Dear Obama administration team,
(and the General Public)
As you know, I played a leading role in making this event happen on Tuesday:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/07/28/conference-next-generation-leadership
Wow. What an event. Thank you for helping to make it successful! You helped open a door that millions of young people around the world have been hungry for ever since Obama took office. As you know, while Obama’s unprecedented candidacy and character were certainly part of the draw to his platform, what was perhaps, more powerful, was his call to all people, especially young people, to participate in shaping their future.
I believe that one of the greatest stumbling blocks to the social and political transformation that we dream of, is a widespread “inspiration deficit.” When people do not feel in control of their future, participation no longer feels like a priority. The minimal cultivation of young voices after Obama’s inauguration may, in part, be responsible for his decline in popularity. Opening doors for people to participate and be heard, like you did on Tuesday, responds to the zeitgeist of American youth today. Working with high-level influencers makes it particularly strategic.
But, as I’m sure you recognize, there is still a long way to go.
If we are to unite our generation, the way that most of us dream is possible, then we’re going to need to 1) unleash tremendous financial resources and 2) build bridges between polarized social groups.
In my analysis, one of the greatest untapped financial resources within reach, is that of the young wealth-holder crowd. This community in particular suffers from an inspiration deficit because of the often burdensome quality of extreme wealth. There are a few programs out there that catalyze this group but they are small, under-developed, and seldom integrated with strategic philanthropy. Convening and facilitating this integration process, and bringing these programs to scale, was a key goal of mine for the White House event. It can still be done and I’m dedicated to making it happen.
“Depolarization,” or “uniting divided cultures and social groups,” is actually easier than it sounds, especially with young people. Programs like Seeds of Peace, Camp Rising Sun, Interfaith Youth Core, Concordia Language Villages, United World Colleges, etc. and many more have been doing it for years. They bring young people together in diversity and help them discover their common humanity. Unfortunately, most of these programs work at an international level, and are expensive as a result. Some similar locally organized efforts exist, but they need to be systematized and brought to scale. I believe that the simplest and most productive way to do this is by uniting the arts of diversity celebration with civic engagement. More than 100 member countries of the United Nations have national youth councils, which by virtue of their mandate, convene young people in diversity for policy deliberation and development. When well facilitated, this process transforms the traditional political struggle for power into a celebration of diversity. It expands people’s consciousness to understand that “we’re all in this together.” And from that place, even divergent groups cooperate to make good policy that serves the whole, rather than specific interest groups.
Engaging young wealth-holders, who are suffering from an inspiration deficit, into communities of purpose and diversity can catalyze new ways of thinking and new kinds of generosity. The effort could become self financing, and set in motion a major cultural shift.
I recognize that my ideas are visionary, or perhaps quixotic in some eyes. However, I’ve been working towards this vision for much of the past decade and I can assure you that from my own empirical observations, this is an idea whose time has come.
I hope that we can continue to partner to make it, at least some part of it, a reality.
Best wishes,
Jonah
