Legislative Council Coordinator of YMCA Youth and Government Josh Beales wrote,“It’s very easy to say that the majority of young people are apathetic about issues affecting our world. I don’t think this is the case. On social media platforms, young people engage with issues – we do care about what’s happening in the world. The problem that exists is the lack of opportunity we have to engage with general policy debate around these issues.”

What Beales said brings to light the widespread misconception in America about the lack of youth interest in politics and the scarcity of opportunity available for young adults to participate in politics.

Although technology and social media does consume a lot of teens’ time these days, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Adults often see social media websites such as Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube as useless places for teenagers to gossip and share small talk. However, that is not the case.

The University of California’s Humanities Research Institute conducted a research that studied over 2,500 members of the Generation Y (also known as the Millennials) over a number of years and found that based on social media updates, younger people are more likely to engage with their government if given the accessibility to do so.

Social media websites such as Twitter bring awareness to things happening outside the mind of a teenager, which (according to everyone else)  is typically filled with news on Kim Kardashian’s latest photo shoot.

Almost all local news stations have twitter accounts which update their followers on local and global issues. In fact, even some of the most important sources of this generation have twitter pages, including President Obama, The New York Times, and Oprah Winfrey.

Not only does social media give the youth an opportunity to understand issues that affect other countries, but it also allows them to discuss their own opinions on topics.

Recently, Twitter has been raging with all different types of opinions on feminism. Cy Ranch student Katherine Lewis constantly uses her Twitter account to discuss her perspective on the controversial discussion.

Lewis has said that social media has been beneficial in voicing her opinion.

“With everyone using social media it’s a quick and easy way for you to spread awareness on something you are passionate about or want to see a change in,” Lewis said. “It is important for our generation to have our own opinion in politics because it will eventually affect us.”

Model United Nations (Model UN)  is a club at Cy Ranch which allows students to step into the shoes of ambassadors from all over the world. The students are assigned a country to represent and then must defend it by deciding on war, negotiating with allies, and resolving conflicts.

“Model UN teaches you to respect other countries,” Said Bijan Breland, President of Model UN. “It puts what is going on in the world into a simpler perspective.”

It is refreshing to see students voice their thoughts, whether it be online or together in a club.

Many people may think that this generation of young adults spend too much time with their friends or online or talking about each other instead of things that are truly important. However, extracurricular activities and social media offer students the opportunity to participate in politics, which is beneficial for the now and the future.