New Voters at the White House and Aspen Institute!
Our first-ever nationwide convening brought New Voters youth leaders to DC for an inspiring day at the White House, with the Aspen Institute, and to connect in person for the first time
2024 has been our most impactful year yet, with new research and collaborations, landmark awards and recognition, and more high school students empowered to make their voices heard. All of this was only made possible by the tireless, and often unsung, efforts of hundreds of New Voters members nationwide. Last month, we celebrated their incredible work with our first-ever nationwide convening of New Voters leaders!
We brought representatives aged 14-26 from across the country to DC for a full day with partners at the Aspen Institute, the White House, and one another. Attendees included national team members, research assistants, mentors, and high school drive leaders, all selected for their vital contributions to empowering young voters. For many, this was the first time meeting in person after collaborating virtually for years.
📚 The Aspen Institute 🌲
Kaya Henderson, Executive Director of the newly announced Center for Rising Generations at the Aspen Institute, graciously hosted our team for a reception at their DC offices. Alongside Aspen Institute staff, including President Dan Porterfield, we shared our journeys and explored ways to expand leadership opportunities for high school students, with insights on how the Center might support these efforts.
We are thrilled to work with Aspen as they continuously uplift youth voices - fun fact: our President, Jahnavi Rao, was a featured Aspen Ideas Festival Fellow this year!
🇺🇸 The White House 🏛️
After a brisk walk through DC, the New Voters delegation arrived at the White House to join other youth leaders for the “Youth Civic and Voter Engagement Convening.” The event celebrated and reflected on nonpartisan youth voter engagement efforts by nonprofits, researchers, and the young leaders in and beyond the room. New Voters PA State Lead Talia Salome, a senior in high school, shared “our delegation provided the high school voice to the conversation, underscoring the power of social media in modern news.”
“These experiences pushed me to reflect on just how much I’ve accomplished at New Voters, from running my own drive in the very beginning, to the policy and outreach efforts, and now to being a research assistant and mentor,” shared Collin Wang, an 18-year-old team member in PA. “In both settings, I appreciated being treated as an equal by people with incredible influence and power within the civic engagement space - for example i was able to share my research results to a receptive audience at the Aspen Institute, and ask a question during the White House town hall that ignited a rewarding discussion.”
As the holiday season approaches, we’re deeply thankful to everyone who supported New Voters this year. Your belief in our mission empowered us to run drives, grow our movement, and build meaningful relationships—culminating in this unforgettable day of celebration and community in Washington, DC. Thank you for being an essential part of our success.
🔔 Opportunity Alert: Calling any college student who wants to make a difference! Get paid to mentor high school students to run voter registration drives at their schools. Many of the students on this DC Trip are New Voters mentors - join this incredible community and do your part to make youth voices heard.
Learn more about this position and apply at this link by Jan 11: https://bit.ly/nvmentor