The Voters Voice

U.S. News and World Report recently published an article about the importance of parents teaching civic involvement and voting to their kids (along with practicing it themselves), and it mentioned Kids Voting! Woot Woot!

Read the article here!

The Washington Post has a great article about how young people are getting more and more involved in philanthropy, largely due to the power of the internet. If you’ve got the time, it’s definitely worth a read!

I was searching the internet on the topic of democracy and its historical trends recently. I found an email that surfaced after the 2000 election and began to swarm inboxes that discussed the Scottish Historian, Lord Woodhouselee Alexander Frasier Tytler’s, research into the phases of a democracy. Several other blog such as The New Conservative have reported on this research. I found Tytler’s report on democracy very fascinating. He concluded the following:

‘A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.’

‘From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.’

‘The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years’

‘During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage’

Many speculate that we are currently between the sixth and seventh phases (in the Apathy phase and quickly moving to Dependence). I was quite alarmed when I read this. What do you think? Many people argue that democracy has lasted for a long time and can be traced back to the ancient Greeks. True, but if you think about it, after the Greek empire fell the world entered a period of over two thousand years where leaders ruled by divine right. God selected the Kings and Queens, and the monarchs ruled the people. Finally, the brave colonists broke that system.

Do you think history will repeat itself? How have we gotten this way? Would you describe our society as apathetic? The Kids Voting Council is fighting Apathy, and I hope you are too!!

You may remember Richard Dreyfuss from such movies as Jaws and Mr. Holland’s Opus, but now Mr. Dreyfuss is making the transition from actor to activist. He is now on a mission to improve civics education in American classrooms. He gets “Two Thumbs Way Up” from Kids Voting for working on this effort. He is making the media circuit and talking about the importance of democracy. He appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher and discussed how we need to teach and relearn the tools of reason, logic, clarity, dissent, civility, and debate. He is also featured in several articles, The Boston Globe and ABC News just to name a few, sharing his passion for preserving our democracy. It is very exciting to see more and more individuals with influence speaking out on the importance of strengthening civics education in the classroom and teaching the power of democracy. Debate and argument are so much more than shouting matches. Unfortunately, young adults, like myself, do not learn how to properly debate and are constantly bombarded with television political pundits, who believe that whoever shouts the loudest wins. We need to be taught how to think and reason from our parents, teachers, and mentors, and not by what we are currently seeing on television.

If you know of other leaders speaking out about relearning the tools of reason and civility, please share.

The wait is almost over. After a year of campaigning, the American people can finally take their opinions to the polls and can stop using their words and start using their vote to back their desired candidate for the president of the United States. The nation will finally get a sense of who the front runners are tomorrow night after the results of the Iowa caucus are announced. I can not wait. The Iowa caucuses are a unique part of the presidential primary process, but the caucus can seem a little confusing - at least to me. I found an interactive guide that explains how to caucus at the DesMoines Register. I recommend checking this out if you are curious how the caucus process works.

As an Ohioan, I am relived that our state will still have an impact in the selecting of the two party’s nomination for president. As a student studying political science, this presidential election is so exciting because a presidential election has not been this open for over a century. As a first time voter (voter newbie), I am energized and hopeful that my vote can make a difference. I believe this is a perfect opportunity for parents young and old to discuss this unique moment in history with their families. Studies show that first time voters who live in households where parents vote are likely to go out and vote and become life-long voters. Just like brushing your teeth or reading the morning newspaper, voting is a habit. One that is hard to break once you get started.

Peter Levin, director of The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement makes the same argument that we can increase voter participation if parents bring their children to the polls with them. This practice is very easy and is a great civics lesson. It will change that young person’s life forever!

I have a personal anecdote to back that claim:

My mother took me to the polls with her when I was in preschool and kindergarten. I remember watching my mom picking up her ballot and entering into the open ballot booth. While she voted, I had my opportunity too. I went to the other side of the room and picked up my Kids Voting paper ballot and filled the ballot out in one of the Kids Voting booths. I will never forget those moments when I felt so empowered. I left with my “I Voted” sticker and felt like I had fulfilled my duty for the day.

I hope parents will begin to make the practice of brining their sons or daughters to the polls a family tradition. Also, this practice is a great way to build community as well. Neighbors or friends can help working parents out by taking their friend’s children with them. A recent article in U.S. News World Report highlights Kids Voting and might provide some inspiration to get involved. I highly recommend that you check it out

Better engaged and informed young people creates a stronger community and country. Take advance of this unique opportunity and take your children to the polls with you. Remember, you are never too young to start voting!

Ed. Note: The staff here at Kids Voting Dayton recently decided it’d be nice if we could participate in the blog here on the website. We threw some ideas around, and ultimately decided it’d be better to launch our own blog, separate from The Voters Voice. It’s called The Water Cooler, and you can see the first post below.

How do you define success?

For me, success was defined by a note from my father before I took my ACT test. The stress of this life changing test manifested itself in ways that were not pleasant for my family. Some students prepare with disciplined study. My preparation consisted of scowling, whining, and a steady diet of Mountain Dew and generic fruit loops. Needless to say, I was not a popular family member and spent lots of time alone at my desk leading up to that fateful Saturday.

The morning of the test day, I found a note among the scattered fruit loops and crushed pop cans. On a large yellow post-it note, my father wrote in his physician like style of handwriting the following: “Remember that your test score does not measure your value as a human being. You will find ways to make a difference in this world no matter the grade, test, or task.” To this day, the thought of that note brings a lump to my throat. I give my parents credit for introducing my siblings and me to the nonprofit world. Both worked or volunteered for the nonprofit community, and it was an unspoken expectation that we would help seal envelopes, make phone calls, and other miscellaneous tasks. As young volunteers, our internal drives were shaped by these early experiences that resulted in our lifelong connection to service.

So I always knew that I would find ways to have a role with nonprofits - just not as an executive director.

It is scary. It is difficult. It is frustrating. It is disappointing.

Yes, I must confess there are times I would truly prefer my high school job as the fast lane cashier in Des Moines, Iowa. However, I am inspired by the mission at Kids Voting. My personal success at Kids Voting is defined by the following:

1. The mission matters!
2. The organization makes a difference!
3. The Board of Directors are involved and passionate –they are instrumental in taking this organization to the next level and giving me valuable leadership lessons!
4. The Kids Voting staff –we are small but mighty! The Kids Voting Council inspire me! Each of the students have a special place in my heart.
5. Kids Voting past and present supporters are extraordinary! Max Jennings, Mayor Rhine McLin, Doris Ponitz, Dona Vella, and Mitchell Bailey are just a few names that gave their hearts, talents, and time to put Kids Voting on the map!

My husband and I opened our house to the Kids Voting team this December for our monthly meeting and holiday open house. When I watched the Board members and KV Council members celebrate the holiday by following the beat of the Nintendo Wii’s Dance Dance Revolution (see pictures above post!), I couldn’t help but feel incredibly proud as I reflected upon the successes of our organization this year. Kids Voting rocks!

In recent months, Dayton seems to have been the victim of some bad press. In 2007 Cities Ranked and Rated put Dayton 84 out of 373 cities, falling from 41 in 2004. It’s true that Dayton has problems, but in all the negative hype over the state of the city, the positives are being lost. Dayton has a strong arts community, numerous parks, historical sites and museums, and annual downtown activities.

Dayton was rated 33 for arts and culture in Cities Ranked and Rated in May 2007. For a city Dayton’s size, it has a remarkable number and variety of performing and visual arts organizations. In the visual arts, the Dayton Art Institute, Dayton Visual Arts Center, K12 Gallery for young people, and the Cannery Art and Design Center are located downtown, and hundreds of individual artists live and work in the area.

In performing arts Dayton is home to the Dayton Opera, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Dayton Ballet, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Human Race Theatre Company, Cityfolk, The Bach Society, and many others all over the region as well as the Schuster Performing Arts Center and Victoria Theatre Association, which brings in Broadway shows. Stephen Schwartz - who wrote Godspell , Pippin, and Wicked - chose The Human Race Theatre Company to host the world premiere of his new musical, Snapshots, from September 20 to October 7 of this year. The Dayton arts community is particularly known for creating art. The Dayton Ballet is the only ballet in the country with funds set aside specifically for use in creating a new ballet, which comes out every two years. The Human Race Theatre Company’s Musical Theatre Workshops activly work to create new productions.

For those who enjoy the beauty of nature, several parks are located not far from the heart of downtown, and bike paths span the region. John Bryan State Park and Glen Helen have many trails and good picnic areas which could make an ideal outing on a nice day. Metroparks are scattered around the area. Carriage Hill shows typical farm life, Cox Arboretum and Aullwood have beautiful gardens, and parks such as Eastwood are just good ways to relax in a natural setting.

Dayton has quite a few historical sites and museums. Carillon Park celebrates the earlier days of the city with a one-room schoolhouse and historical cabins as well as the Wright Brothers’ history in Dayton. Sunwatch Indian Village shows what a Fort Ancient Indian community might have looked like. The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery focuses on the ecological background of Ohio and is a great museum for children and adults. The Dayton International Peace Museum, a relatively new addition, is dedicated to promoting peace. Perhaps most well known in Dayton is the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, which attracts visitors from all over the world.

Several events take place in the downtown area. The Grande Illumination occurs downtown every year on the day after Thanksgiving to kick-off the holiday season. Urban Nights happens in May and September with activities all over downtown and is a great way to explore what the city has to offer. Riverscape is open year-round and shows some of the history of Dayton including the 1913 flood.

With all the negative opinions circulating about the city, it may be hard not to think Dayton is just another “dying” manufacturing town. But life is all about what you make of it. Dayton still has plenty to do if you know where to look. And if people focused more on the positive things going on in the community, they might find out Dayton is not as bad as some Daytonians would have themselves believe.