Our World: My Country as I see it

Rock the Vote recently held a call out to recruit a number of correspondents to [Rock the Trail](https://rockthevote.com/rockthetrail). As part of the application, I had to write a series of essays and produce a two-to-four minute video package on “Our World: My Country as I see it.”** <ArchiveVideo source="missing" originalBlipUrl="https://blip.tv/file/get/JoshWolf-OurWorldMyCountryAsISeeIt671.mov" title="OurWorldMyCountryAsISeeIt" handle="JoshWolf" blipId="671" formats=["mov"] /> <ArchiveVideo source="missing" originalBlipUrl="https://blip.tv/file/get/JoshWolf-OurWorldMyCountryAsISeeIt671.mov" title="OurWorldMyCountryAsISeeIt" handle="JoshWolf" blipId="671" formats=["mov"] /> This is the piece that I put together with a musical backing that I added after posting my original application (the music is from [Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts I](https://ghosts.nin.com/) which has been released for free, but I’m not sure if the rights include using the tracks in other media and I didn’t want to send MTV an entry that possibly infringes on any copyrights). My 300 word essay on Sustaining young voter participation beyond 2008* is after the break… Sustaining young voter participation beyond 2008** Every four years a massive effort is undertaken to encourage young people to vote in the presidential election. These efforts are usually coupled with a smaller campaign to boost turnout in the midterm elections, but rarely is anything done to encourage young people to get involved in our political system beyond the perennial pilgrimage to the polling place. Not surprisingly, when his or her candidate is defeated, and with no other visible means to engage in the political process, they become jaded and frustrated. In order to sustain participation, it is not enough to just focus on voting. Participation in a democracy begins with voting, but it can not end there. While it is important to encourage everyone to vote, it is vital that young people get involved in our political system in ways that are more tangible than voting. There are issues that are dealt with in our political system every single day, and young people should be invited to lobby for the causes that are important to them, and to take an active role in shaping our country’s future. While national politics can feel monolithic and impenetrable, the barriers in state and local politics are frequently not so overwhelming. In local government it is usually possible to personally meet with your elected representative and explain why he or she should take a particular course of action. When young people see that they are able to actually connect with the people in power, they will not only become more inclined to vote, but also to engage in our democracy at other junctions as well. Most importantly, if we are to become the future leaders of our country, then it is necessary that we consider campaigning for local leadership today. {/* blip-tv-replaced */}