Youth Empowered By Brower

San Francisco, Wednesday, October 24-

At the press conference for the Brower Youth Award 2007 recipients, there were only a few other people in the attendance. But right away I recognized Lesley Nagy from Your Green Life, the 90-second eco-news segment on Your TV20. That was probably the closest I’d ever been to a celebrity…that is, until I saw Q’Orianka Kilcher, the star of the movie The New World opposite big names like Colin Farrell and Christian Bale. One of the five recipients of the environmental award, she didn’t try to stand out or get special treatment. In fact, the one recipient that did stand out to me was a non-celebrity from the Bay Area. Twenty-one year old Rachel Barge, a student at University of California, Berkeley, crafted and passed The Green Initiative Fund, a fee of $5 per student per semester to go towards campus sustainability projects. What struck me about her was the simplicity and practicality of her program. As a member of the Environmental Club at my high school, I hoped that attending the press conference would inspire some ideas I could apply to my own life and school. Rachel’s ideas did just that, so when we started the personal interviews, I went right for her. After talking to her, I realized how easy she made being green sound.

Next I talked to Jon Warnow, a techie responsible for the creation of Step it Up 2007, a website that coordinated over 1,400 rallies across the country for a National Day of Climate Action. The interview was going well, until my relative newbie-ity took hold of the interview. Or, should I say, took hold of the mic. I engaged in a mic-holding war with the interviewee, as I asked my question and held the mic up to Jon, he suddenly took hold of it like a fat kid takes hold of a cupcake. In my timidity, I surrendered the mic and let him hold it through all of his responses, only to be admonished later by my nameless superiors.

Last, I interviewed Erica Fernandez, a southern Californian who stood up against a 36-inch pipeline that was to be routed through low-income neighborhoods, schools, and businesses in Oxnard and Malibu with a testimonial at the California State Lands Commission. While interviewing her, I found myself asking a lot of questions about how she dealt with adults in positions of power who were the determining factor in whether her project could move forward.

Now, when I’ve tried to call the attention of adults to issues that are important to me, even if it’s as simple as getting my parents to understand recycling and organic waste at home, I’ve encountered a lot of setbacks. Because we are the generation that has been confronted face-to-face with global warming and other environmental crises, previous generations seem lacking in their passion for conservation. Or maybe they’re not lacking, but rather, we are brimming with activism and a call for change. If I gained one thing from attending the event, it’s reassurance that there are other young people out there who are passionate about the environment.

~Caitlin Grey

American Politics or American Idols?

Rick Derringer sings: “I’m a real American. Fight for the rights of every man. I am a real American. Fight for your life, fight for what’s right.” The bronzed Viking in yellow underwear and remnants of freshly torn t-shirt dangling off his oiled person busts onto the stage.

And…

Celine Dion sings: “High above the mountains or across the sea, I can hear your voice calling out to me…” The mid-western suburban girl turned Manhattanite in yellow Donna Karan suit and a string of white pearls busts onto the stage.

I see some similarities here- do you?

The theme song is essential in the world of wrestling. There is no room for subtleties. An excessively buff man in tights is walking down the isle and will shortly be tussling to and fro, in and around, a ring with another excessively buff man in underwear. There is little to no time to get to know the individuals or explain why they’re fighting, so the theme song tells the world who we’re dealing with.

But in the realm of politics, I’m not sure if this is necessary. Obviously candidates would like to reach as many voters as possible, including the younger generation, so they need to reach us on our level. But to put it frankly, this is not how we get down Hillary. It seems like whenever the youth are involved, there is a tendency to dumb things down, or to put it politely, over simplify. But my opinion is that young people can understand a lot more than we sometimes get credit for.

But then again I could be wrong about this whole thing. I mean theme songs can be a source of great motivation. Just take the theme song from the movie “Rocky” for example. I mean who doesn’t get a burst of inspiration immediately upon hearing “The Eye of the Tiger”? That song hits you like a jolt of caffeine, right?

Historically, political movements have been able to find meaning amongst the youth of the day without over simplifying the issues. Student activism has been gained effectively not with the employment of trends and gimmicks, but by explaining to young people why the political implications of a certain issue are important to them and how their inactivity could result in their demise. For example the anti-Vietnam War movement included many young people who knew that they could play a role in the contribution or elimination of the war. During the civil rights movement, leaders depended on young people to help guide their efforts and spread their message.

It’s important that young people are involved in the political processes of the country they will one day soon, inherit. Our political involvement should not be limited to the picking of theme songs for the campaigns of candidates.

Senator Clinton’s strategic move to ask young voters to help her choose the right theme song to embody the inspirations of her campaign has caused much whispering and whoa-ing within the political arena. Will it bring her enough votes to allow her to leave the political ring with the presidential belt fastened snuggly around her waist?

Ultimately, it will just be chalked up to the newest fad in advertising to young voters, but certainly not the last one.

-Jordan Monroe