For any change to take effect in law and political reform, there needs to be active engagement on part of the general public for anything to happen. The type of people engaging in this activity also make an impact on the passage of reformative laws and legislation (as was the case with Women’s Suffrage, the Civil Rights Movement and Gay Marriage), and the young adults of the nation are no exception to this fact. The involvement and engagement of young people — who, in this era, mainly make up the bulk of millennials as well as other smaller groups — has helped with the success of previous movements and is important now more than ever in an era where issues range from federal elections to climate change to social unrest.

I recently had the pleasure to speak with Nicole Beholz of Save Democracy. She and her husband, Wolfgang Wopperer-Beholz (Project Field GbR), are leading the Engaging Young People in Democracy Meet Up, where they will discuss the successes of student-led initiatives in contrast with perceived decline of the awareness for democracy importance, how these two aspects relate to each other and how to support and encourage young people’s political participation.

What kinds of strategies do you feel are important when trying to engage a younger audience in political participation?

“I think it’s crucial to meet young people where they are – in their concrete life situation, on a very personal level. We have to show that political participation is neither necessarily complex and scary nor lame and boring. In fact it is about them: About the choices they make and their consequences – and about choices of others that shape the world of young people in the first place.”

“We have to show that political participation means more than voting and offer concrete opportunities for hands-on action. From schools to local communities, from starting a discussion to organizing a protest, from fighting harassment to changing the school’s cafeteria menu.

Do you think more action on part of the youth will help create more visibility in the eyes of society, or is it the other way around?

“I strongly believe that action on part of the youth creates a high level of awareness in society, because young people aren’t conventional political actors and, thus, have a higher credibility for their causes. We tend to listen to them more carefully due to their vulnerability and the fact that they are our future.”

“At the same time, we rarely act on that when it comes to decision making; visibility doesn’t imply action. It’s our responsibility as a society to take young people and their causes more seriously, to follow-up awareness with action.”

Would you argue societal pressure on young people in democracy is encouraging or discouraging engagement? How do we address it?

“Often, the image of political engagement society creates clashes with what young people think is possible or attractive to them. Thus, it is important that opportunities for action are consistent with young people’s self-perception. To become a party member may not be the first thing to come to mind for a young student. Joining a protest like March for Our Lives, on the other hand, might be a much better fit.”

“Beyond this general mismatch, we have to look at the specific context: Different social milieus can either [discourage] or encourage political engagement. Very often, young people who suffer the most from choices others made for them are the ones that get the least encouragement and have the fewest resources to get engaged. Hence we have to create opportunities for political participation that are easily accessible, age-appropriate and have a low entry barrier.”

“More institutions like schools, churches and non-profits need to get involved in designing and supplying these opportunities and in educating about them.”

Will this be your first time speaking at SXSW? If so, what are you looking forward to most? If not, what is your favorite aspect?

“This is my second time hosting a meetup at SXSW. I love meeting new people working on the same challenges and learning about their perspectives and strategies.”

Engaging Young People in Democracy Meet Up

Saturday, March 8
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Fairmont – Poppy (4th floor)