Tyson Cole, a young member of the Sentinel news staff, wrote a column in Sundays Sentinel. Worth a read for all generations, especially the millennials! Recent college graduates, like myself, often times find themselves at a struggle since all the structure that was imposed on them by school is suddenly gone and now they must create self-imposed structure. My generation, more so than any past generation, seem to find themselves moving back home before settling down on what to do with their lives. That’s what I did and what many of my friends did too. It seemed like the right step: save money, find a job, and figure out the next step in life. I came out of school with two degrees: one in political science and one in theatre performance. The question I am most often asked after people hear my choices, “What are you going to do with that exactly?” It is safe to say that these degrees do not present an easy path to follow as opposed to something like an accounting degree where one can more easily plot their career path. My choices in college were made out of passion and based around what I love. Now I was left with the decision to figure out how I would translate that into a job while living back at home in little ol’ Centralia. It was actually a mixture of my two degrees that landed me a job at the Sentinel. My love for stories from my theatre degree and my passion for politics and writing from my political science degree. I’ve always had a long vested interest in politics, however the majority of my knowledge and fascination was focused on the national playing field as opposed to local politics. This seems to be the case for most individuals I know, especially individuals my age. When I went through my political science career at school, nearly every class, student, and teacher was focused solely on national politics. This is understandable as national politics are the epicenter for much of the country and world, but this laser-like focus on national responsibility leaves many without the knowledge of what happens at a local level. I was blissfully unaware of my lacking knowledge when it came to local politics and what it takes to run a small town or school. This all changed when I started working for the Sentinel and had to start covering such entities. As reporters, we typically cover one to two meetings a week. These can range from county boards, city councils, school boards, committees, and so on. Since I had my eye focused towards national politics, I never realized what went into making small towns run and work cohesively throughout the community. When I was in high school, I had no idea all the decisions that go on behind the scenes to make sure the students are getting what they need. Unfortunately, I believe this is all too common for my generation and what is even more worrisome is the fact that many youths do not even take advantage of their democratic right to vote for who is going to be making these decisions for us. It is important that we, my generation and younger, start keeping an eye on what is going on behind the scenes because it affects us so greatly. For example, a recent meeting I covered about school consolidation got the community riled up and a statement was made that if a board is doing their job then people do not show up. I think there is something inherently wrong with this statement. It shows apathy towards the democratic decision making process of our country and that citizens should stay blissfully ignorant about what is happening. Only when something major is happening are people reminded of the individuals running the community. This apathy has been even more apparent in generations around my age. I am 22. However, there is hope. The 2008 Presidential Election saw the trend in youth voting rise significantly; it fell a little in 2012 from the peak it had in 2008 but still significantly higher than low points like 2000, according to Child Trends Data Bank. Presidential elections always have a higher turnout than non-presidential elections and the turnout for local elections is always shockingly low. It is these local elections that individuals, and my generation, need to pay attention to because they are making decisions that affect us on a daily basis. It is our civic responsibility to have our voices be heard and play a part in what happens in our communities. As I previously said, I was blissfully unaware of what it took to run small town government, but now that I am in the know, I realize that others should be as well. Community meetings are always open to the public and are normally fairly short. I would say stop by at a meeting someday and see what decisions are being made for you and your community. One can then be more informed when elections come around, and you will be able to make your voice heard. tcole@morningsentinel
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 16:08:51 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015