We are a month into the new year and have hit the ground running! The Millennial Action Project (MAP) kicked off 2023 with our nationwide “On the Rise” tour to celebrate the big ideas young people are bringing into their statehouses. Each tour stop focuses on preparing our state-based Future Caucuses to transcend toxic polarization and achieve future-oriented policy goals in 2023. At each stop, we invite local community members to be a part of the movement.
Greetings from Team MAP!
Continue reading to see how our work has unfolded since the end of last year, and how you can join us to keep up the momentum through the rest of the year.
On Wednesday, January 18th, the Kansas Future Caucus, a bipartisan group of Gen Z and millennial legislators, is bringing together community members and young legislators for a moment of action. In a panel discussion titled “A More Collaborative Kansas: How Young Legislators Are Shaking Up Topeka,” the young legislators will discuss their work in the state legislature, their goals for the 2023 legislative session, and insights into what it is like to be a young person in politics. Sign up for the event here and follow MAP on social media to watch the event unfold.
The Vermont Future Caucus invites you to attend a networking happy hour at the state capital. Stay for a panel on "A New Generation of Leadership in Vermont: The Future of Collaboration at the Capital." Young state lawmakers will share their vision for the upcoming legislative session and how they plan to tackle political polarization in order to create results for the youngest Vermonters across the state. Sign up for the event using the registration link and be on the lookout for highlights from the day!
In January, the Georgia Future Caucus began the 2023 legislative session with a roundtable luncheon for Gen Z and Millennial legislators. They discussed their priorities for the upcoming sessions and introduced themselves, as many are new to the legislature. It was a productive meeting and the Georgia Future Caucus is “ready to show the older legislators how to get stuff done!”
In December, MAP kicked off the nationwide “On the Rise” Tour. The first stop was in Bentonville, Arkansas to convene newly elected Millennial and Gen Z legislators with the Arkansas Future Caucus (ARFC). Co-chairs Rep. Pilkington (R) and Rep. Jamie Scott (D) led a great discussion that gained attraction from the local partners and press. A reporter in the audience who had been covering Arkansas politics for years stated he was “amazed by the profound culture change” he witnessed at the event. Missed the event? Watch the recap video here!
Near the end of the year in Washington, D.C., Oklahoma state legislators Rep. Ajay Pittman and Sen. John Michael Montgomery joined MAP’s CEO, Layla Zaidane, Lyceum Labs, the Levin Center, and the Center for Effective Lawmaking to share more about how state lawmakers lead and govern, as well as the importance of using cross-partisanship to get things done. The two MAP legislators did an excellent job articulating the MAP mission, and we were thrilled to see members of MAP’s network get the opportunity to speak nationally.
Each December, MAP recognizes exceptional legislators from the State Future Caucus Network (SFCN) during our annual Rising Star Awards. The Rising Star Award highlights young leaders — one Republican and one Democrat — who embody MAP’s vision of transcending toxic polarization. This year, the award was given to Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R-AR) and Rep. Jeremy Gray (D-AL). The Cherisse Eatmon Impact Award was awarded to the Oklahoma Future Caucus. It was a night to remember with special guests Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT), co-chair of MAP’s Congressional Future Caucus, and Robby Soave and Briahna Joy Gray, co-hosts of Rising on The Hill TV. To learn more about the special night, a blog post is available here.
The Eagleton Institute of Politics' Gambaccini Civic Engagement Series welcomed Sen. London Lamar (D-TN) and Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R-AR) for a discussion on bipartisan legislation and other ways to activate young leaders to bridge the partisan divide. The event was moderated by MAP President and CEO, Layla Zaidane. The full discussion is viewable here!
Millennial Action Project kicked off a new “Lunch and Learn” series, featuring virtual events by legislators for legislators. The first topic was on Mindfulness. Representative Jeremy Gray led a discussion on how he uses mindfulness as a legislator and shared insights from his experience passing legislation to lift a 28-year ban on yoga in Alabama’s K-12 schools.
--“Rep. Blake Moore, Rep. Sara Jacobs, and President of The Millennial Action Project Layla Zaidane discuss the goals of the new Congressional Future Caucus.”
The Chief Impact Officer (CIO) is a new role developed to, in coordination with the President & CEO and the COO, position the organization to sustain and expand a dynamic portfolio of programming to be responsive to the needs of our members. The CIO will spearhead efforts to ensure that MAP’s programs maximize impact on our mission to strengthen democracy and build the capacity of the next generation of young legislators to be effective leaders.
