Photo by Trask Bedortha
Leisha McParland of the
UO’s Holden Center Service
Learning Program
‘Youth just need to
realize that they
have the most at
stake since they have
the most time left to
live on this planet.’
— Perry Graham
McParland says she is most inspired when she sees so
many volunteers working on something together — and
especially when they pass on the itch to friends who have
never been involved in such volunteer efforts. “There’s just
something so inspiring about seeing people get out and do
something in a communal effort — to see one person do
something that is totally selfl ess.”
How to make youth care
Graham says the best way to inspire civic engagement
is for youth to fi nd what they are most passionate about
— the environment, politics, animal rights, human rights.
McParland says the source of that passion is discovered
through exposure to new things. She encourages eager
young volunteers to try their hands at various projects,
even pulling weeds in community gardens. “I like to tell
volunteers who just came from pulling weeds that it may
be something small — just one drop in the bucket. But it’s
a drop in a big bucket of a larger picture.”
Perhaps it’s not the youth who are to blame; maybe it’s
the politicians and major activist organizations that exhibit
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apathy toward young people. Baggot says it could be a lack
of outreach from existing organizations. She says there are
two critical ways of promoting civic involvement among
youth: ensuring that they know their efforts matter, and
making civic engagement fun and exciting.
At the Bus, Baggot and her peers use social media and
tie-ins to contemporary subjects of importance to promote
youth activism. O’Connell also harnesses the power of
the internet, using social networking sites to spread his
political concerns during elections and campaigning.
And while in offi ce, he reaches out to his constituents by
posting updates on Facebook about his proposed measures
and government doings.
For Rodgers, the key to engaging youth is providing
them with positive role models. It starts in the classroom,
showing children through mentorship that they can
make a difference and that community involvement
is valuable. And sometimes, fi nding out that what
you are passionate about doesn’t have a thing to
do with politics.
Rodgers admits that he is among the ma-
jority of students who don’t even know who
Congressman Peter DeFazio is, but he’s okay
with that. He says this sort of disconnect could
be remedied by politicians making more of
an effort to get out and actually talk to their
constituents. Rodgers acknowledges that our
digital age has made it all too easy to lose this
personal touch, though he adds that showing
youth they have a stake and a voice in gov-
ernment can reduce the amount of apathy in
the community. “It’s important for (politi-
cians) to be role models,” he says.
McParland agrees, adding that it’s
important to highlight the achievements of
young people who already are doing great
things and making a difference. She
says that by showing other community
members — old and young — what
young people are doing, people will
become inspired and possibly even
catch the “contagious” desire to
volunteer.
Creswell city
councilor
A.J. O’Connell
Ways to get involved
“I’ve got news for people,” O’Connell
says, “there are a lot of people out there that
are just like me and of similar age to myself.”
He adds that what people need are the right
conditions “to get out there and do something.”
Getting involved with a political campaign or
with a volunteer organization is easier than most
Photo by Todd Cooper
obligation to humanity to be involved in the community and
improve our nation for future generations, whether through
environmental activism, human welfare or political action.
After a week of being sick, Graham visited the Occupy
Eugene site in order to check on the progress of the
Expression Center he’d envisioned. As he looked at the
walls made from an old Taco Time building, the 23-year-
old says he felt as though the universe was responding
to him. The fi rst real structure of this Occupy site was
taking shape, creating a space for Occupiers to make
signs and adding to Graham’s vision of the movement
gaining permanence. In that moment, Graham realized
that something extraordinary had occurred — he’d made
a difference. “It’s not just signs,” he says. “It’s art. It’s a
platform where people can express themselves.”
people think. McParland says the Holden Center welcomes
volunteers of all ages, regardless of their student status.
The Holden Center’s Service Learning Program pairs
volunteers with various nonprofi t organizations in Lane
County, such as FOOD For Lane County and Womenspace.
Furthermore, other volunteer-based organizations such
as Greenhill Humane Society and NextStep Recycling
are always searching for volunteers to help improve the
community. And as the next election cycle gets underway,
local politicians such as DeFazio offer volunteer opportunities
and internships for students to work on their campaigns.
O’Connell encourages young people to go to City Council
meetings and address the issues that concern them. “You really
can make a difference, especially at the local government
level because the leaders are so accessible,” he says. “Find the
topics you are passionate about and pursue them.”
Though The Bus Project had to close its Eugene offi ce
due to a lack of steady volunteerism and minimal funding,
Baggot says she would love to see another “Bus station”
open in Eugene. The statewide program is open to people
from all areas, and interested Eugeneans should email
info@busproject.org to fi nd out how they can ride the Bus
and do something on a larger scale.
“Young people in Eugene have so much to offer Oregon,”
Baggot says. “There is a way of thinking about the world that
makes Eugene special. ... Eugene has leadership, support,
energy that can make anything happen.”
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