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Townhall...
‘Generation
Opportunity’ Targets Coveted Demographic on Economic Issues
By Elisabeth Meinecke
6/15/2011
When you talk in Facebook statistics, you’re speaking the language of a
young demographic.
That’s what the new nonprofit Generation Opportunity aims to do, and
it’s telling that organization President Paul T. Conway, former chief
of staff for the United States Department of Labor under Elaine Chao,
includes in his pitch for the new group that it already has around
600,000 Facebook fans.
The group is designed to educate 18-29 year olds over an extended
period on economic-related matters facing the country—such as the size
of government, unemployment and entrepreneurialism—so that young people
connect who they vote for with what’s happening to their wallet.
Conway says that if a large group of Americans can realize that 10
years from now, then Generation Opportunity will have been a success.
“They understand that there’s an absolute connection between the
day-to-day issues that are being talked about on television, with a lot
of rhetoric, and their wallet, and vise versa – the issues that impact
their wallet and that they see every day, is actually a
directly-relevant fact to what’s going on as a country, and who they
vote for,” Conway said of the group’s ultimate vision for the younger
generation.
Conway said the concept for the organization had been tossed around for
awhile, but no one had yet taken it from a vision to a reality. Conway
pointed out that the energy in issue campaigns often comes from a
younger demographic, but they can be ignored when it comes to policy
development. Generation Opportunity plans to educate and engage 18-29
year olds through national conference calls, townhalls, social events,
and its Facebook page, drawing on educational material from places like
The Heritage Foundation, the Brookings Institute, and the Government
Accountability Office. The group also conducted a survey through the
polling company inc/womantrend that shows where the pulse of 18-29 year
olds is on economic issues: 76 percent want to see federal spending
reduced; 59 percent agree the economy grows faster when government
leaves businesses alone; 69 percent say the current leadership in
Washington fails to serve the younger generation; and 71 percent
register concern about the deficit.
Conway was upbeat about the organization during the interview, excited
particularly about the Facebook numbers. The group also looks at the
conversations already started on the Facebook page as positive feedback
and has been talking with over 40 organizations during the creation of
Generation Opportunity to make them aware of the group’s mission, and
that “every single organization has been quite positive about it.”
Conway also says that Generation Opportunity – which he emphasizes is
“nonpartisan” – trumps other youth-targeted organizations when it comes
to sheer numbers on Facebook.
Read it at Townhall
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