Start Asking
As you might expect we read a lot of research papers here at Oceanseed Project. A recent one of note published in August of 2012, by The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, (CIRCLE), titled That’s Not Democracy, How Out-Of-School Youth Engage In Civic Life & What Stands In Their Way, highlight a primary takeaway that is seemingly obvious and yet is so profound.
CIRCLE is a nonprofit organization of Tufts University that conducts research on the civic and political engagement of young Americans. During the summer of 2012 CIRCLE polled close to 1,700 youth between the ages of 18 to 29, about the upcoming election. One of the questions asked was, what would influence these young respondents to vote. The most consistent sentiment heard load and clear from a majority of these youth respondents was, “ask.”
In fact, about half of the respondents reported that being asked by a friend or a parent would influence them to vote and of the many situations asked about, the one that these young respondents said would have the most influence was being asked by a parent.
The novelist Paulo Coelho rights that, “The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.” A most profound insight evidenced in this CIRCLE study is that these participants expressed that they perceived not being asked as not being wanted.
Parents and friends, start asking!
Graphic source: CIRCLE