To Baggot, the notion that young people are apathetic
is totally untrue. “Old people always think young people
are lazy,” she says. “The argument that young people are
apathetic is a cover to systematically disenfranchise them.”
And sometimes it’s simply that the youth don’t know
how to get involved, Baggot says, noting a recent national
study that found the reason most 18- to 25-year-olds aren’t
involved or don’t show up to vote at the polls is because
they don’t know how, when or where.
At the Bus, volunteers strive to empower youth,
educating them about current issues and learning about what
really matters to them. In one day of volunteering, a group
of 80 canvassers knocks on upward of 400 doors, promoting
progressivism in Oregon and for the nation as a whole.
Baggot has seen fi rsthand how passionate youth can
be, as well as the kind of difference one young person can
make. “One of the most heartening things,” Baggot says, “is
seeing high school students who can’t yet vote themselves
but can get other people to register. They can’t cast their
one vote but they know they are personally responsible for
600 votes, and they are so proud.”
Why are the youngsters in Portland so much more
involved? Is it something in the water? The Portland
youth may be such a foil to Eugene youth in terms of civic
involvement, Baggot says, because of outreach within the
Portland community.
At the Bus, Baggot and her peers work to give
young people the tools to make a difference. “In the
current partisan environment, I think young people are
really hungry for a place they think the conversation is
alternative,” she explains.
community efforts because of how rewarding it is. “I feel
more alive doing this type of work — I shouldn’t even call
it that,” he says. “My life is richer because of it.”
At age 24, Creswell City Councilor A.J. O’Connell is a
prime example of a young person succeeding at making a
difference in his community. O’Connell, who was elected
last year, says it is so crucial for youth to be involved in
their communities because “the future is them.” Young
people, who he defi nes as people aged 30 and below, can
bring a new perspective to governing.
In less than a year in offi ce, O’Connell has spearheaded
efforts to make Creswell an anti-hate community, to
honor a fallen police offi cer on the 40th anniversary of his
death, and to re-route the TransAmerica bike trail through
Creswell in an effort to stimulate the economy and create
jobs. He has also been on the forefront of creating a sister-
city relationship with another community.
But O’Connell says his biggest accomplishment is
altering the political dialogue in his community. “It’s not
just a good ol’ boys network,” O’Connell says. “The people
will be heard and we (elected offi cials) act as a vehicle for
the people.”
O’Connell frequently challenges Creswell’s local
government, creating controversy in the community. He
says his primary mission is to serve as an advocate for
community members, though he is often shut down and
says he feels silenced in council meetings.
At the Dec. 11 meeting, O’Connell presented his ideas for
the TransAmerica Bike Re-Route and a winter coat donation
program, with the goals of stimulating the local economy
and improving conditions for the poor. The City Council
voted against both proposals and, as O’Connell writes on
his website, “they and the mayor failed to present valid
arguments against their passage. It was clearly obvious that
the mayor had orchestrated a dissenting vote in advance of
the meeting simply because I was the one presenting this.”
O’Connell says the mayor and city manager placed
their own political gain before the interests of community
members, alleging they blackmailed potential supporters
of the project by threatening to pull their city funding if
they supported the measures. O’Connell says that less than
half an hour after the council’s vote, the mayor proposed
that the city manager get an increase in salary.
“I will not rest nor will I ever quit in the face of this
daunting challenge,” O’Connell wrote. “The people of
Creswell need to know that I will always be their advocate
and that I will never back down in the face of bullying and
intimidation.”
Holden Center Service Learning Program Coordinator
Leisha McParland came to the UO to pursue a bachelor’s
degree in Spanish and international development, and she’s
stayed in Eugene specifi cally to foster what she considers
a wonderfully unique community. At the Holden Center,
McParland and her peers aim to create a bridge between
nonprofi t volunteer organizations and willing volunteers
— they want students (or community members) to be able
to fulfi ll their most elaborate desires.
Rodgers, a student staff member at the Holden Center,
is working on a petition to get the Chinese government
and the university to bring potable water to impoverished
areas of China. He credits such involvement to his drive
for leadership and to tackle something bigger than his own
self-interests.
On an Alternative Break program through the Holden
Center, Rodgers went to the Dominican Republic, where
he says he was fi nally able to do something signifi cant. He
volunteered as a dental assistant and worked with a team
to provide routine dental care, including reconstructive
surgeries, for inhabitants of a rural village. Rodgers says
he realized his ability to make a difference when he saw
a girl, emerging from hours of oral surgery, smile for the
fi rst time.
Youth In Action
Yet some young movers and shakers, like Graham, are
making a difference in their communities, proving that
young people can make a difference and set an example
for their indifferent peers.
Though Graham has been committed to civic
engagement since he was a child living in Washington, D.C.,
and volunteering for the Invisible Children organization,
he didn’t fi nd his true passion until the Occupy movement
came to Eugene. The confl ict resolution and dispute
management masters candidate created his thesis project
in the fall. Graham’s thesis focuses on the structure of the
Occupy movement and the communication and confl ict
management within Occupy sites.
Graham says he hopes to fi nd out what works so that
future protests can be more successful. The bright-eyed,
dreadlocked optimist plans to continue researching the
structure and management in Occupy sites nationwide, in
an effort to fi nd out what techniques work best for future
protest movements and peacekeeping efforts. He says one
reason the youth who are involved may leave Eugene is
restlessness — at least that’s one of his main reasons,
aside from planning to study other Occupy sites across the
nation. But Graham says most likely he’ll stay involved in
Caitlin Baggot of
The Bus Project
Photo courtesy The Bus project
Why youth should care
12 JANUARY 5, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
“I think that youth just need to realize that they have the
most at stake since they have the most time left to live on
this planet,” Graham says. “And the current ways that we
are handling business is not painting us a pretty picture for
the future.”
But this means more than just realizing that young
people have the most at stake, Rodgers says — it’s an
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