[ politics ]
Photo by Chelsea Costello.
Inspire West Virginia
Empowering
West
Virginia’s
Youth to be
Tomorrow’s
Leaders
It’s no secret West
Virginia is currently
facing major issues.
As the state con-
fronts drug and
obesity epidemics,
a financial crisis,
a lack of jobs and
concurrent brain drain, West Virginians
are worried about the future of the state.
West Virginia’s youth, however, are em-
bracing hope for the future through action.
Young people in West Virginia have a
deep desire to improve their communities
and get involved in the political process,
but in the past, many didn’t know how.
Today, Inspire West Virginia, a nonparti-
san, nonprofit program working with high
school students to improve voter registration
Photo by Kathryn Ryan.
KATHRYN RYAN
among youth, is providing them a means
by which to create local change. Partici-
pating teenagers, called Inspired Leaders,
help register eligible students to vote and
empower their peers to use their voices at
the polls. Young West Virginians have the
most to lose—or gain—from the policies
that are enacted today. Empowering them
to become politically active leaders gives
West Virginia the potential to build a sus-
tainable foundation for a brighter future.
“Inspire gives my generation a chance to
elevate our voices,” says Justice Hudson,
an alumnus of Inspire West Virginia. “This
is giving young people a chance to start
dialogues in our communities on issues
we care about.”
Students who register and pledge to vote
through Inspire West Virginia are more
likely to show up at the polls. While the
2016 primary election’s state turnout rate
for ages 18-20 was 35 percent overall, the
turnout rate for those who registered or
pledged to vote with Inspire West Virginia
was 42 percent, meaning students who
“It is because of the
students’ passion and
determination that
West Virginia continues
to lead this national
movement of youth
voter empowerment.”
engaged with the program were 20 percent
more likely to vote on Election Day. This
year, the program is engaging with 35 high
schools across 25 West Virginia counties
and is on track to surpass last year’s success
of 2,600 new youth voter registrations.
According to Chelsea Costello, the Inspire
U.S. national program manager, the success
of the program comes from the state’s youth.
“It is because of the students’ passion and
determination that West Virginia continues
to lead this national movement of youth
voter empowerment.”
Inspire West Virginia has built a close
partnership with Secretary of State Mac
Warner, who believes getting young people
involved in the civic process
influences youth to stay ExEdge
in the state after graduat-
The 26th
ing from high school and Amendment,
college. Inspire West Virginia which was
helps promote the Jennings ratified in
Randolph Award, which is 1971, changed
the voting age
presented by the Secretary in the U.S.
of State’s Office to schools from 21 to 18.
who register 100 percent of
Source: www.
eligible seniors to vote. The constitution
program’s Inspired Leaders, center.org
who typically play the lead
role in achieving Jennings Randolph Award
eligibility for their school, are recognized
by the Secretary of State’s Office during
the award presentation to the student body.
This year, Warner launched a new ini-
tiative to honor Inspire West Virginia’s
Inspired Leaders. The Honorary Secre-
tary of State program is an exclusive op-
portunity that grants exemplary Inspired
Leaders the chance to sit as an honorary
secretary of state.
For Brad Bordelon, a Nicholas County
Inspired Leader who was recognized as an
honorary secretary of state this year, civic
engagement means “working to make a
difference in the civic life of our commu-
nities and developing the combination of
knowledge, skills, values and motivation
to make that difference.”
Thanks to Inspire West Virginia, the
Mountain State’s youth are developing a
commitment to civic responsibility that
will pave the way to a brighter future for
all West Virginians.
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