A Generation in Transition

Yijiao is a young Millennial living in Dallas, Texas. She works for a fundraising group that supports nonprofit organizations that tackles a number of social issues. She is also passionate about social media and is an avid writer and blogger.

Taking Another Step Forward with the DREAM Act

Several weeks ago, President Obama officially announced that his administration would stop deporting young illegal immigrants who match certain criteria previously proposed who came to the U.S. as children and. The President's announcement upholding the DREAM Act created a fresh buzz around the country and sparked a barrage of controversial news headlines.

Regardless of any political motivations that surround the DREAM Act, I believe that its success can be partially attributed to the growing youth movement in America. The next generation is working together and making a significant impact — in this case in government and policy.

While the policy debate rages on, I wondered what impact this decision might have on my generation, and me personally as a Millennial. We have been coined as a “generation in transition,” and this got me thinking about the landscape from which we are transitioning.

Consider the following statistics from the Millennial Values Survey Report taken from a study conducted by the Public Religions Research Institute and Georgetown University. These organizations surveyed Millennials on their attitudes toward faith, values, and the 2012 election that correlate to themes within the DREAM Act:

• A plurality (45 percent) of younger Millennials believe that the American Dream once held true, but not anymore. Four in ten (40 percent) said that the American Dream still holds true, while 1 in10 (10 percent) younger Millennials say that the American Dream never held true.
• Approximately 42 percent of younger Millennials believe that in their lifetime they will be better off than their parents, compared to 18 percent who expect to be less well off than their parents, and 38 percent who predict that their financial situation will be about the same as that of their parents.
• 63 percent of younger Millennials agree that one of the biggest problems facing this country is that everyone does not get an equal chance in life.
• 61 percent of Millennials support the DREAM Act.

For many, it seems the values of the American Dream have always been, and still are rooted in opportunity. With more than half of the Millennial population believing in the need for greater equality, the opportunity to earn an education, increase the standard of living, and create likeminded change with peers at the crux of this legislation, it will be interesting to see whether or not the DREAM Act and other related legislation will lead to a greater sense of activism and advocacy from minority Millennials.

I believe that today's young individuals are moving the next generation out of transition and onto a steadier footing.

If the definition of a “true American” is one who is a change maker, pacesetter, and most of all, a “dreamer,” then many who would benefit from the DREAM Act as a generation in transition are already American in every sense of the word.