National Conference on Citizenship

These days thanks to technology and social media, we can support a variety of philanthropic organizations and causes in a number of meaningful ways. The increasing popularity and integration of online mobilization allows us the luxury of participating in everything and anything with just one push of a computer button or by downloading the latest cause app to our smart phones. In retrospect, civic engagement has never been so easy—or so overwhelming—especially for Millennials.

From the younger generation’s perspective, things are looking a little bleak out in the world—you’ve got the Gulf oil spill, recession, melting glaciers, student loan debts, threats of terrorism and of course Lindsay Lohan’s latest court appearance to worry about. While these issues are by no means exclusive to any one generation, they are defining and life altering for those in the Millennial group. The predicament for today’s civic minded youth is not what to join, protest, support, vote for or donate to, but rather how to navigate all of these options and be socially engaged with the cause du jour.

What’s a Millennial to do?

Enter Splashlife—a new online membership network designed to empower Millennials and help them improve their lives and the lives of others. The free online platform hosts a number of tools, resources and peer-to-peer content on everything from restoring one’s financial health to tips for breaking into the media business. Members are encouraged to share information and to take action, whether it is in the form of creating a video promoting social good or registering to vote. Interaction and engagement are rewarded with “Splash points” that members can redeem for exclusive benefits, deals and discounts.

I know what you’re thinking, the last thing we need is another online network that you log onto once and never use again. As one who is bombarded on a daily basis with invitations to join new online sites and mailing lists, I felt the same way. That is, until I heard the creator of Splashlife, Melissa Helmbrecht speak at the National Conference on Citizenship’s (NCoC) Civic Innovators Forum. I signed up for Splashlife the very next day.

The platform just recently launched and already it’s causing ripples of its own among the younger generation. As Melissa explains it, “We are counting on the Rising Generation to solve our most serious social and economic challenges. [And] for the first time in human history, it is actually possible for millions of young people to unite and collaborate through the power of social networking and social media. It is time to harness this power to make a measurable difference. We are at the very early stages of building something that can provide support to millions of young Americans. Those who join us early will help shape it. It is an exciting moment to be a part of it.”

Melissa herself is another integral part of Splashlife and a reflection of the opportunities and challenges that face the Millennial generation. She is a social entrepreneur in her own right, having founded a youth-focused nonprofit called Champions of Hope Inc. as well as United Day of Service in partnership with Youth Service America. Looking at this person standing so self-assured at the podium, I would never have guessed that medical debt would have at one time forced her to have to beg for money outside a metro station—just so she could travel to a service conference at which she was speaking.

For Melissa, this day was transformative and led to the development of Splashlife. She knows from personal experience that there are, “millions of young people who are struggling today [who] also have the power to achieve their dreams and make a difference in the world around them. But they need help. They can't do it alone.” She offers others this piece of advice, “get skills, meet people, make a difference.”

Melissa’s words are echoed in Splashlife’s mantra, “Be More,” “Do More” and “Score More.” Splashlife speaks to the holistic and individualized experience that members of this generation seek. This movement towards incentivizing service acts and creating online calls-to-action to both cultivate and sustain engagement is not new, but it is gaining traction in the nonprofit sector. I believe Splashlife is a sign of things to come in terms of successful Millennial engagement. See what others are saying about Splashlife on Twitter and Facebook.

How about you... Do you think this new network can deliver in terms of motivating and empowering the younger generation? Does the platform and system of incentives inspire you to take action?  I guess the only question left is—are you going to join?

Today the National Conference on Citizenship released its Civic Health Index, gaging the state of civic engagement in America. Overall, the picture isn't pretty. The majority of people (72 percent) said they have cut back their civic participation -which includes volunteering and involvement in their communities. Similarly, 66 percent say they think other people are responding to the economic downturn by looking out for themselves, rather than chipping in and helping each other out.

A bright spot is that the study also suggested that Millennials, with the highest rate of volunteering, at 43 percent, might provide an opportunity to encourage and catalyze civic renewal.  As I discussed on the Case Foundation blog, the recently released CNCS Volunteering in America report also suggested that Millennials are leading the charge, with an increase from 7.6 million young volunteers in 2007 to 8.2 million in 2008. It would be a shame not to take advantage of this generation, which is more likely to vote, to volunteer, and to believe they should help people in need than the young people of the last 30 years.

What's more, the report says that social engagement through social networking sites, as well as through church and friends, can have a significant impact in countering the negative effect of the current economic downturn on civic engagement. Millennials, coming from diverse economic and educational backgrounds, who are using social media for civic purposes are more likely to engage offline in their communities as well.

Obviously most Millennials are more familiar with these tools, and have embraced them for their ability to provide quick and constant connections, through which they can organize in ways they see most helpful and meaningful. This seems to refute the arguments that social media is just encouraging slacktivism by allowing people to edit their avatar or join a facebook group without really having engaged. The Civic Health Index shows that with each type of offline engagement - from giving food or money to someone in need to volunteering to joining a public meeting to discuss an issue - those who used social media for civic purposes were always more involved that those who did not.

If a picture is worth 1000 words, then a YouTube video is worth conference fees and several hours of your life -- particularly when it's bringing you a fascinating panel from NCOC about Facebook's role in and impact on civic engagement.

That's right ... today's post is the as-promised third installment of our NCOC coverage, from our introduction, to Kristen's event notes, to the final video of Bill Galston, Sean Parker, and Joe Trippi (see below). So far, the comments and reactions here have been really thoughtful, even extending into posts/threads over at Beth's Blog and PhilanTopic.

So give this choice piece of cinema a look-see, and then check out the rest of Kristen's coverage after the fold!

The 55^th Annual National Conference on Citizenship is taking place today at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Thanks to the leadership of new Executive Director David Smith, a major component of this year’s session is the use of technology and new media as an indication of civic health and a tool for effective community organizing.

The morning’s sessions have already proven interesting and useful for Social Citizens on a variety of levels, and a longer blog is to come, but I just couldn’t wait to pose the following questions to you from this morning’s panel. Sean Parker of Facebook and Bill Galston from the Brookings Institution, engaged in a panel discussion moderated by Joe Trippi entitled “Can Facebook replace face-to-face?” which took an in-depth look at social networks as communities and organizing tools.