Thanks for the spotlight! Awesome to share the space with incredible colleague doing impactful work in Akron, San Jose, and Lexington.
Over 75% of teens and young adults believe they have the power to change the country. And yet, initial estimates indicate that nearly 60% of young voters opted not to vote in the 2024 election. At the same time, young Americans are becoming less connected to their communities and other people. The rate of loneliness among young adults has increased every year between 1976 and 2019 with young people suffering from some of the highest rates of loneliness of any age group. However, when young people engage with their communities in ways that matter to them, the benefits are compelling, ranging from a stronger sense of belonging and lower rates of depression to lower levels of criminal behavior and substance use. Public space offers powerful avenues to connect young people to civic life in their communities— and many organizations and cities are innovating to meaningfully involve young people in community life. Today we feature four programs doing just that. https://lnkd.in/eqNkAWy9 Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition City of Akron, Ohio Daniel Rice Veggielution Claudia Damiani Fontana CivicLex Stephanie Mobley Haley Wartell Kit Anderson PowerCorpsPHL Julia Hillengas #youth #engagement #civiclife #civicinfrastructure #publicspace