Sven Sizes Up Youth Liberation Groups; I Declare NYRA to Kick-Ass
Sven Bonnichsen has offloaded a huge amount of fascinating youth rights (or youth liberation if you prefer) commentary on his excellent blog, the Generator. I swear I check that thing every week or two and there is never anything on it, then like twice a year he retroactively posts all the articles he has written over the last six months and I’m too inundated (or lazy) to read them all. So Sven, if you’re reading this… cut it out! Post them when you write them, not in huge batches. Then we can get a nice back and forth going, and I can pimp them out to the NYRA members and such, and maybe I won’t be too overwhelmed to read all the great stuff you write. Consider my complaint officially lodged.
Anyhow, I actually did read one of his articles just now, where he presents his criteria (or continuum) of Youth Liberation organizations. Which is something I’ve seen in several other places, Adam Fletcher over at Freechild has something of his own (that Sven acknowledges), but Adam doesn’t have a nifty blog with a nifty trackback thingy so his chart is gonna get left out. (edit: now that I realize it, Sven doesn’t have his trackback turned on either, grr, I’m filing another complaint!) Anyways, Sven’s list is:
A. Led By Youth
1. all youth, no adult involvement
2. led by youth, adult participation limited
3. adults and youth work together as equals
4. led by adults, youth participation limited
5. all adults, no youth involvementB. For Youth
1. issue deals with all youth, and only youth
2. issue deals with some youth, but only youth
3. issue deals with youth significantly, but also adults
4. issue deals with youth because all people are effectedC. Engages With Adult Authorities
1. adults are asked to change their formal process for making decisions
2. adults are asked directly to make a decision in youth’s favor
3. adults are not asked to make a decision, but merely to contemplate how youth feel
4. adults are addressed indirectly
5. no communication with adults occurs
Interesting framing. Of course, as head of the definitive youth rights organizationtm, I must seek to apply this chart to NYRA.
A. Led By Youth
As for led by youth, a term we apply to ourselves quite often, Sven has us at number 3, “adults and youth work together as equals”. I take issue with that leadership model being in the middle, and not being the ideal. Of course he predicted that his ranking would generate some controversy. His argument is that power dynamics are so out of whack between youth and adults that they would still affect the interactions of well-meaning youth rightsy type folks. Specifically that adults would naturally dominate conversations and organizations if there weren’t procedural barriers to limit that.
Overall he’s probably right. There are many reasons for that too, not necessarily all because of age (like more experienced people lead because they know more), and not necessarily all bad (though mostly bad). I have seen it play out in several circumstances, and its definitely something to always be on guard for. However he leaves out of his analysis an important and sweeping change in our culture: the Internet.
The modern youth rights movement has emerged on the Internet and has flourished there. In many ways its because this is the new thing, and its just a matter of the time we live in. But after a bit of reflection it may be more than a coincidence. The Internet is the ultimate egalitarian medium. The person you exchange e-mails with, or forum posts with, or IMs with has no race, no gender, no income level, and no age. They just are. You can’t help but treat people equally because their status is not at all evident.
Also the Internet is a youth medium. Young people out number older people as Internet users, and have been drivers of Internet culture and technology. When adults participate in cyber-activism they are doing so on youth’s turf. Youth are far more comfortable and assertive on the Internet. So traditional power balances are thrown out the window in this brave new online world. This is a world NYRA has embraced.
Of course at 24, I have sadly aged into the camp of the oppressor, so perhaps my perspective is a bit questionable, but I think that NYRA has entirely avoided any overt or even unconscious ageism by including adults on an equal basis with youth. I can’t point to a single case where age has been a factor in giving more power or prestige or status to adults within our ranks. As far as I’m aware every one is judged perfectly according to their contributions to the whole and by their character as individuals. Not by their birthdate. Of course I absolutely welcome any young NYRA members who disagree with me, or who can recall instances where anyone has been ageist within the organization.
So Sven’s main contention was not that youth-adult equality is a bad thing, just that societal power imbalances make it impossible. Well I maintain that society is changing, and the Internet creates a place where de jure equality is de facto equality. I think NYRA is a prime example of this, and in my opinion should be the highest goal of youth rights organizations.
B. For Youth
I don’t think there is much need for argument on this, NYRA is absolutely at the farthest point on the continuum, our issues deal with all youth, and are only youth issues. This is an issue that bugs me too, with so many people claiming to be “for youth” who are, as Sven pointed out, environmental groups who claim that since young people live in the environment, their groups are necessarily for youth. Which is hogwash. True in a way, but still hogwash.
If y’all will permit me a moment of arrogance, I’ll go out on a limb and say that NYRA (and ASFAR too, but they are fairly dormant) is the ONLY group that is for all youth and only youth. I invite people to challenge me on this, but I just can’t think of anyone. I wouldn’t even say the Freechild Project (which I love to death and want to have my babies) could claim this highest standard. Adam includes many issues that fit under 2, 3, and 4 on Sven’s list. He has many good reasons for doing so, and I support him, but even he fails to meet this criteria.
Moral of the story: NYRA rules! And I’m an arrogant SOB.
C. Engages With Adult Authorities
I’m very glad that Sven included this third criteria (though it took him 10 pages to refine it), because it is important. NYRA runs into issues like this in schools. Students will be upset over some new school policy, a dress code, or the quality of food in the cafeteria, or curriculum. Some want NYRA’s intervention to fix the problem (get better food, change the curriculum, etc), but ultimately that sits at point number 2, adults are asked direction to make a decision in youth’s favor. While its improves the lot for students, and convincing the adult to make that chance is a demonstration of student power, that power and that change is fleeting. The only real solution is a permanent structural change, and Sven is very astute to include this.
Lowering (or abolishing) the voting age is directly referenced with this section. Assuming one still has faith in democracy (I do), then voting is the way in which individuals assert power in society. By excluding youth from voting, our society is the definition of an “adultocracy”. Giving youth the vote is the ultimate change to the countries’ decision making process. NYRA, being as amazingly kick-ass as we are, sees this and makes it a top priority.
So in my estimation, NYRA is the ultimate definition of a youth liberation organization, and indeed may be the only one. At least the only with any degree of influence or significance.
Once again, NYRA kicks all kinds of ass.
October 4th, 2005 at 5:05 pm
Yeah! NYRA does kick ass!
October 6th, 2005 at 2:43 am
Hey Alex — I’m tickled that you liked the essay — and it’s neat to see it actually applied.
Re my bad habit of posting ten essays at a time: Yeah, I’m not happy about that either. It’d be best if I published on the same day that I write these things — but they often take three, four, or five hours to write — and then I’m burnt out for the day. Every time I get back to YL, my first priority is to “generate”. But I’m trying…
Re trackbacks: I had a bad spam problem a while back and turned it off. My sysadmin/partner and I are mulling over whether it’s time to turn it back on.
A. LED BY YOUTH…
I know you and I differ on this point — you did a really respectful job of summing up our differences, though, and I thank you for that.
…I don’t really mean for the “#1″ point on each criteria to be strictly interpreted as “best” — only “most clearly Youth Liberationist”. As I think I noted, I prefer the “#2″ option of youth being in the lead, with adults’ participation limited (offering opinions but not voting, not being the main spokesperson when folks under 18 are available). I heard via Adam Fletcher that there was a movement within the Seattle Young People’s Project a few years to kick out the adults, and that it nearly destroyed the group. I think if you can set up a group so that the adults won’t totally dominate, then there are big advantages.
With regards to how well integrated the adults and youth in NYRA are, I don’t think I honestly know enough to comment. What I do know is that it’s kinda scary to criticize leadership, so when criticism does show up, it’s often a surprise, and things have usually already gotten to a pretty bad state. If there are ways to build talking about what’s not feeling OK into your usual routines, hopefully things can be caught before they get too bad. –But then, that IS based on a face-to-face model of doing things. I’m not sure it’s so applicable when everything (?) is happening in cyberspace.
…As a 24 year old, about to cross the last major legal age line (with the exception of 30 to run for senator and 35 to run for president), you’re in an interesting political position in NYRA. My sense is that you’re going to be sticking around for several years to come — I’m wondering what it will mean for the group if you’re (hypothetically) still at the steering wheel when you turn 30, or 40. Is there a point at which it becomes inappropriate for you to have that much power, a point at which someone else should take over — on principle? [Not saying that you should — just discussing.]
I confess, my worrying mind gets louder, too, once you start getting paid. Not that anyone shouldn’t get paid for working at activism — but I start thinking about what the money could do if it went to a lawyer, to pursue some strategic court case. But hey — the NYRA board approved it; that should be some kind of youth community endorsement, right? (Right?)
B. FOR YOUTH…
A particular group could tackle many issues — some more YL, some less. I think you’re right that NYRA is strongly dedicated to issues that deal with “all youth, and only youth”. Personally, I’d kinda like to see NYRA take on a few more “#2″ issues as well, though. It’s true that there are other groups that focus on the rights of young women, queer youth, youth of color, street youth, etc. — some even at the national level. It’s not too much effort, though, to write statements in support of these other groups’ work.
The way I see it, “youth” is a diverse group — and if you don’t take care of the various subgroups, then when it comes down to it you’re mostly just for the rights of straight, white, middle-class, male youth. You can’t serve every subgroup well — there’s not enough time and energy to do so. But avoiding something like, say, queer youth issues not only avoids controversy — it also misses an opportunity to engage and moblize. The gay, lesbian, bi, trans youth movement is really strong right now — and I don’t know anyone who’s doing cross-over work to bring YL folk and queer youth into the same room (or online forum).
…It’s true that NYRA is hitting issues that effect ALL youth — but it’s also missing some very strategic ones that only _directly_ impact a segment. Parental notification re abortion, for instance. I know you’re anti-abortion — but the more that parental notification laws progress, the more ground is won for adult control in general. My sense is that we’re losing a lot in that particular battle — and it’ll come back to haunt us in future issues dealing with youth sexuality, or parents’ “right to know”.
Oh — and with regards to Freechild, by the way, I’d personally have no problem giving it a “#1″ ranking. The preponderance of Adam’s stuff seems to me to be solidly in the YL (or “Youth Rights”) camp. [I know I’ve never given a full explanation of why I use the term “Youth Liberation” — I’m getting to it.
]
C. ENGAGES ADULT AUTHORITIES
Hm. You make me realize that I really only had local activist organizations in mind when I designed this. I’m not sure whether the continuum is built correctly for a national organization — the dynamics are different. …You’re right of course that NYRA excels at making changing the decision-making process a target, not just getting desired decisions out of adult leaders.
This ties in to my failure to talk more about the internet…
I DO recognize that the internet is a revolution for YL. Suddenly folks from across the U.S. can talk with each other to organize (without costly phone bills); if there’s an active group in Florida, you can actually find them now; and to an extent, precious YL documents are getting archived. [It was so difficult for me to find ANYTHING written about YL prior to 1995.]
Yet, I haven’t seen models of using the web to do _activism_ yet that I’m really impressed with. I see folks connecting, and that’ great. But what I’m trying to get at with this continuum is this: How directly are youth activists actually talking to the specific adults who have the decision-making power required to effect change? I’ve read bits and pieces about what NYRA chapters have done that sound great, but most of what I see deals with getting into the media — which doesn’t directly address the authorities we need to impact. [Not that being in the media is bad!]
Given that NYRA seems to be both a website, a network of chapters, and you at a desk in D.C., I’m not sure how well the third continuum can be applied.
…Oops…
–You probably wanted to hear that, yes, NYRA rocks — and here I am chewing on the minutia of the scales.
So: Regardless of what the continua say or don’t say — YES, NYRA does truly rock. As far as I can tell, it’s the best thing going on. And if I come across as critical, it’s only because I wish for it to become even greater.
…
SIGH. I’ve said it before, and I say it again: I only ever seem to be able to write in essays. Sorry.
October 7th, 2005 at 11:24 am
Thanks for the comment Sven!
You’ve raised a few points, and I just want to make one quick comment. I do think I’ll stay at the helm (if the members still want me around) for a few more years, but I think I’m going exit at a self-imposed age of 30. I fully intend to remain an active part of the movement, I just think that it would be disingenuious to be a 30 year old leader of a “youth-led” youth rights organization.
Of course all the leaders of Mothers Against Drunk Driving are men, so there is a precident, but MADD is one organization whose path we decidedly don’t want to follow.
I think perhaps at that point I’ll start a new organization, like a think-tank for youth rights, to work on getting studies, and books, and articles and such written. Just a thought.
Of course even being 28 (or 24) may be fishy, but for practical reasons there aren’t many strong alternatives.
As for addressing GLBT rights, or minority rights, or women’s rights… I think that’s worthy of a seperate entry, so I’ll address that later.
As for archiving stuff… that’s exactly what the Youth Rights Network was created for. Please go check it out and contribute a bunch of stuff for it: http://www.youthrights.net