By Alice Fried

 

There is no better way to advance a strong democracy that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion, than by blending the experience and accomplishment of the historic League of Women Voters with the social and communicative energy of the nation’s future citizens and leaders. That is why the recent alliance between the League of Women Voters Solano County (LWVSC) and the Solano Youth Coalition (SYC) is a relevant and timely undertaking to help expand the influence of the League’s work to protect and sustain our democracy.

 

I’m sure you’re wondering, “What is the LWVSC/SYC Alliance?” Well, SYC is part of the Solano County of Education.  It strives to raise awareness by advocating safe and healthier choices in communities through open conversation, participation, and collaboration among a new generation. Comprised of youth from Solano County’s middle, high schools, and colleges, SYC is youth-led and provides opportunities for young people in all Solano County cities to build capacity and commitment for life-long community involvement. A goal that aligns with the League’s goal to increase understanding of major common-good (community) issues to influence public policy through education and advocacy.

 

 

 

 

As for the SYC, building partnerships for positive and healthy youth development is bedrock to its doctrine of providing hands-on, service-learning opportunities for its participating students. However, studies have found that Civics and History education, along with critical-thinking skills, have eroded in America’s schools, particularly in providing civic service-learning projects. The League, because of its work to instill a community mindset within the citizenry, is poised to fill that civic, service-learning gap in our youth’s overall education and development. And to provide them a platform on which they can receive and share facts and data required to do the community organizing work that encourages citizen participation in making democracy work for all.

 

 

Also, as I’ve reported before, educators and researchers have found that civics ignorance allows fear to fuel attacks on facts, truth, and voting rights that are consistent with intellectual standards of reasoning, otherwise described as critical thinking. It is important to keep in mind though, that although the League is committed to building strong, democratic communities through public policy education and advocacy, protecting everyone’s right and privilege to vote is its foundation and most powerful obligation to society.

 

Therefore, because of the League’s pledge to provide data on which voting positions can be determined from the same facts and truth, an SYC and LWVSC alliance will encourage young people to engage in League processes for educating and advocating good governance, whether it is registering voters in their schools, or producing an issues forum on environmental justice, for example.

 

Furthermore, LWVSC will be able to inform the steps student participants take to advocate for public policies they believe in. Such hands-on civics learning opportunities will:

 

- broaden students’ readiness to enter society prepared to be productive, informed participants in our democracy,

- prepare them to be citizens who not only have knowledge about how our democratic government works, but voters armed with personal experiences that enhance their understanding of the value, and the role voters play to sustain it.

 

After a presentation on the league’s mission and activities, SYC students voted unanimously to partner with LWVSC to add civic engagement and community outreach to their educational development.  The LWVSC benefits from this connection by increasing its membership with 30 dedicated young people. Young people who were selected to be a part of the SYC because they are eager to get politically and socially involved in their communities; eager to learn about issues that affect them, their peers and their families; and eager to be part of the conversations on public policy resolutions.   

 

 

LWVSC members, on the other hand, get to share practices on how to encourage citizen participation in the democratic process with our future’s most valuable resource—our young people. This task to be accomplished by: 1) raising awareness and understanding of the importance of a common-good mindset with regard to civic responsibility,  2) demonstrating how to conduct their youth-led civic engagements with civility in that tried-and-true league way: and, 3) by providing insight on methods to help secure public-policy resolutions.

 

LWVSC recently introduced a Partnership Launch Poll to SYC students to determine from which LWVSC committee and/or activities they want to gain knowledge and experience. Expect to learn the results of this poll after the end-of-the-month deadline. Meanwhile, recognize that the future of our democracy is incumbent upon informed, critical thinking, engaged youth in the government process. And that while the fight to protect and sustain our democracy is ongoing, consider the creation of this partnership a definitive step toward improving the League’s efforts to achieve that goal as it journeys along on its mission, and do what you can to make this alliance—this partnership—a success.