Youth engagement can begin top down or bottom up. The Centre believes in a top down and a bottom up approach in catalysing a more informed tomorrow: while our organisation is committed to working with governments to expand youth civil society participation, we are also committed to targeting disenfranchised communities on the ground for education, directly. While many political entities may see an advantage, the Centre views youth voter turnout as an advantage for democracy, not one person.
We recognise the importance of voter registration and civic education as catalysts for increasing voter efficacy and diminishing electoral distrust. While many of our programmes and initiatives focus on a broad scope, working with governments and conducting dialogue with policy makers, our grassroots work highlights our hands-on approach for executing our mission.
By targeting historically disenfranchised members of civil society, often by race of socioeconomic status, we ensure that youth who have been historically excluded from the decision making process are given the ability to participate in public affairs.
Our grassroots work includes working with our staff and volunteers to call and text voters to educate them about the civic process, producing literature to distribute via mail which promotes voter registration and electoral participation, and running online campaigns to get out the vote.
01
Voter Registration Drives
Registering voters is the pillar of increasing electoral turnout. In the U.S., processes of voting generally dissuade youth from showing up at the polls. Access to the ballot box and a diverse plethora of voter participation is only possible when voters are registered to vote. We work to ensure that youth are registered to vote through local programmes across states, guaranteeing access to the ballot box come election season.
02
Disenfranchised Youth Voter Outreach
Many young voters have historically lacked access to education about the civic processes, creating an uninformed demographic which cannot harness the power of their vote. We're targeting outreach efforts, from phone calling to mail-in literature, to communities which are economically, socially, and politically disadvantaged to ensure the tides can change through education.
03
Continued Research on Voting Trends
To ensure our organisation continues targeting the correct persons locally, and is aware of the issues surrounding youth voting, we conduct research and publish reports on electoral turnout pertaining to younger populations. Continued research into voter trends allows us to identify the strengths and weaknesses of political participation, creating a framework for implementing change.