Today I'm incredibly excited to announce the start of Youth Kos 2.0! After JamieG from Md's wonderful diary about the first attempt at Youth Kos, I wanted to make sure this was up and running quick enough to carry over momentum from some of the incredible conversations we were having in the comments. It seemed very clear that this is a gap the entire Daily Kos community wants to see filled, and I am more than happy to step in and offer my services.
For those who were not part of the original discussions, at the beginning of Daily Kos 4, a group titled "Youth Kos" was set up with the goal of providing a single source for conversation, opinion, and debate amongst and around youth in the progressive movement. As the original diarist wrote:
My hope is for it to be a gathering point for the youth on this site, and place where their specific issues may be discussed. Ideas and diaries on issues especially affecting young people should be the focus. Participants should try and develop plans of action in order to make sure the voice of today's youth is heard in this movement, and to help get young people involved in it. America's youth deserve a voice in politics and government...we deserve the ability to determine the future we will live in.
And while that initial attempt was exciting, unfortunately it never came to fruition. But after seeing the tremendous amount of interest in a project like this, I am committing to make this great idea a real presence here at Daily Kos. With that in mind, I'd like to lay out a broader picture of what I envision this group achieving - both so that you can know what to expect from me, and provide me with feedback on what you want from Youth Kos 2.0
So, first off, what is Youth Kos 2.0 all about?
I think there is no question that the online progressive community is thriving. Daily Kos only continues to grow, and other websites have grown in readership as well, providing a large and vibrant community where Democrats and progressives can tackle the nuances of the important issues of our time. With very few barriers preventing people from joining the conversation, the participants in this dialogue display a real diversity of background, and while no one would claim the blend is perfect, there is a real democratic nature to the progressive blogosphere, in which everyone can take their turn at the microphone.
Despite this freedom of access, there is one group whose absence I find particularly troubling: young people. For decades, young progressives have been the backbone of the Democratic party: we knock on doors, stage rallies, register voters, and vote overwhelmingly Democratic (with the exception of the 80's gang). Yet despite this, our voice remains very much in the background of our party. With Youth Kos 2.0, I hope to create a platform that can play a part in doing away with that inequity.
With this vision in mind, I want to lay out my practical vision for Youth Kos 2.0:
1) Youth Kos 2.0 will serve as a central hub for quality diaries written by young people.
One of the big issues mentioned in the comments of JamieG's diary was that it just doesn't seem like there are that many young people around on Daily Kos. I think there are two sides to this coin. For starters, I believe there are a fair amount of young people who join this site, but don't see a point in writing because they don't think anyone will read their work. Through republishing these young diarists, I'm hoping we can provide a pathway for the larger community to discover some truly talented young writers on the website. On the flip side, it is my guess that there is a larger amount of users who are all ready writing on this website - they just don't advertise the fact that they are young. I know when I first started out blogging, I was very insistent that I was going to build a reputation for being an entertaining writer who happened to be young, rather than a young person who was exciting because they were writing. I'm hoping that a formal audience will encourage these people to step out, and join our conversation over here.
2) Youth Kos 2.0 will also serve as a home to student groups and campaigns:
As a current member of a student-run PAC, and a veteran of a host of campaigns throughout high school, I know how difficult it is to get the word out about your project to the greater progressive community. The fact is, students across the country, in high schools, college campuses, and everywhere in between, are working on incredible campaigns and efforts to bring about progressive change in this country. On Youth Kos 2.0, I want to give a platform to those groups, so they can communicate their message to the larger community, whether they're College Democrats, randomly assorted activists, or young candidates for elected office.
3) Youth Kos 2.0 will play host to discussions about young people's views and their role in the progressive movement.
One of the most illuminating aspects of JamieG's diary was the amount of questions that older Daily Kos members genuinely wanted to pose to the site's young membership. It seemed clear that there is a lot of conversation between my generation of the progressive movement and those that have come before us that is just not happening. This is critical for both sides - older members need to understand how younger members think about today's current issues, and vice versa. This means not just promoting diaries by young people that address these questions, but diaries by older members seeking to engage with the young community as well.
This won't work without the support of the greater community, and the input of all, regardless of age. What are some of the big questions you have for young progressives? What would you like to see be incorporated into Youth Kos 2.0? Let's start these conversations in the comments, and as always, if you have any private questions for me, do not hesitate to send me a message.
Here's to looking forward,
-Matt