In the history of American politics the teens and youth of each time helped so much to shape political culture. Some of our Founding Fathers were involved in politics at extremely ripe ages. In 1727, Benjamin Franklin, at age 21, created the Junto. These Juntos were meetings where the town's leaders discussed the issues of the day. They truly were the beginnings of American democracy and a 21-year-old boy created them. In 1749, when America was still a mere twinkle in the eye of its founders, George Washington, at the age of 17 held the public office of surveyor of Culpeper County. But over time something happened… as the years went by, our politicians became older and older until we had completely forgotten how we started.
It is a little known fact in America today but youth candidates are running and winning elections all over the map. Hundreds of teens and young people run forr office each year. They come from varying walks of life but they all want to make this country a better place and motivate other young people to feel the same way that they do. The Youngest Candidate will shine a huge spotlight on this growing youth movement in America.
The Youngest Candidate is a feature length film, a soundtrack, and a non-profit movement dedicated to educating America's youth about the fact that they can run for office when they turn 18 years and get involved in politics at any age.
TYC plans to proliferate this idea by taking the feature length film, The Youngest Candidate, on a nationwide screening tour including Q&A sessions with Director Jason Pollock. TYC will also implement student action committees in high schools and on college campuses around America. The number of Youngest Candidate Student Action Committees created and the number of teens who decide to run for office each year will measure our results.
The Youngest Candidate defines and represents the new breed of youth civic engagement in America. Through the use of our film and soundtrack we hope to demonstrate how popular media can educate youth about important issues that face their lives. Most teens in America are unaware of the fact that they can run for public office and The Youngest Candidate will change that fact.
Related causes: Community, Youth
Tags: youngest candidate, jason pollock
