Those involved in local civic activism know that getting younger residents involved is one of the genuine barriers to full integration of community with group.
Here is a fascinating look at why youth today are not engaging in the process, not swamping the political channels available to them today.
This video was a class project this year at SFU. This is youth (with the occasional old fart or two) thinking about youth, and all the more valuable for that.
Definitely worth watching!
Jak's View of Vancouver v.3 
They don’t stand a chance. Electoral democracies are specifically designed to vet out those parties that are not aligned to economic growth. They turn into oligarchies. Even Aristotle knew this.
There is no such thing as a ‘vote to change’ and any responsible, reasonable person has to conclude this. We are embedded in a system in which all things are commoditized and most specifically our labor. The labor of the political class is directed at policy formation and those policies will reflect the interest groups who can continue to bid on those labors – the wealthiest individuals and (just as importantly) those people who administrate and manage on behalf of the wealthiest citizens. The livelihood of the middle class is tied to wealth production, and therefore constant growth, just as with the wealthiest classes. That’s why unions are on board with pipelines, though all those hollering and bellyaching about Harper or oil companies don’t seem to have much to say about the complicity of that interest group. Or simply take a gander at where the Canada Pension Plan’s invested (or all those ‘critical theory profs’ parked at SFU – look at where their pensions are invested). We’re all knee deep in big pharma and oil companies, whether we like it or not. As far as I’m concerned, if you go to work, you are voting every day for surplus, for growth and for wealth creation, which is exactly what the reasoning behind pillaging the tar sands is all about.
And all of this is a perfectly reasonable, rational strategy when the objective is growth.
I’ve been critical of NGO’s and the poverty industry for some time, because at heart, they’re simply another interest group fishing for money. The director of the Vancouver Food Bank makes a six-figure salary. If that’s justified, we’re already done as a species. Charity is just another word for ‘branding’. We should, every single Canadian, be ashamed of ourselves. 30 years ago we had Grand Banks, The Royal Bank and Food Banks. Look at the two that are still thriving – that’s what the world will look like in a few more decades.
And these lovely, naive children haven’t had the fear of adult failure hanging over them, so they don’t really understand what they’re in for.
It’s a wash. I’ve made my peace with it. I say let the poor starve to death on the streets. Let it all go. Stop playing with this ‘alternative’ horseshit. The direct and fundamental cause of climate change is growth. Ad the root of growth is money. And the more money is generated, the worse things will get, because it will work its way up to the wealthiest class, who will use their surplus funds to purchase the labors of the political class, etc etc etc.
I say put the pedal to the metal, because things will have to devolve into ‘better off dead’ for a great number before any significant change will happen.