Middlebury University: Global Warming
Global The Young Americans Fund - 10/17/06
To help give voice to young adults and galvanize their activism in the face of global warming, federal debt and questionable congressional ethics, two Middlebury students have launched The Young Americans Fund (TYAF), an innovative organization that is reaching out to campuses across the nation.
Sophomores Derek Schlickeisen and Mario Ariza, both political science majors, worked together during the summer of 2006 to create the political advocacy group, hoping to help focus attention on public policy problems they believe will have a negative impact on the lives of future generations.
Americans Scorecard for the 109th Congress. According to Ariza, it is the first scorecard ever developed to evaluate members of the United States Congress on inter-generational issues.
"Young people may be tuned out on the political process, but decisions that will determine our quality of life as adults are being made today. The time is now to engage America's youth and stand up for our future," said Schlickeisen, who is president of TYAF. "With this endeavor, we're addressing the three biggest public policy problems that will have a major impact on future generations. From running up the national debt to aggravating the threat of global warming, short-sighted lawmakers are promoting policies for which today's young pay dearly."
After launching TYAF, Schlickeisen and Ariza announced their plan to educate constituents about the records of particularly responsible - as well as particularly reckless - members of Congress in statewide, issue-advocacy campaigns this fall. On Sept. 19, the organization released its Young Americans Scorecard for the 109th Congress, with complete information on members' votes on global warming, the national debt, and congressional ethics reform.
