We recently concluded a series of intergenerational democracy circles as part of a pilot program designed by our Community Solutions Program fellows, Vincent and Emerson, to increase voter engagement among the youth in our community. Each session brought together six youths from Riis Academy-InfoTech and six older adults to discuss topics related to voting and democracy. Historically, youth aged 18-29 have had the lowest voter turnout rate, while adults aged 70 and older have had the highest. These sessions emphasized the importance of voting and motivated the youth to play their part in creating change.
In November, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani joined our final circle as a guest speaker and discussed ways the young people could engage their peers to become active voters. The discussion focused on the power of one vote and the importance of showing up.
During their four-month fellowship, Vincent and Emerson worked diligently on increasing community and voter engagement, and we look forward to facilitating another cycle of this vital program in the new year!
