By skyforbes 
Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Reconciliation Bill that contained steep cuts to SNAP and Medicaid and sent it to the President’s desk. I work with emerging leaders, the best part of my job. After last week’s vote, some of them are questioning, “We do all this work, they say they do not support things, and they vote no. Why do we keep going?” We keep going because advocacy is not a spectator sport. It is a necessary part of democracy.
Look, I get it. This year has been even more challenging for advocates. The Reconciliation Bill has many of the emerging leaders I work with questioning the work that we do that makes a difference. The current political environment is hard. The reality that my generation and many of the older generation in Congress do not realize how the decisions that are made today will negatively impact this current generation down the road. Every vote, every policy, will impact them long after many of them are gone. Millennials and Generation Z are affected by a perfect storm of poverty-related issues such as crushing student loan debt, housing instability, food insecurity, and low wages. Many of them became involved in civic engagement in 2016.
They are dedicated to long-term civic engagement and they are eager to gain leadership skills. Often their perspectives and innovative solutions to long-standing social and economic issues are left out of the conversations. Does their work pay off, yes it does. Anti-poverty policies created without their voices risk missing the needs of their generation. Advocacy offers a way to turn their lived experience, from the Great Recession to the pandemic, into powerful change. Their participation is needed to ensure accountability from policymakers who often overlook future-oriented concerns.
Young adults have always historically played a pivotal role in shaping public opinion and policy change. Remaining engaged helps fight stigma and shift narratives around poverty toward justice, equity, and systemic reform. Young adults are underrepresented in federal policymaking and their voices are needed to ensure their priorities and concerns are heard. The work I do with the fellows helps them understand the legislative process and how to influence it.
Persistent advocacy is necessary to move members of Congress from detractors to champions. It is also necessary to maintain the champions we have. This work requires building relationships with congressional staff to create the long-term opportunities for influence and collaboration. The leaders of today will live the longest with the consequences of congressional decisions made now. The reason to keep going is that this generations voices add urgency and authenticity to anti-poverty campaigns all over the world.
Nothing worth doing is easy. If it was, everyone would do it. To this generation, keep going. Rome wasn’t built in a day and changing hearts and minds will not happen overnight. It will take time and we are in the right moment to move mountains.