There can be no doubt now, we are living in the damn future.
People on Miami Beach were shocked earlier today when they saw a scene straight out of Back To The Future.
While we are working to confirm what exactly it was that scores of people witnessed on the beach, it looks similar to a product called the Flyboard Air.
We are freaking out right now.
Hoverboards are an actual thing now.
Amazing.
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Drive And Decide: Councilman Wants To Lower D.C. Voting Age To 16
After receiving their driver’s license, could their next stop be the voting both?
Well in the nation’s capital at least, 16 year olds may be getting the vote.
Washington D.C. Ward 6 Councilman Charles Allen introduced a bill on Tuesday, proposing that the district lowers their voting age requirement to 16 years of age for federal elections.
The “Youth Voting Amendment Act of 2015” aims to amend the District of Columbia Election Code of 1955, which currently parallels the constitution, giving citizens who are at least 18-years old the right to vote in federal elections.
Proponents of the bill say that 16-year olds already have major responsibilities and decisions that they are accountable for, so the movement to lower the voting age is warranted.
For example 16-year olds are able to operate a vehicle, have a job, pay taxes and even get tried as an adult in some criminal cases, so voting, to express their opinions, would be the next logical step.
The act also hopes to get young people excited about the political process. There was only a 38 percent voter turnout in the district’s last mayoral election, so the in the interest of increasing voter presence at the polls, this legislation could have a major impact.
Washington D.C. has a long history of progressive change, but this legislation is the first big movement towards shaking up a decade old debate.
It is worth noting that a few D.C. area municipalities have allowed voting for 16 year olds in local elections for a few years.
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Cover Photo Credit: Collin Knopp-Schwyn/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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These Miami Kids Walked Out Of Class To Send Marco Rubio And The NRA A Message
Miami Shores isn’t normally known for its political activism. But students at Miami Country Day School poured out of class and marched to a nearby park in order to send a message to the gun lobby.
Let’s just say that they didn’t hold back.
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Hundreds Of South Florida Students Expected To Attend Young Leaders Summit
What’s News In This Story?
-Over 500 South Florida high school and college students are expected to attend a summit for young leaders on Saturday.
-Organized by young people, the day-long event will serve as a crash-course in politics for a generation deeply affected by the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
-The event will take place at two separate locations- one in Miami-Dade and another in Broward and will feature speakers involved in community organizations and political activism.
-Representatives from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government will be on hand to teach organizing techniques and Jaclyn Corin, a prominent survivor of the MSD shooting and activist in the Never Again movement will give the keynote speech.
-Event organizer Lina Fernandez said that she hopes the event will serve as a starting point for a “lifetime of activism” for those who attend.
-Organized by young people, the day-long event will serve as a crash-course in politics for a generation deeply affected by the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
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Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (C) poses with South Florida students during a March For Our Lives protest. Photo Credit: Nikita Leus, Coral Gables Senior High
In the aftermath of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland on Feb. 14, many wondered whether this time would be different.
It seems like it is.
Nearly two months on from that tragedy, the Never Again movement shows no signs of stopping, especially in South Florida.
A event planned for Saturday hopes to take the energy and anger seen throughout the country and turn it into real political power.
An all day “Young Leaders Summit” will be held at Miami-Dade College’s Kendall campus and at Atlantic Technical College in Coconut Creek.
The identical events are meant to be a crash course for young people who want to get engaged in political activism and will feature representatives from prominent local political organizing groups and others like Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
“Young people everywhere want to do something about the pervasiveness of gun violence and our culture of gun use but do not know where to begin,” event organizer Lina Fernandez said in an interview with RISE NEWS. “The Summit acts as an education in movement building, an opportunity to learn about the difficult, important work that happens behind the scenes and empower students to create spaces and events of their own.”
The organizers think that at least 500 young people will attend.
Photo Credit: Juliana Carrasco, New World School of the Arts
Only high school and college students can go.
Representatives from various political groups and candidates for political office will also be there so young people can sign up to volunteer for campaigns.
Helping support the summit are groups like: Defeat the NRA, The Resistance School, Harvard Kennedy School, Students Demand Action, Women’s March Miami, League of Women Voters of Miami-Dade, Dream Defenders, Indivisible, the Giffords Center, Moms Demand Action, and the Center for American Progress.
While the motivating factor behind the conference is gun control, the skills that students will learn there can be applied to other struggles.
“We want more than anything else for the students to spend the day Saturday learning about how to get engaged, how to use their voice, how to organize, and take those skills and apply them to whatever movement they are passionate about, not just today’s gun reform battle,” Will Breslin, an organizer for the event said.
According to the organizers, the summit will feature various breakout sessions led by famed political organizer “Marshall Ganz from the Harvard Kennedy School, Indivisible southern regional organizer Whitney Roberts, Maggie Thompson from Generation Progress Action, Katherine Philips and Chase Hardin from Giffords, MJ Wright from Moms Demand Action, Ricky Junquera from Sierra Club, Philip Agnew from Dream Defenders, and more.”
While the event only lasts one day, the hope from the young people putting it together that it will create something long lasting.
“I hope the conference helps create a culture of activism and civic engagement in Miami and in Miami-Dade Schools,” Fernandez said. “I want the students who planned walkouts all across Miami-Dade county last month, and the thousands that attended these events, to continue in their work. I hope the Summit provides a clear next step for student leaders who participated in the national walkout and March For Our Lives but don’t know where to go from there.”
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WANT TO GO?:
Young Leaders Summit
Saturday April 7, 2018 – 9:00 AM – 4:00 PMMiami Dade Location:
Miami Dade College – Kendall Campus
11011 Southwest 104th Street, Miami, FL 33176
Broward Location:
Atlantic Technical College
4700 Coconut Creek Parkway, Coconut Creek, FL 33063
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Who Will Be There?:
Speakers During Opening Ceremony:
MJ Wright, mother of a pulse victim
Jaclyn Corin- survivor of MSD shooting, student activist in the Never Again movementBreakout Session Leaders/ Other Speakers:
Ricky Junquera- Sierra Club
Claris Chang- Harvard Kennedy School
Benjamin Clayton- Harvard Kennedy School
Marshall Ganz- Harvard Kennedy School
Anjali Rodrigues- Harvard Kennedy School
Anna Doty- Harvard Kennedy School
Kate O’Gorman- Harvard Kennedy School
Katherine Phillips- Giffords Center
Chase Hardin- Giffords Center
MJ Wright- Moms Demand Action
Whitney Roberts- Indivisible
Maggie Thompson- Generation Progress
Christian Smith- Generation Progress
Charlene Mack- Leadership for Educational Equity
Phil Agnew- Dream Defenders
Mike Hill- Unite HereCandidates/ Campaigns In Attendance:
CD-26- Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
CD-27- Ken Russel
CD-27- Jose Javier Rodriguez
CD-27- David Richardson
CD-27- Kristen Rosen Gonzales
CD-27- Matt Haggman
CD-27- Mary Barzee Flores
SH-105 – Javier Esteves
SD-38 – Jason Pizzo
Gov – Andrew Gillum
Gov – Gwen Graham
SH-113 – Kubs Lalchandani
CD-26 – Demetries Grimes
SH – 103 – Cindy Polo
SH – 112 – Nick Duran
SD-40 – Annette TaddeoWATCH ANOTHER STORY- Is This The Happiest Place In Miami?
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Have a news tip about this topic or something completely different? Send it on in to [email protected].
Cover Photo Credit: Nikita Leus, Coral Gables Senior High.
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