Today we have a guest blogger. I’m really excited about the work Amanda has done.  Her activist start began as a 12-year-old New Moon Girl reader when she got her governor to proclaim Turn Beauty Inside Out Day. And now, after several other activist endeavors, she’s a New Moon Girl intern. I know she’ll be a great inspiration to our members. Thanks for sharing your story, Amanda.

Speak Out, Get Politically Active: It’s Easier than You Think

by Amanda Kozar, Editorial Intern

Just a few weeks ago, America experienced a stirring midterm election. Power changed hands in Congress and in other government institutions…. But how did it happen? You may have seen yard signs for Democratic and Republican candidates planted across your neighborhood. Perhaps your parents received telephone calls encouraging them to vote for certain candidates or causes. Maybe you have seen those seeking political office in parades or at community events. These are all methods that both candidate- and issue-based campaigns use to communicate with voters and (they hope) earn their support. However, the candidates themselves don’t do it on their own! How do I know this? Because I am one of those people that helps out candidates during their campaigns. But I didn’t start there. I actually started my activism as a New Moon reader in the early 2000s. You can get politically active at a young age, too!

In 2002, I was deeply affected by New Moon’s Turn Beauty Inside Out campaign, which coincided with its annual May/June beauty issue. If you aren’t familiar with the campaign, New Moon encouraged girls to speak out about depictions of girls in the media. We continue today to see the same images of skinny, skinny sexualized girls. These images affect our body image and beliefs about who we should be. New Moon wanted girls to use their voices to say girls of all sizes and shapes should be our media role models, and more importantly that their ideas, societal contributions and personalities are what really count. As a result of this campaign, I wrote a letter to the editor of my local newspaper about celebrating Turn Beauty Inside Out Day (TBIOD)! Surprisingly, it was printed, and I was even asked to write an article about inner beauty in the teen section of the newspaper! In addition to telling local readers about TBIOD through the media, I wrote to the Illinois governor asking him to recognize TBIOD. As you can see from the photo above (taken much later), the governor’s office responded, sending me a proclamation declaring May 15, 2002, as Turn Beauty Inside Out Day in Illinois. My hard work paid off and I was able to reach a large audience and a public official about my concerns about inner beauty and media representation of girls. I was only twelve!

Around the same time as my New Moon activism began, I also became interested in the cause of public radio. (Public radio is the radio equivalent of PBS in the United States, and it is commercial-free, funded by listeners, large charitable organizations, and government money.) In the same year that I received my proclamation, I also wrote a letter to the editor about my local National Public Radio station. Someone had written a letter to the editor complaining about the station’s offerings, and already a fierce supporter as a pre-teen, I fired back with my own letter praising the station. The station contacted me and asked me to make a cameo appearance on the air during its pledge drive. After speaking on the air, I volunteered for the station during their pledge drives throughout middle and high school. I answered calls from listeners who wanted to donate to the station. I stay involved with the station when I am home from school. This summer I spent a great deal of time volunteering for the station, researching grants and eventually working on plans for a potential event for next summer.

Both of these activist experiences made the transition to political activism very smooth. During the height of political activity and excitement in 2008, I entered college and quickly became interested in being one of the “boots on the ground” for then-Senator Obama, who was running for president. It helped that I had seen him in person at both his announcement of candidacy and announcement of his vice presidential running-mate, which took place in Illinois. My college campus, full of activism and campaign volunteer opportunities, stoked the fire within me as well. During the fall, I decided to get involved. I traveled to New Hampshire with other students to canvass neighborhoods, telling voters about Obama and two congressional candidates. I also spent many nights at a state campaign headquarters near my college, calling voters across the country to tell them about Obama. I challenged myself to get through as many call-sheets as I could, reaching as many people as I could. On election night, I was overjoyed to see Obama win New Hampshire as well as many other states. I was excited that I helped him do it!

Since volunteering for the Obama campaign, I have also volunteered for a U.S. Senate candidate, gubernatorial* candidate, and two state legislature candidates. By simply talking to ordinary people over the phone, I think that we can make a difference by giving a personal touch and perspective on the candidate.

Perhaps the most exciting part of my political involvement so far has been serving as an intern for a U.S. Senator. Last summer, I worked several days a week for a member of Illinois’ congressional delegation. I answered phone calls from constituents, went on the road and learned about “advancing”* the Senator for a public event, and contributed to the Senator’s daily news briefing, among other responsibilities. I even met the Senator a few times. It was fun to see the government in action, helping people get assistance and navigate the many services of the federal government.

So, how can you get involved? How can you get politically active? Others may tell you that you’re too young to make a difference or get involved. They’re wrong. You can be politically active at any age – 8 or 83. To start out, you might write a letter to the editor or to a public official (i.e. school board member, mayor, Congress member, or even the President) about an issue that concerns you. Ask your parents if you can help canvass neighborhoods during campaign season, helping pass out pamphlets or talking to people about a candidate or cause. You might even attend a city council or school board meeting. If they have time for constituent comments, you might be able to voice your opinions about an issue at the podium!

What do you think? Do you have more ideas on how to get politically active? Want to tell us your experiences? Leave a comment below or write your own article! Be sure to tell us about it with a link to your story!