Case_Foundation
by Kristin Ivie on Friday, July 31, 2009 - 11:32am
This interview is part of our "Social Citizen Sightings" series, in which we highlight how people are using their creativity, idealism, and digital fluency to support their causes ever day. If you see a Social Citizen, we would love to hear about what they're doing too. Just fill out this quick form with their name, affiliation and 150 words or less on what makes them a Social Citizen.
Name: Decker Ngongang
Organization where you spent more than 40 hours/week: GenerationEngage
If you had to describe yourself in one tweet, what would it be?
“I just, wanna be, there's no need to put titles on you and me
Those are limitations; living and learning are our only obligations.
Equality, honesty, independence, intelligence, emotion and devotion
Humbly seeking to hear God when he's speaking” - Cee-lo
(Ok, Decker, that's more than 140 characters, but I'm going to let it go.)
Your role model? My little sister Chelsea
What are you reading: Community: The Structure of Belonging, by Peter Block
How has your personal experience convinced you of the importance of engaging youth and helping them to become active citizens?
I was raised by a single mother and much of my childhood, adolescence and adult successes, failures and overall experiences have been shaped by people and organizations who provided opportunities and windows into things I otherwise would not have had access to. To become an active young person and young citizen, I first had to see it, to learn, to be exposed to different variations of “being engaged” before I could find that form of civic expression that was right for me.
You’ve had a lot of powerful speakers for your sessions, including President Clinton, General Colin Powell, Coretta Scott King and Spike Lee. What is the most moving message that has emerged from those talks?
The biggest thing that emerged from many of these high profile conversations is the continued admission at each one of these events by many of our speakers that in trying to inspire young people they aren’t saying anything new. We all, in our varied degrees of recognized importance, have the ability to reinforce a message that social change comes not from huge institutions, not from governments, or from corporations or foundations, but instead it comes from the will of passionate individuals who take the potential energy of passion and unite it with the kinetic energy of organization with others and make change happen.
Whether the speaker is President Bill Clinton or a County Commissioner in Charlotte, N.C., it is our hope that young people who come to a GenerationEngage event see that changing first their communities, and eventually the world, for the better isn’t about waiting on President Clinton to bless an idea or concept – it is empowering their own perspective and experiences with information and a strategy and ACTING.
How can local and national civic leaders improve their communication with community college students?
Meet young people where they are; don't just come to an event and give a stump speech. We are in a political age of socialization where - along with knowing what you stand for - young peole want to understand the person making decisions. Using social networking to advertise is different than using social networking as a form of communication with your constituents, fans and observers. Young people such as GenerationEngage’s target demographic need to feel like they have a part to play in owning and directing their future. Civic Leaders have the ability to honor and engage that drive just by listening. , and I can provide you many opportunities to do just that, and we can arrange for you to get in front of these community college students.
How can investing in young people through community colleges affect the long-term health of a community and impact democracy?
Community colleges are diverse ecosystems of continuing education, adult remedial learning, skills and vocational training, career renewal, and university-level degrees. Reaching out to the young people on community college campuses provides us the ability to reach a cross section of races, socioeconomic strata and educational backgrounds. These young people are more likely to stay in the immediate community; therefore, the investment made in these students will show immediate return as they will be a part of the community's workforce, their children will attend local schools and their civic participation, or lack thereof, will influence the future of the community.
You are involved in the 80 Million Strong movement to empower the Millennial Generation to advocate for legislation that will improve access to jobs for young Americans. What have you hoping to accomplish and why are your goals important?
The problems facing my generation will not be solved by any one organization or entity. Instead, it will take a community of organizations, networks and the mass of young people who will be affected to work together to plot our solution and move on these strategies. As Interim Executive Director of GenerationEngage, but also as a Millennial, this is important for me because even though I have a level of social capital, the thought of student loan debt, our federal entitlements, the job crisis, the wars overseas, and global warming all weigh heavily on my heart and mind. Instead of wallowing in my concern, 80 Million Strong provides the ability to advocate for youth jobs and an economic future that is viable for my generation and, ultimately, to create a coalition and model that will allow us to address the many issues we are facing.
What have been some of the biggest lessons GenerationEngage has learned about how to engage youth in a lasting way?
We have to listen. We can’t create a model and strategy for engagement and action without doing the proper work to understand the needs of the communities where we work. It has been amazing and encouraging to see the things young people care about and that these issues are evolving such as our world does. Our job is not to guide the conversation but to facilitate the resources to allow young people to own and direct their voice and subsequent action in this democracy.
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