Empowering A New Generation In Politics. Steve and Karen welcome Jackson James, who just completed two years at Yavapai College. He will spend the summer as an intern in Senator Kelly’s office before enrolling at Northern Arizona University. While studying at Yavapai College, he started a civic engagement group and interned for Save Our Schools.
Upon hearing that some high school students have run for office and been elected, James responds, “Yeah, it’s a lot more accessible than most people think, especially politics in general… People see elections, politics as this ethereal thing that’s either beyond them, not worth doing. But really, it’s far more accessible than anyone would think. And a lot of people I talk to surprisingly don’t even know you can call your local representatives. You can set up meetings with your mayor, with your county recorders, with your city council, with even your school boards.”
In regard to his civic engagement program, James says, “I’d say the goal was never really to change viewpoints. It was more just to educate because I don’t expect anyone to walk in a room with a certain mindset and walk away with a different perspective on life. But what I do expect is for people to walk into a room and walk out of that room more educated and more informed in what resources are available to them.”
He says he hopes to bring the knowledge learned from his internship with Sen. Kelly back to Yavapai County.
James notes that one of the biggest obstacles to getting young people involved in politics is the discrepancy in age and representation in places like Yavapai County where people aged 65 and older make up almost 40 percent of the voting pool.
If you’d like to help James fund his internship in Washington, go to Jackson James’ GoFundMe: Empowerment Through Politics: Help Jackson James go to D.C.