Welcome to the DM

Welcome to the DM, the blog of the Millennials Initiative.

What’s DM? Direct message, of course. If you needed that clarification, then it’s likely you’re not a millennial. No worries. We are welcoming readers of all ages to this blog, which is designed to provide an outlet for work related to New America’s Millennials Initiative.

This effort is motivated by a recognition that those coming of age today are doing so in a time of uncertainty and change. Prevailing partisanship is putting stress on our political institutions and the very concept of citizenship has become contested. Navigating the road to adulthood has become more arduous and economic resiliency increasingly elusive. Technologies are changing the ways we participate in the economy and interact with one another. If prevailing policy frameworks stay out-of-step with the Millennial experience, we face the collective danger of undermining the potential of an entire generation.

In response, we must engage policymakers, foster a constructive public discourse, and advance a new set of ideas that create more pathways to progress. Even during a time of political conflict, we need to build a forward-looking policy agenda that can address the particular experience of the rising generations. Since these ideas will work best if they align with prevailing attitudes and behaviors, we need the engagement of Millennials to help drive this ideas-generation process. We will all benefit by considering the Millennial experience, especially as we aim to craft policy solutions that can be implemented at scale.

This blog will feature the work of this year’s cohort of ten Millennial Public Policy Fellows. Selected from a large and diverse pool of applicants under the age of 25, the fellows are spending a year at New America embedded in a varied set of policy programs and working together to explore the cross-cutting challenges facing the Millennial generation. This opportunity has been made possible by the generous support of Citi Foundation’s Pathways to Progress global initiative. Our plan is to use this space (The DM!) to serve as a platform where the fellows can share their insights and highlight their work. In the process, we expect to elevate potentially impactful policy solutions and facilitate connections among diverse policy areas.

The posts here will likely be a little longer than a DM, but will still be candid, personal, and to the point. Regardless how you found us or follow us, we hope you’ll enjoy and learn from the DM.

Reid Cramer, Ph.D.

Director, Millennials Initiative