“When spiders unite, they can tie down a lion.”

One of the most famous advocates in fiction is Portia. She is the young heroine of William Shakespeare’s masterpiece- The Merchant of Venice. Portia pleads for the life of her friend in an exceptional pungent parlance that encapsulates the essence and rubrics of an effective advocacy. Portia’s speech, indeed, displays the attribute of a successful advocate.

She is not only intelligent; she is also articulate. She demonstrates that she can see things from many angles and that she can truly and sincerely empathize with people. Above all, she is not only able to understand a contradictory stance but also, when necessary, able to argue forcefully, convincingly, and clearly for a particular outcome.

Today’s advocates cannot be found only at the corridors of our parliaments or in our law courts. These days, advocacy is now an essential attribute of Millennial day-to-day lives.

An advocate is defined as someone who pleads for or in behalf of another. As such, advocacy helps to ensure a sustainable and significant improvement of human rights, health, people who are suffering from hunger, sickness, and well-being of people -often the most vulnerable, who have no voice.  As Millennial, we should see advocacy as one of our key and pivotal role to be a strong advocate for targeted policies and effective change outcomes, most important, those that concerns us Millennial.

Millennial advocates give a voice to those who are unable to speak on their behalf and we actively, not passively, seek to make our voices heard. I am continually amazed at our willingness to give our lives, and make huge sacrifices, for what we believe is a noble cause – to create a positive change in the world. By taken on the mantle of the advocate, we, the Millennial (NoiseMAKERS) should be committed to help articulate hopes for communities and help shape visions. A vision is a clear and powerful concept of a better world.

Every generation produces new young people. From these new sources of energy, passion and vision are bestowed on the world. And the older generation that produced us  must also come to terms with our zeal, our hope, our innocence, and as well as our infinite potentials, rather than being often cynical toward  us-the Millennial.

As Millennials, we are ever willing to make big sacrifices for what we believe in.  This is evident, and we achieve this by using an array of approaches. These approaches range from knowledge-sharing and networking, identifying a problem, coming up with a solution to that problem, establishing strong support, campaigning for that solution and developing an effective implementation plan to execute it as well as by using our skills to translate decision into actions in our communities.

In addition, Millennials also serve as guides, role models, coaches for others to help develop skills.As Millennials, we must seek to understand others needs, motivations, value the unique strengths and assets of others, drive social change and meet needs by leading well-managed, sustainable projects and programs, inspire actions, mobilize and organize others too to effect change for a positive outcome.

Clinton Ezeigwe is a Featured Blogger for Mobilize.org’s The Millennial Report. Currently, He is working as the Director of Operations for Christian Fellowship and Care Foundation, a non-profit humanitarian organization working in Nigeria, where he directs the organization’s affairs. Ezeigwe grew up in Ehime Mbano community of Imo State, Nigeria, and is currently residing in Italy.

Out of high school, Jeremy was what one would call, “a diamond in the rough”. Lin had originally wanted to attend Brown and play for their team but they weren’t too fond of the idea for he was pretty scrawny and he wasn’t too tall. He received no athletic scholarships and wound up going to Harvard University, making him the first player in the NBA to have graduated from Harvard since Ed Smith in 1954.

He played for the Harvard team in college. During his sophomore year he was named All-Ivy League Second Team. In his junior year he was the only NCAA Division I men’s basketball player who ranked in the top ten in his conference for scoring. Senior year he was a unanimous selection for All-Ivy League First Team.

Although he had tremendous records during college, he went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft. Several teams had invited him to pre-draft workouts, but their workouts were not what he was accustomed to, and he wasn’t able to show off his ability.

Eventually he was signed to his hometown team, the Warriors for the 2010-2011 season. There was much anticipation for Lin; he however didn’t think he was going to blow up just yet. Lin is one of the most humble players in the NBA. He recalls receiving the loudest ovation during the Warrior’s exhibition opener. He also recalls the crowd chanting for him in the third quarter and the crowd cheering for him every time he touched the ball. Lin says, “ That really touched me. It’s something I’ll remember forever.” Lin also went on to say about the expectations revolving around him that year, “ I won’t be an All-Star this year.”

Lin is not only making a name for himself in the NBA but he’s also helping the association all together. Ticket prices at Madison Square Garden have increased by 27% since Lin came around. Time Warner, which had cut NY sport games, is now put into a tight situation for even people who don’t watch sports are now caught up in the Linsanity madness. In addition to helping the NBA he has also sparked the belief of the Knicks fans in their team again. The Knicks haven’t been a playoff winning team since 2000, and now fans have hope that Lin will lead them there again this year.

Jeremy Lin has such a great rise to success story. No one believed he could make it to the NBA and even if he did make it, no one believed he would be doing so well. Scott Cordischi, the voice of Brown Basketball, says, “He was a solid Ivy League player. But, if anyone who watched him in college tells you that they predicted this type of success, they’re lying. No one thought he’d make the NBA much less be a star in the league.” Lin currently does not have a home. He’s living in his brother’s house, and has even spent a night with his teammate, Landry Fields. Even with all of this recent success, he is still very humble and down to earth. He is an All-Star player and one of the best men in the league.

Let Lin be an example to everyone who has ever been told that they cannot do it for any reason. He was discriminated against because of his race. His recent success has shown that talent and ability has no race. If you’re doing what you love and you love what you’re doing, that’s all that matters.

Kirstin Mohammed is a Featured Blogger for Mobilize.org’s The Millennial Report. From a young age, Mohammed has been concerned with poverty and world hunger. She also shows concern for many other issues brewing in the world. She believes in always being happy and flashing a smile.

What began with the Baby Boomer Generation has magnified in ours, with a quarter of us deciding against marriage and among that quarter, many who believe it is okay to live together and have children without the formalities of being ‘married.’

Although this may seem a drastic change from traditional mindsets, I personally believe that this way of thought is a natural product of the times: a mix of many young adults that come from divorced families whom collide with the quickly changing modern society.

Unlike in the past, when marriage was an essential milestone of life established firmly by religion, building a career has become the main priority in one’s life today. As my own mother has told me, “You can’t hope to take care of somebody else if you can’t take care of yourself.” Therefore, Millenials often push off marriage in favor of education or a firm career. By being able to work and be independent, I feel that Millenials not only have the capacity to create a close personal network but also the ability to be efficient citizens of a global community.

Who’s to say though, that a family with an unmarried couple will not turn out as well as the traditional nuclear family in the past? Recently, we have also witnessed many successes on the behalf of LGBT rights, proving the point that the traditional way is often a good way of doing things, but it’s not the only way of doing it right. In the hearts of a relatively liberal and very educated generation lies a belief in flexibility. It shouldn’t be the implication of a formal bond that keeps a family together. In my mind, Millenials might be ideal in their vision of a family connected purely by love, but I don’t see why that vision can’t work.

After all, when it comes to love, there is no right answer. There is only what we find to work best, ‘I do’ or not.

Susan Lin is a Featured Blogger for Mobilize.org’s The Millennial Report. Although she was born in Brooklyn, New York, she’s an all California girl. Currently on her journey through high school, Susan wants to become more involved with the world and community around her while pursuing her dreams of journalism and design.

Isaiah Muhammad was born and raised in L.A. During middle school and high school he became interested in political and socioeconomic issues, especially inequality. His founded the  Organization for Community Revolution in 9^th grade and held a food drive in the Crenshaw area. His leadership role in school propelled him to go to Dickinson College as a Posse Foundation and South Central scholar where he is currently a junior studying Political Science. While at Dickinson, Muhammad has been active with the African American Society and Dickinson Students Against Killer Coke, a group that raises awareness around the human, environmental and labor rights abuses of the Coca-Cola Corporation. Wanting to serve and empower others has lead him to intern with Mobilize.org.

“Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime”

Craig Brennan is the Special Projects + Development Intern at Mobilize.org for the Spring 2012 semester. Originally from Red Bank New Jersey, he is enrolled at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey where he is majoring in Political Science with a minor in Labor Studies. Prior to Rutgers, he took the community college route at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft NJ to obtain his associates degree in Political Science.

Prior to Mobilize.org, he interned at the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, an organization that represents the 19 community colleges in New Jersey. At the NJCCC, he helped to ensure the continuation of the popular NJSTARS (New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Rewards Scholarship) program for academically motivated but low-income students in New Jersey. Craig was also a Teaching at Rutgers for two courses titled “Intro to Labor Studies” and “Employment Law”. Both courses were offered by the Labor Studies Department at Rutgers

Wanting to get some work experience, he was accepted into the Washington Internship Institute program, which is where he found out about Mobilize.org and the exciting work it does for his generation.

As many Millenials might feel about college, Craig didn’t know what he wanted to do as a career or even simply a job after graduating college. However during his junior year at Rutgers, he took a course on Interest groups along with visiting the Rutgers University Federal Relations office in Washington D.C. has helped him decide to pursue a lobbying career for higher education and students across the country.

A self-confessed political junkie, Craig is still trying to decide whether he wants to continue his education by going to graduate school or move to D.C. after graduation.

Kevin Rutherford is a junior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is presently double majoring in Political Science and History. During the Spring 2012 semester, he will be the Communications Intern at Mobilize.org, through The Washington Center.

Rutherford has been a resident of Barnstable, Massachusetts his entire life. His interest in politics can be traced to his youth, when he participated in mock elections in school, helping to encourage him to learn more about politics. A high school government class enabled him to learn more about politics, he decided to choose it as a major in college.

At school, Rutherford is a member of the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band, as well as the Massachusetts Senior Classical League. Furthermore, he is a Resident Assistant, and an active Wikipedian.

After college, Rutherford plans on pursuing a career in Political Science, after graduate school. Possible career choices include the public and private sector, with the goal of helping people with social issues, so that everyone will be able to have access to help.

“To respect the past is to embrace the future.” – Christy Rasta

Anna Thomas is a senior at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Upon completion of her internship with Mobilize.org this May, she will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a concentration in Service Learning and a minor in Business Administration.

Thomas has always had a passion for empowering others and helping to provide a voice for the voiceless. Her passion has led her on a journey that has involved several volunteer experiences. Among her favorite include her time as a mentor for junior high school students enrolled in the Connecting Children and Families afterschool program, Recycled Treasures, in her hometown of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. There, she taught environmental sustainability and helped to foster the students’ ability for artistic expression as well as their independent growth as critical thinkers aware of their world. Thomas has also experienced a continuous benefit from her work with Bead for Life, an innovative nonprofit which creates sustainable opportunities for women of Uganda to lift their families out of extreme poverty by connecting people worldwide in a circle of reciprocity and enrichment, where she coordinated a successful sales and awareness campaign on its behalf.

As well as a passion for spreading knowledge, supporting empowerment and fighting for the underserved, Thomas has a passion for international travel. She spent time in 2011 studying in Florence, Italy where she further fell in love with the arts’ beauty and intrigue.

During her time in Washington D.C., Thomas will be enrolled in The Washington Center’s Political Leadership Program. She will study nonprofit leadership and management as well as civically engage the community as an advocate for immigrant rights. Thomas will serve as a tutor and provide personal and educational support for adults enrolled in the Language, Education, and Technology Center (Language ETC), a community-based program that offers English and literacy training to low-income adult immigrants in the greater Washington area.

Thomas is eager for the opportunity to be aligned with such a relevant organization as Mobilize.org as she shares in its vision of the Millennial generation and its belief in our ability to create sustainable and innovative solutions to the social problems that are plaguing this nation and unfairly prohibiting so many of us from reaching our full potential.

We stand united.

And not in the traditional way, but in the manner that has become commonly associated with Millenials: through the internet. Distinct to the Millenial Generation is the ability to share information and ideas very, very quickly through the web. Where there are new ideas, news, and opinions, there is debate. And where there is debate there is change.

Change has never moved so fast, but this time, Millenials are helping to make it happen.

When the PIPA (Protect-IP Act) and SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) were called to vote, the internet banded together in protest. Websites like Google, Wikipedia, Tumblr, Craigslist and more rallied support against both bills by altering their front pages. The outcome was a cancellation of the January 24th meeting on which Senate was supposed to vote.

The protest was said to have started as early as November in a Millenial led group called ‘Fight for the Future’. The team, led by Tiffany Chieng, included Millenials was comprised of various DJs, writers, and producers. They were of all different backgrounds and professions, but all shared the common belief that it isn’t right to censor any part of the internet. The internet is more than something used for our entertainment, it’s a way for us to instigate change for what we believe in.


Proof of our ability to fight for what we believe in lies plainly in the fact that, together, we were able to stop Senate from voting on SOPA and POPA. Not only that, but we accomplished it by connecting with others that felt that same way through the internet. With the internet at their disposal, Millenials can appeal to a wider audience at a quicker pace.


There is power at our fingertips, so it is time for us to start being proactive and start learning about how we can best communicate our ideas and beliefs.  Although they are no longer being actively pursued, the bills are not dead and will possibly come back under different names. It is time for us to blog, report, protest, and share. When they return, Millenials must be prepared to finish the battle till the end.

Join the fight and take action. Sign up here to stay up to date on Internet legislation and initiatives.

Susan Lin is a Featured Blogger for Mobilize.org’s The Millennial Report. Although she was born in Brooklyn, New York, she’s an all California girl. Currently on her journey through high school, Susan wants to become more involved with the world and community around her while pursuing her dreams of journalism and design.

Those are some of the questions I had after reading Susan Lin’s blog on time management. If college and a decent-paying job shouldn’t be the end-all-be-all for us, then what exactly are we trying to achieve? Although I can’t speak for your religion or personal beliefs, by observing Millennials and their corresponding mindsets around me, I could deduce a few things.

Contrary to the “American Dream”, our motives aren’t monetary or financial. Retiring at fifty and living in a nice condo overlooking Times Square isn’t what we look forward too anymore. This recent article about Millennial philosophy had a simple yet true statement about our mindset;

“I want to be a part of something bigger than myself”.

In other words, we don’t want financial security or conformity to what the world sees as “success”.

Instead, we want to change the world. Thirty years ago, that would have been a cliché term with no meaning behind it. Today, that’s still admittedly a cliché term, but it’s got so much more potential now than before. In fact, I’d venture to claim we are already in the process, with an overwhelming majority of us growing up with liberal ideals. We’re willing to claw in the dirt and make do with what we’ve got. With so many of us politically aware and conscious of our environment, itching to make a difference, you’d be hard pressed to find a Millennial who doesn’t have an idea of how to improve the community they live in.

As a result, we certainly don’t have the same vision of “success” that was the drive for many in the last few decades. And as my co-blogger Kevin Beerman said, we aren’t exactly the most traditional generation either. In the past, small doses of success could have been seen as a culmination of passion (perhaps performing at Carnegie Hall, or playing a varsity sport); for a few others, success meant an early retirement. But now we are blurring the thin line between work and passion, venturing towards something other than the “American Dream”; in the process, discovering the formula for a happier life.

There’s another word for what we do; innovation. In society where the road to riches seemed to be paved by the footsteps of hundreds before, we’ve made our own path and destination.

We’ve shed any preconceived notions of us and as a result, we’ve been able to reach levels of success that otherwise would have not been available. We’ve looked past the transient power of money, towards something that lasts beyond our lifetime. Something that our grandchildren will think about and be proud of, something immeasurable by human standards, something future generations will look at in awe.

And in the end, I think that’s what success truly means.

Nathan Chen is a Featured Blogger for Mobilize.org’s The Millennial Report. He lives in Seattle, Washington and thoroughly enjoys the activism-infused setting he lives in. His personal goal is to, in any way possible, gain recognition for The Millennial Generation while also helping it realize its full potential. In the future he wishes to pursue a career in law or journalism, with an intent to serve others.

Coming from someone who has basically grown up in an economic recession, things are looking bleak as far as being financially prosperous in the near future. As pointed out in a recent post by YouTern blogger Chanelle Schneider, the blogosphere and Twitter have been buzzing with the truthful rumor that many recruiters will simply throw away resumes if they find a single typo.

Combine that knowledge with the fact that many employers couldn’t care less about writing an intriguing or even grammatically correct job posting and you’ve got an issue that deserves to be addressed. Not only do the hiring companies show a complete disregard for the candidate’s experience, they  demonstrate that they have the upper hand in the battle of unemployed vs. money in the bank. In their understated way, they’re telling the job seeker, “So what if we have a double standard? We’re hypocrites, but it doesn’t matter. We’re the only ones hiring.”

Understandably, there are two sides to every story. Just scrolling through the comment section at YouTern revealed conflicting ideals. One argued that the work world isn’t fair and that a miserably misworded job posting could serve to teach a naïve Millennial to accept the terms of employment and then try to change the work world from within. Yet another felt that only an inconsiderate business would put out such a post, revealing much about the company culture and how they treat their employees.

One particularly interesting blog posting spoke of a public relations professional who sent out dozens of resumes with high hopes of earning an interview and yet heard nothing back. When she went to revise her resume, she found that she had left out the “L” when listing her degree in public relations. Embarrassing for her, hilarious for potential employers to find that gem.

Regardless of where you stand, here’s one thing we can all agree on: both employer and employee are human. We’re all capable of making mistakes and then taking steps to fix them.

Before the job market can begin to rehabilitate, employers and employees must again look at each other as human beings again. Without compassion for others’ situations in life, all we project to the world is our mistyped job postings and typo-ridden resumes.

Haley Samsel is a Featured Blogger for Mobilize.org’s The Millennial Report. She is a high school freshman in Plano, Texas where she is involved with Partner’s PE, a program that allows students to help special needs kids to earn their PE credit while making friends and gaining confidence in themselves.

The Millennial Meetup for Young Leaders is the second in a series of Target 2020 California Millennial Meetups; conversations and workshops that engage community college students, school faculty, staff, stakeholders and community members in dialogue about barriers to completing their education and develop new partnerships and leadership skills to collaborate on student success.  Participants in this one-day meetup will work with experts including Katie Taylor of Women’s Initiative for Self Employment, Bryan Ha of Faculty Association of California Community College Students, Carrie Ellet of Collective Action Training and Kevin Feliciano President of Student Senate for California Community Colleges.

“This meetup presents a unique opportunity for students from northern California community colleges to network and enhance their skills in student engagement, communications and advocacy to be more effective,” Mobilize.org CEO Maya Enista Smith said. “Mobilize.org knows that students are committed to their education, and need to be supported and equipped with the right tools, resources and relationships to become effective change makers on their campus.”

Skill building sessions at the meetup will include communicating for a cause, civic engagement in the classroom and curriculum and understanding the community college governance system.

Sponsors for the Mobilize.org Millennial Meetup for Young Leaders include the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, the Lumina Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the John and James L. Knight Foundation.

For more information and a complete schedule of events, please visit www.Mobilize.org/MeetupCA or contact Mobilize.org Program Manager, Amber Cruz, at Amber@Mobilize.org.

About Mobilize.org

Mobilize.org empowers and invests in Millennials to create and implement solutions to social problems. Utilizing technology and social networking to connect Millennials on and offline, Mobilize.org convenes Millennials from around the country to discuss issues impacting the Millennial Generation and to develop sustainable solutions to address them.

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Contact:

Amber Cruz, Program Manager, amber@mobilize.org, (360) 931-3754

There’s another secret that isn’t so secret: Millennials are bearing the brunt of this lack of employment. Right now, nearly 10 percent of Millennials across the nation aren’t working. The driven, innovative spirit of our generation is going unharnessed. There is a misconception among others that our generation will be the first to be worse off than our parents.

Just last week Young Invincibles, a partner of Mobilize.org, launched the Campaign for Young America which works to help Millennials see the virtue in college and other higher education resources. Their site provides detailed information on Millennial employment (or lack thereof) in every state in the union. The outlook isn’t good.

What we’re finding is that fewer and fewer Millennials are going to school, and that fewer and fewer jobs exist for Millennials with a lack of skilled education. So, Young Invincibles put together a toolkit that is designed to provide skills and opportunities for unemployed Millennials. The toolkit highlights opportunities to become a part of the solution. It guides Millennials to the way of success. Mobilize.org puts this work into action by holding their signature Target 2020 conferences at which, students work together to identify barriers they face in achieving their educational goals and develop Millennial-led solutions to address them.

These times are hard. They don’t look to be getting any better. In spite of the cliché, these times require determination, innovation, and panache. It takes new ideas. It takes new skills. This coming week, when Mobilize.org hosts their Meetup for Young Leaders at Sacramento City College, they’ll be talking about ways to push this generation forward. They’ll be bringing the great Millennial minds together to discuss the solutions that we need.

This generation is young. This generation is pragmatic. Mobilize.org is blazing a trail to bring the best and the brightest Millennials together to come up with solutions. There is still benefit in gambling on yourself. Young Invincibles and Mobilize.org; they’re gambling on Millennials. While the rest of America says that we’ll be worse off than our parents, we’ll soon be showing that we will be anything but. We’re down for the count. But we’re not out.

Kevin Beerman is a Featured Blogger for Mobilize.org’s The Millennial Report. Beerman is a senior at Francis Howell North High School in St. Louis. He has worked with several organizations in the past, including the Red Cross, Salvation Army, The Mission Continues and other local organizations. In college, he plans on studying law and political science, and wants to pursue a career in politics when he is older.