The last forty years have seen a steady increase in the number of American citizens dropping out of the democratic process.  While this is troubling, the number of young people dropping out of the process has been even larger.  For example, in the Presidential election years between 1972 and 2000, the national youth voter turnout rate declined 13 percent.  As a state and a nation, we must reverse these trends and provide meaningful roles and opportunities for youth to become engaged and active citizens.

Many studies have documented the decline in civic engagement among our future leaders.  In “Developing Roots of Political Engagement”, Constance Flanagan provides an overview of studies conducted in the area of political and civic engagement.   According to Flanagan, developmental assets play a significant role in youth involvement and understanding of civic issues.  That’s why we should focus on developing youth for civic service today rather than waiting until the future.

In “The Youth Challenge: Participation in Democracy”, Alison Byrne Fields studied how adults view young people’s lack of engagement in the democratic process.  Fields finds that young people actually are engaged in issues that are important to them but these issues are not those preferred by government officials.  Fields adds that young people believe that they do not have a voice in government affairs and their communities.  She suggests several meaningful ways youth development practitioners might engage young people.

These studies all lead to the same question:  how do we re-engage young people from across this Commonwealth in the democratic process?

A good first step in addressing this problem in Kentucky is the upcoming Civic Literacy Summit.  State and national leaders will gather on October 5th at Northern Kentucky University’s METS Center to discuss how to improve the civic literacy of our youth and to find a way to encourage young people to participate in the democratic process.

The Summit is the result of a partnership with the Office of the Secretary of State, Senator Jack Westwood (R-Crescent Springs), Representative Tanya Pullin (D-South Shore), the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Kentucky Department of Education, and Northern Kentucky University.

The Summit is the first step in a multi-year commitment to improve the civic literacy of Kentucky youth with the ultimate goal of improving their civic participation.  By working together across different departments and parties, Kentucky can become a national leader in civic education, literacy, and engagement.  

Over the next few years, we plan to identify many different strategies to increase the civic engagement of our youth.  Please visit the Secretary of State’s webpage (www.kysos.com) for more information on the Summit or to share your ideas and thoughts as we seek to enhance youth participation in the democratic process.