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Dear John,
Earlier this month, Merriam-Webster named "polarization" their 2024 Word of the Year.
It feels fitting, doesn't it? But we know there's more to the story.
Across the country, young pragmatists are quietly doing the work to make our government function, and I'm so proud that we've been able to support them.
At its heart, this work is about rebuilding trust — in each other and in our institutions — and proving that polarization doesn't have to define us or our politics.
Take a look at our highlights from 2024:
CONNECT
At the start of the legislative session, Future Caucus co-chairs planned ambitious agendas for their state chapters. And they held meetings, happy hours, and team-building outings throughout the year to keep their bipartisan coalitions moving forward.
Our team supported their leadership through the "On the Rise" tour. We hosted public events to highlight their results and build support for their efforts in Vermont, Mississippi, Georgia, Indiana, Alabama, New York, and Pennsylvania.
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We launched a new digital series Lawmakers on Lawmakers . The videos feature Gen Z and millennial lawmakers modeling the healthy dialogue our country needs. It already has over 16,000 views across social media.
You can watch the first episode featuring Del. Kayla Young (D-WV) and Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R-AR) here! [[link removed]]
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TRAIN
In May of this year, we hosted our first ever regional convening: Future Summit South. We brought young lawmakers from five states to Atlanta, Georgia for leadership development, policy sharing and collaboration, and regional community engagement.
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We followed up Future Summit South with our national Future Summit in Washington, D.C., this July.
Nearly 100 Gen Z and millennial state legislators from 34 states joined us and networked with experts and peers, participated in training and leadership development, and discussed future-oriented policy ideas to take back to their respective state legislatures.
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During Future Summit, we launched our inaugural lawmaker affinity group — the 19th Collective — made up of nine women serving in their state legislatures.
The 12-month long cohort intends to foster a supportive peer environment where members cultivate shared commitment, trust, and vulnerability. It is a personal board of advisors dedicated to promoting collaboration, skill development, and mutual support among its members.
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CATALYZE
The Innovation Lab made significant strides in 2024, connecting our lawmakers with experts, resources, and each other to help them create evidence-based bipartisan solutions.
In collaboration with organizations like The Levin Center for Legislative Oversight and Democracy and The Vera Institute of Justice, the Innovation Lab was able to support state caucuses by hosting training sessions.
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We launched the Innovation Fellowship and brought together 31 lawmakers across three policy cohorts focused on maternal health, energy and environment, and strengthening democracy. Each fellowship included expert-led webinars, monthly cohort meetings, and experiential learning opportunities in Detroit, MI and Denver, CO.
In 2024, our Innovation Fellows introduced 29 bipartisan bills in their respective focus areas — from expanding Medicaid eligibility for pregnant and postpartum mothers in Mississippi to addressing air pollution in Alaska.
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At the end of the year, we announced the 2025-2026 cohort of Innovation Fellows, totaling 64 Fellows across four cohorts in the Criminal Justice, Energy and Environment, Civic Innovation, and Prenatal-to-Three policy areas. The fellowship kicked-off with the Futures Thinking Forum in November.
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In addition to supporting the policymaking of our legislators, the Innovation Lab also reports on the work and achievements of young people in politics. The 2024 On the Rise report outlined the successes and challenges of Gen Z and millennial candidates running for Congress. It drove media narratives on young people running for office in outlets from the Washington Post to NPR .
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AMPLIFY
Amid historic partisan tensions and distrust, stories of hope, goodwill, and pragmatic policymaking are more vital than ever.
This year, Future Caucus and our legislators were featured in national publications such as The Washington Post [[link removed]] , NPR [[link removed]] , NBC News [[link removed]] , The Hill [[link removed]] , Democracy Journal [[link removed]] , COSMOPOLITAN [[link removed]'] , and Slate [[link removed]] , as well as in more than 100 state and local outlets in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and beyond.
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Future Caucus’ bold vision to center American policymaking on empathy and impact is gaining momentum in political and philanthropic circles. We were featured at high-profile events such as the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum, the Town & Country Philanthropy Summit, TEDx Jacksonville, and the Aspen Institute ThinkXChange Forum.
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To spotlight the successes of Future Caucus lawmakers and provide examples of solutions that are within reach when we work together, we continued to release stories and profiles of young legislators in our Young Lawmakers' Storybank.
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Visit the Young Lawmakers' Storybank [[link removed]]
To cap off an extraordinary year, we honored young lawmakers and changemakers at our annual Rising Star Awards [[link removed]] , celebrating those who are bridging the partisan divide with empathy and collaboration.
This year's Rising Star Award winners were Senator-Elect Tory Blew (R-KS) [[link removed]] and Assemblymember Alex Bores (D-NY) [[link removed]] . The Cherisse Eatmon Collective Impact Award went to the Pennsylvania Future Caucus [[link removed]] , co-chaired by Representative Justin Fleming (D-PA) and Representative Thomas Kutz (R-PA). The 2024 Generational Changemaker Award recipients were Sophia Bush and Paris Hilton.
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As we head into 2025, we're gearing up to make sure "polarization" isn't the word that defines the year.
Together, our best days are ahead!
Until next year,
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Layla Zaidane
President & CEO
Future Caucus
We can't do this work without you. Support young lawmakers in their efforts to bridge the partisan divide and donate today. [[link removed]]
Donate [[link removed]]
Contact Us
[email protected]
Future Caucus
1701 Rhode Island Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036
United States
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