Why Moral Clarity Attracts Millennials

Millennials gravitate towards causes with moral clarity. For example, the situation in the Middle East is not easily grasped; its history, motivations, and the intended outcomes are murky. The genocide in Darfur, conversely, is crystal clear; people are being slaughtered solely because of their ethnicity, and something needs to be done to stop it now.

Darfur was a little-known, easily overlooked issue five years ago. Fueled by the energy and outreach of America’s college students, ending the genocide in Darfur has become a leading cause on campuses led by organizations such as STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition; GI-Net; and the Save Darfur Coalition. More than 500 groups on Facebook, millions of dollars in donations, and thousands of hours of volunteer time are now dedicated to this important cause.

According to Thaddeus Ferber, chair of the Youth Policy Action Center, the highest traffic areas on his website address the topics of reducing student debt and reforming drug laws to make students convicted of such crimes eligible for student loans. On YouthNoise, an online community of youth focused on causes, issues of great interest include female body image and future employment.