The organization I chose volunteer for is the League of Women Voters of California. The league is an organization for both men and women that strives for participation in government. What sets them apart is their goal of encouraging people to make informed and educated decisions. The League of Women Voters is non-partisan and does not support any particular political part or candidate.

When I contacted the local office I was told by Cheryl, the woman who oversaw my volunteering, that they needed a makeover for their brochure and flyer. This brochure was extremely outdated and needed a serious overhaul. In conjunction with a classmate, I redesigned the brochure to give it a more modern appearance making it more eye catching in hopes of creating more league memberships and provoking more donations. I would have to say this became my main goal of my volunteering experience. Although I was asked that the writing on the brochure went unchanged I wanted to do redesign the graphics and layout of the brochure to make is more interesting and readable. In a way I feel like the hard work I put into the brochure would strengthen and increase the growth of the league.

The second piece I worked on with my classmate was the organizations flyer. The flyer was essentially of form that people could use to join the League of Women Voters or simply enclose a donation and at the same time give a little information about the group. In both the brochure and flyer color played an important role. The original designs lacked color or any visual interest and I saw this to me a major problem. Cheryl asked that the color scheme be red, white and blue so I played with these colors to create a big visual impact. I ran into a problem with my first draft even though the league loved it because I used too much color and the local league simply could not afford to print it. I ended up removing a bulk of the color and used it more sparingly. I was surprised that I liked the final product even more than my first draft and I, along with the organization, are very pleased with the outcome of both the brochure and flyer.

My first impression of the League of Women Voters of California was that it was somewhat stuck in a rut. The original brochure and flyer seemed like it was made in the stone-age and that the look that the organization needed to be updated. The main woman I worked with from the league seemed very busy and maybe even a little unorganized because she was often very slow responding to emails or returning calls. Although my experience with the league seemed a bit scattered and unorganized I do not doubt the strength or ability to achieve goals of the group. The league has been present and actively participating in government for over 90 years, and I believe it will be around for years to come.

Section Two

In this day in age, there are so many outlets for political participation. Most have remained over the years, but today there are a few contenders that are becoming more prominent in young Americans. In the 1960s when political activity was thought to be at its peak, “About three-fifths of the public voted in the presidential elections of the 1960s, a fifth were active in presidential election campaigns, a quarter had contacted political officials, and a third were active in their community” (Dalton 7). Today, participation in presidential elections has slightly decreased. This may lead you to believe that the public has become disengaged, but this in fact is not true. Modern people have gravitated towards other outlets of political involvement such as political contacting or community activity. Also, in a year, two thirds of Americans will sign a petition or participate in a demonstration (Dalton 7).

Is this change in political involvement as a country related to the current political involvement of the country’s youth? It is impossible to give a definite answer to explain this change, but there are many possible factors that contribute to this change. Today, education levels are constantly rising and access to politics is more readily available than ever. By the push of a remote or click of a mouse we have instant access to our government and its activities. Dalton explains, “In addition, the growth of self-expressive values encourages participation in activities that are citizen initiated, directly linked to government, and more policy oriented” (8). Americans now, more than ever, feel that it is acceptable to act freely and fully express themselves thus leading to more expressive involvement such as protesting.

Researchers have found that young American are disengaged from politics and less interested, especially teens, and that it is not until they reach a period of their life when they have careers and family that they gravitate towards politics. Dalton refers to this concept as the “life cycle model” but also argues the presence of a generational aspect to political participation. Younger generations are more educated than their grandparents and have been raised to be more self-expressive leading to more challenging forms of action. Also, each generation is raised in a different political climate with different norms that are often specific for that generation creating a major difference in generations. “Younger generations have become more critical of political parties and elected politicians, and thus are less attracted to conventional electoral politics. Thus, some alternative forms of non-electoral participation appear especially appealing to young people. In contrast, research routinely proclaims that electoral politics is the domain of older Americans” (Dalton 8). The young generations of the United States are more educated and surrounded by the mass media, and as discussed earlier this leads to higher self expression thus leading to alternative forms of participation.

Although young Americans are utilizing many ways of participation and exploring new outlets for political participation there is still a void in overall activity. Several factors that can be blamed for this void include race, motivation, opportunities and little to no involvement in extracurricular activities.

In Cultivating Democracy, Gimpel explores the effects race and immigration has on political participation in the United States. He claims, “With each 10 percentage point increase in the proportion of the local population that is foreign born, we see a considerable 5 percentage point drop in the frequency of political discussion” (47). Gimpel supports his claim by suggesting that foreign born parents are often highly suspicious of government because their home country suffered from corruption and blindly conclude that the United States government is also corrupt. This fear of the government is then arbitrarily passed on to future generations.

Not only do immigrants in the United States lack political participation but certain races in the U.S. are under achievers when it comes to participation. Gimpel found that black children have a lower sense of efficacy than white children when it comes to political socialization. “Given the pervasive fatherlessness found in black homes and neighborhoods, one is led to wonder whether racial differences in socialization are rooted in family structure or result simply from the greater economic deprivation and social discrimination experienced by African Americans” (Gimpel 68). The easiest way to explain the presence of this difference is economic inequality suggesting that African Americans have a lower sense of efficacy due to their lower economic status in comparison white Americans. In his study, Gimpel discovered that the main difference between white respondents and those of minorities to be the frequency of political discussion. “Black youth reported the lowest volume of political discussion; significantly, African Americans teens engaged in 7.7 percent less discussion than white respondents. Latinos reported 6.9 percent less discussion and Asians 6.5 percent less than Caucasian youth” (Gimpel 72). Why do minority engage in less political discussion than whites? They have lower levels of political knowledge! Political knowledge of white youth was ranked highest, Latinos in second and blacks coming in last place with the highest deficiency of political knowledge. The ranking of political knowledge is directly correlated to the ranking of political discussion (Gimpel 72).

Although we have found that race plays a prominent role in political participation, factors like motivation, availably opportunities and participation in activities have a noticeable effect on America’s youth. The Journal of Community Psychology argues, “…parents and peers play a key role in determining what activities young people engage in. Specifically, parental involvement and healthy family functioning appear to be particularly important predictors of youth activism” (809). Although family and peers push young people in a certain direction there is also a need for motivation. Motivation may differ from person to person due to the fact that it is an individual characteristic, but children must feel the need to be involved. In order for youth involvement to flourish opportunities must be made readily available. A child may be motivated but without opportunities a child’s motivations will go unused (Yohalem 809). Ellen Quintelier, author of Who is Politically Active: The Athlete, the Scout Member or the Environmental Activist?: Young People, Voluntary Engagement and Political Participation, has found that, “Young people who are members of several organizations are more active in politics, while spending a greater amount of time in one organization does not increase level of political participation” (1). Motivation, opportunities and active participation in multiple activities mold a well-rounded person that is more likely to engage in political participation.

Section 3

Through my research I have found three prominent factors that stand out as most effective in leading to youth political participation. Motivation is essential in participation. Young people need a spark that ignites the desire to be involved. Parents and peers can force a child into involvement but without a sincere desire within a person to be active and explore opportunities in the world all external pushing and prodding will fail. Motivation seems to be at each individuals dispose. The factor that can be at the hand of parents and peers is making opportunities available. This is the chance peers have to push youth towards involvement. The last factor is involvement in multiple extracurricular activities which directly follows opportunities that have been made available. It is essential for parents to get their children involved in multiple activities whether it be sports, clubs or student government. The youth of the United States need to learn team working skills, time management and accountability. These attributes will create a person that cares about the government, and how it directly affects their everyday life, and help them realize the need to stay socially active. In the long run this will create a well rounded individual that has learned many life lessons necessary for a person that in politically active.

The League of Women Voters of California was very open to youth participation. I am sure they realized that we are the future of our country and that our political involvement today is directly correlated to the state of the U.S. in our future. The best way to get involved in the league is to join so that you will be constantly updated on issues and activities that the group is involved in. After the volunteer work I did for the organization I was told I would be considered for future work which will definitely ensure for involvement in the future with the League of Women Voters. Although I will surely stay involved in the group there are ways the league can attract more youth involvement such as, visiting college campuses or high schools to gain acknowledgement from young people.

For the future of student political activism over the next 5-10 years I see greater involvement. The country’s youth seems to be in a stage of awareness. From my own observations I have noticed my peers concern with headline news stories, both national and international. Also, considering the last presidential election I notice a large amount of political advertising and commentary on television channels geared towards young Americans. MTV, for example, aired a substantial amount of news coverage for the election and supported the “Vote or Die” campaign that urged voting. More and more young Americans will become involved in politics over the next few years because they will have no other choice. We are constantly bombarded with what is currently happening in the world that it would be impossible to ignore political participation. In this time, more than ever, choosing the best leader for our country is essential for guiding us in the right direction, in order to ensure the solidarity of the United States our country’s youth must grow in its political activism.

Works Cited

"AASCU Meetings Professional Development of Higher Education Leaders." American Association of State Colleges and Universities | AASCU | Delivering America's Promise. Web. 2 Apr. 2011. .
Gimpel, James G., J. Celeste. Lay, and Jason E. Schuknecht. Cultivating Democracy: Civic Environments and Political Socialization in America. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 2003. Print.
Quintelier, E. (2008). Who is Politically Active: The Athlete, the Scout Member or the Environmental Activist?: Young People, Voluntary Engagement and Political Participation. Acta Sociologica (Sage Publications, Ltd.), 51(4), 355-370. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Yohalem, N., & Martin, S. (2007). Building the evidence base for youth engagement: Reflections on youth and democracy. Journal of Community Psychology, 35(6), 807-810. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.