership, and implementing a millennial Director recruitment strategy is a good place to start.

Social capital is playing a role in the types of organizations Millennials chose to serve through volunteering, as 81% of volunteers wants to learn about opportunities from word of mouth. When Millennials volunteer to raise money for organizations, they are most likely to tap their network of family and friends first (Achieve, 2012).

My informal survey produced many insights into Millennial volunteering. The following is what some of my respondents had to say:

“I [have] volunteered weekly for over two years. I started to become more involved in my community; I continue because I feel responsible for creating the world I want to live in.” 

“Doing hands on work with my brothers and being able to physically see the impact our work was having. It's the most rewarding experience you can have." 

“[I was motivated to volunteer by] a blend of enjoyment of giving back, anger at the current state of things, and an urge to be more social and personally motivated.” 

“I knew that the people I was serving were unable to help themselves and needed assistance to utilize opportunities. I also know Christ called me to serve others and love on them, and I want to be a genuine representative of that.”

As these responses show, there are numerous reasons why people choose to volunteer. Organizations that can provide a sense of purpose to their volunteers, as well as encouraging them to flex their mental muscles, will likely enjoy great Millennial enthusiasm.

ENFP Awareness- RIP Robin Williams

Robin Williams’s suicide is weighing heavy in my mind. Celebrity deaths usually don’t get to me, but I had a kinship with Williams that is unmistakably prescient right now. According to the Myers-Briggs personality test, I am an ENFP. Extrovert, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving. We are fiercely independent, creative, spontaneous, and mystically-minded. I am SO an ENFP.

Among the celebrities that are ENFP’s, Robin Williams was the one I related to the most. I always go back to his ridiculous antics on Inside the Actor’s Studio, where he was physically bouncing off the walls, spitting out one idea after the other rapid-fire. Whenever I am chaotic and scattered, I try to remember that this is from where I draw my energy. It is just my personality. He reminded me it’s okay to be like me. He was celebrated for being wild and unpredictable, and I can celebrate that inside myself as well.

However, there is a very dark side to being this way. ENFP’s find it hard to constrain themselves inside societal conventions, predetermined roles, and expectations. It’s not that we are rebellious. Rather, we just seem to get bored easily. Transitioning into the work world has been hard for me because I am still learning; my creativity has been stifled in the process. It is hard to focus when you are drinking information from a fire hose. My new boss, Beth, has been wonderful and understanding, but I am getting frustrated that my full potential as a creative leader is not yet being revealed.

Without claiming to understand the nuance of Robin Williams’s struggle, I very much understand how being of my personality ilk can lead to a desperate life. In a world that celebrates conformity, it is difficult to maintain a lifestyle of spontaneity. He was always looking to be better than his last role, to out-create yesterday’s Robin. That is so much pressure to put on yourself. I do this as well, and failing to perform at my peak often leaves me dejected.

I mourn for him as a fan. I would never try to make his death about myself, but I do hope to use his life and death as a reminder. I must be true to my nature, harnessing the negative aspects so that they can serve me, not destroy me.        

  

What it looks like to move back in with your parents

A very powerful collection of photographs that demonstrate what it looks like to move back in with your parents. Thanks to Hello Giggles for sharing.

Thesis Pieces: Millennial Money is Political Capital

One of the most popular forms of civic expression among Millennials is using buying power to influence companies and support causes. Most of the work on these forms of participation focus on boycotting, halting purchases to send a message to a company, and buycotting, making purchases that support one's beliefs or benefit a charitable cause. Another form of this is socially-conscious (or responsible) investing, through-which investors buy stock in perceived socially conscious companies and at time provide start-up capital to entrepreneurs interested in starting socially responsible businesses. I use the term conscientious consumerism to encapsulate all of these activities. This post will focus on how Millennials are finding potential in the private sector to work toward curing many social ills. They are communicating that belief through conscientious consumerism, and I hope business begins to listen.

Millennials are tuned-in to the power of their buying choices. Forty-nine percent of Millennials say their
buying choices have been affected by political and social concerns. They pay attention to the actions of corporations, and they seek to use their buying power to incentivize companies to make socially-responsible decisions. Eighty-eight percent of those surveyed in an international study of Millennials conducted by Deloitte (2014) strongly agreed that the private sector has the potential to meet the challenge of unemployment, 86% think there is potential for the private sector to address environmental issues and education.

The survey demonstrated that Millennials are seeing potential in business's role in addressing social ills, but much of this derives from the belief that business has often been the cause. In terms of perceived net impact on environmental degradation, the respondents marked business at -25%, meaning that a quarter of respondents saw the private sector's impact as negative. In terms of the most important issues the world is facing (issues the respondents most strongly agreed were pressing), business was perceived as significantly more responsible than government in the areas of climate change and resource scarcity (Deloitte, 2014).

This awareness, in combination with readily-available information regarding corporate actions and impacts, is driving Millennials to use their buying power with boycotts and buycotts. Conscientious consumerism was one of the topics covered in my informal survey (n=39). This activity was one of the most popular forms of participation, with a majority of the respondents (67.6%) stating that they have buycotted, and 37.8% stating that they have boycotted companies. Buycotting was second only to volunteering (70.3%) in citizenship expression. One respondent discussed his socially-motivated buying choices:

 “Since the passage of ACA, I haven't purchased Papa John's pizza. This was due to the fact that the Papa John's CEO cut employee work hours to limit full-time employees and legally be able to deny them health coverage under the purview of the new law. I refuse to financially contribute to a business that would sooner blame partisan politics for economic motives than take care of the employees that run his (extremely profitable) business from the ground up.”

http://www.marketintelligencecenter.com/articles/405005

Technology is facilitating many efforts on this front. New mobile apps are being developed to help consumers make conscientious choices right in the store. For example, the “Buycott” app helps consumers find non-GMO foods by scanning the bar-codes before purchase. This instantaneous ability to change consumption decisions will have a powerful impact on society (O'Conner, 2013).

Socially-conscious investing takes many forms, depending on the involvement and monitoring of the investor. In general, socially responsible investing promotes environmental stewardship, consumer protection, human rights, and diversity through investors buying stock in designated “responsible” companies. Socially-conscious funds like the Amana Income Fund and the Calvert Conservation Allocation are just a sampling of the diverse and myriad options available to investors seeking to put their retirement money in funds that share their values. Each fund has its own set of standards, but mainly they seek to fulfill a social good and make a profit. Though Millennials are not investing a great deal currently, there is a great deal of potential in this space once more members of this generation are securely employed.


Thesis full text, accompanying white paper, and sources are available upon request.

Authenticity

It's amazing to me that the instant I resolved to be more authentic to my true nature, I receive positive reinforcement for it! Beautiful stuff =)

Be Authentic

Today, and every day, I vow to be authentically myself.

If you made that vow, what would change?

Happy National Pollinator Week!

I remember being terrified of bees growing up. I loved feeling grass between my toes, but my grandmother would lecture continuously about walking around with bare feet. The first time I was stung by a bee, I was wearing shoes. Turns out, he thought my red shirt was a flower. I don't have the highest tolerance for pain, but it wasn't so bad. This doesn't mean I enjoy it, though, and I still run in fear when I hear that ominous buzzing.


When I learned a few years ago that bees were going extinct, there was a part of me that was relieved, I'm not going to lie. No more running and ducking and embarrassing myself, and I could walk barefoot all day. But as I learned more about how important bees are to the planet-- and to humans-- I changed my tone.  

Did you know that bees are responsible for a third of the world's food supply? (Click here to learn more) They are disappearing and we are to blame. Pesticides don't just kill the bugs that eat your crops! Support ecological farming and the use of natural pesticides!

Tough Love: It's your fault the government doesn't care about you

Student loans are a hot topic this week. Unfortunately, this conversation will go no where. Your representatives, Democrats and Republicans alike, don't care about your student loans, about the air you will breathe in 40 years, or the Social Security that won't be there for you. And it's your fault. Here are some reasons the government doesn't care about you:

Millennials don't have party allegiances; they don't trust or like the party system. Party direction is determined by the coalitions it builds. Interest groups find their power in being co-opted by parties. Since we aren't partisan, Millennial interest groups are left with no allies. Why would the Democratic Party build a coalition that fights for a demographic that is not loyal to the Democrats? 

Here's the thing, I don't like parties either. There is really nothing about our current system that I like, but I understand that in order to have any influence on our system, I have to be civically engaged.

Second, politics is not future-based. No one wants to hurt a little now to help a lot later. This is especially true for the deepest pockets in politics. Corporations and their shareholders won't make sustainable sacrifices if it means hurting the profit margin. Older Americans freak out when we talk about reforming Medicare and Social Security, even if it won't affect them. Politicians are in the game of getting elected next term, not making the world a better place. The sooner we recognize this, the better off we will be.

When we make this realization, we understand that we have to make our interests relevant now in order to be heard. But we are a terrible political investment. Campaigns and candidates are concerned primarily with pushing their base to vote, meaning in order to get attention, you first have to be a voter! The base for both parties is thirty to fifty years older than you!

We don't stand up for ourselves, even when it's in our best interest. We take out higher and higher loans every year without pushing our schools to keep them down, or our government to invest in higher ed so we don't have to pay exponentially more. We don't vote, parties can't reach us, and we don't have the money to donate to campaigns or interest groups yet.

Finally, Congress is over 50% millionaires (NYTimes). Barely any of them had to worry about taking out loans to pay for college, and none have had to contend with tuition at its current rates. They won't develop any sympathy for you on their own, you have to make them understand by getting in front of them and demonstrating that you are important for their job security.

Want the government to give a crap about your interests? The first step is toregister to vote. Next, educate yourself and get involved with groups that share your interests. OurTime.org is a great place to get started.

*This piece is full of generalizations, and I am thrilled to find exceptions to these rules every day. Some young people do vote and organize, some corporations are concerned with sustainability, and some grandmas support reforming Social Security. Creating a world where these people are the norm, that's our job. 

Please Help!

Hello all! I am writing my final paper for my Master's program on millennial civic engagement. If you are a millennial, please take my survey. It would really help me out!

Find it by clicking here!!!


Thank you!

What Do You Want?!

I'm sensing a trend that may really harm millennials entering the workforce. No one seems to have a conceptualization of their long-term goals. We are lacking vision when our potential employers are demanding it.

The recession taught us one important thing- that we can't be too sure of ourselves. Many of us “did everything right”-- we made good grades, graduated from college, and still stumbled into a job market that didn't want us. Those of us who had it hardest learned very quickly to stop being picky. Personally, I had to beg for a job at a coffee shop in order to keep my bills paid. Minimum wage doughnut slinging is not what dreams are made of, unless you're into that sort of thing.

There is a fascinating mental default that young adults tend to share. In studies that directed twenty-somebodies to play games that force them to choose between accruing wealth or maintaining options, overwhelmingly they choose to maintain options (Check out the article here). This is a BIG problem when you are carving out your career path. Imagine paving one road that must lead directly to every home in a city. It can't be done. This cannot be done in your life, either.

As I have pursued a job, I have constantly been faced with questions about my goals. It's the first question you will be asked in any job interview- why do you want to work here? Tell me which is a better answer: 1. “I need money to make rent and your organization seems to have pretty low standards.” Or 2. “I have dedicated my educational and work life to engaging youth to get involved in their communities, and this position will allow me to utilize this knowledge and further my goal of ultimately opening a nonprofit dedicated to youth civic leadership.”

I get that you may not have a viable version of answer #2 on hand, but don't let that stop you. We really can solve this articulation problem! Truthfully, it's easy if you're willing to take some time to reflect and ponder. Here is how I have managed to form my vision:

Knowing I am worth doing something I love. The job market may not agree right away, but you need to be in a position to thrive, and you won't be until you are doing what you love.

Saying Yes! I spent a lot of time doing things that scared me. Since high school, my philosophy has been never to pass on an opportunity. I am a little more discriminating than I used to be, but that comes with increased focus and commitments. Face fear until you are fearless!

Being mindful of tasks that energize me. You probably know by now how to figure out whether you are introverted or extroverted-- do you become energized from being by yourself or with others? Bring this thinking into the various tasks you perform throughout the day. For example, I hate managing spreadsheets! But I get a ton of energy from building educational curricula because I like thinking about the learning process. Study yourself!

Thinking about how I define success. This is so important! Success is not just determined by work. Work is only 1/3 of your life. Think about the lifestyle you want and construct a life plan before you build out a career plan.

Getting strategic. Think of a big, grand movement or phenomenon that you want to be a part of, and narrow from there based on your skills and interests. Talk to people who work in relevant sectors, ask tough questions, and know that the most important thing you will bring to a movement is your passion.

And then, articulate it! Let it evolve and grow, but keep it relevant and visible. This is your life's mission statement!

Sorry to keep you waiting...

Oh, the insanity of being a grad student is catching up with me!

Sorry for failing to post for a few days (weeks). I like to think of myself as a great blogger but...

The Future Belongs to the Future Itself

Look, it grinds my gears that the government is happy to let twenty-somebodies carry the weight of other groups. This year, my state cut millions of dollars in higher education funding. Tuition is skyrocketing and no one is taking notice.

But why should government officials care what we think? Last election, only 50% of eligible millennials voted. That was actually a high point for us. This is the reality: if we don't vote, write and call our officials, and pay attention to politics, no one will care about us. 

It's not hard. I worked in a Senate office, people dumber than you call their Senators every day. 

You want to know where the funding went for higher education?     Medicare. 

Old. People. Vote. 

Reality check, y'all... 

Don't you love when 80's music is sooo right?

Habit-Forming Behavior

This post is a departure from my typical subject areas, but I simply had to share.

It's that time of year when you have officially, completely forgotten your New Year's resolution. Yet, those sundresses and bikinis are really calling to you, aren't they? It's all getting too real.

Are you trying to get into the habit of working out or eating better? I have a really simple, cheap, and easy method for building a habit that is really working for me. So, psychologists tell us that it takes 21 days to build a habit. Right now, I am trying to be more consistent with my meditation practice.

I saw this on Pinterest, and it really appealed to me because it was simple, visual, and tactile. You take those little flag tabs and number them 1-21 and then stick them to a wall. Mine says “Did I meditate today?” and each tab says “yes!” and has a number. As I rip off the tabs, I put them in a jar.

Normally when creating something like this, I would give myself an out. For example, I would make the rule that if I skipped a day, I would add two days. With this, I never thought to have an out, and halfway through, I have realized that it was better that way. Some days, I only meditate for ten minutes, and some meditations are better than others. But I make it a point to do it every day because I don't have a choice. 

Not only is it very satisfying to add little tabs to my jar, but having the tabs on the wall right across from my bed has guaranteed that I never forget. I've tried to use apps and journals and calendars, but I always forget to remember.

If you have a habit that you want to build, I recommend trying this method. It's so easy and it's really worked for me!  

As twenty-somebodies, it is vital that we build healthy habits that will enrich the rest of our lives. Please let me know if this method works for you!

A Dose of Common Sense

Here is something I have discovered about advocacy: if you constantly bring up the issues you’re passionate about, someone will point you toward the organization that fits.

During my first week with the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), I met a man who pointed me toward Common Sense Action, an advocacy organization for millennials. Civic engagement and twenty-somebodies? Could you think of a better fit? 

This organization is working from the grassroots to expand millennial opportunity and interest in

politics. Advocacy is built on three tiers: generational fairness, millennial mobility, and repairing politics.

CSA was founded and is run by millennials. The seven-person national staff is comprised completely of students still in college. Just over two years ago, the organization began as the brainchild of a few interns at the Bipartisan Policy Center. The organization is bipartisan, meaning it affiliates with every party without exclusion and encourages joint participation across party lines. The foundation of the organization is over twenty active college campus chapters, and its membership is comprised of affiliated chapter memberships. Additionally, mobilization focuses on primaries more directly than general elections, since low turnouts increase the impact of each millennial vote, increasing the chances that millennial-friendly candidates will represent parties in the general elections.

Work at the national level is currently centered on the recently released Agenda for Generational Equity (AGE). In terms of mobility, AGE looks at furthering equality of opportunity through reforming education access, incarceration and recidivism, and diversifying pathways to employment. Endorse the platform here!

While CSA recognizes that there are policies on the table in Congress right now that will impact their

generation in the future, they very much emphasize the need to be a viable citizen demographic in order to have political expectations. The final tenant of the platform is a call to national service, which they

believe will appeal to the millennials in a special way to galvanize other forms of citizenship like voting. NCoC shares this belief, and you can find out about their national service initiatives here.

We twenty-somebodies need a strategy for finding ourselves in the political sphere. We are lacking in civic representation and concern, making us highly vulnerable to disadvantage.  CSA is a vibrant new organization, budding with potential. In its unique way, CSA may serve a vital role in the formation of the millennial political realm, and therefore the future political culture of America. Learn more about them and get involved!

Keep Moving Forward!

Get Your Exuberance Off My Uterus

I love kids. No joke. I think they're awesome, and I love playing with Barbies and watching Fairly Odd Parents. BBBUUUTTT... I would have to get a complete personality transplant to ever want to have one.

But that's the plan, isn't it? You're born, you get an education, you get married, and you have children. It's growing up!

If that's growing up, I'll pass.

The idea of being pregnant has always been... I'll say it... disgusting to me. Not to mention the fact that... oh I don't know... it's the most painful human experience by like a million! If you aren't 190% ready to reap the reward of that torture, my opinion is the only rational choice is to opt out.

I have become increasingly outspoken about my stance in the past few years since everyone else is becoming increasingly outspoken about how worthless, weird, and evil it makes me. I have been told on two separate occasions that my life has no meaning if I don't have children. THAT MY LIFE HAS NO MEANING. What. The. What?

And don't tell me that having kids has made you a better person. I wish, for the sake of the children, that this was true, but it's not. It's complete bullshit, and here's a Ph.D. Psychologist to tell you why.

Having kids is just a choice. It's a lifestyle decision. That's it. It's not a mandatory step into adulthood. Choosing to forego children will not make your life, or relationship, incomplete.

I love the way my close friend puts it:

“People I went to high school with post things on Facebook about how they 'just didn't know how great life could be until they were a Mommy.' I try not to, but I immediately recoil a little and think, 'were you really that boring and aimless when you were just a woman? That you needed something else to validate your existence?'”

Plus, telling me I'll grow out of it is condescending. I'm not two, and this ain't thumb sucking.

Are you being a jerk to your friends and family members who don't want kids? Well, STOP! Check out this funny, but necessary article on 23 Things You Should Never Say To A Child-free Woman.