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Presidential Inauguration Alumni Program: Generation Now

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GENERATION NOW

On the week of January 18th - January 22nd, young people from across the United States and around the world gathered in Washington, DC to attend the Presidential Inauguration Leadership Summit and make an impact on their future. Inspired by an opportunity to experience a moment in history at the 58th Inauguration, the scholars collaborated in Delegations for Change to create solutions to the issues that they deemed most important to their future while hearing from some of the world’s most respected influencers.

This paper represents the non-partisan work of these students. It reflects their voice and hope for the future as they forge their path to become our next generation of leaders, thinkers, and change makers.

ENVISIONARIES ATTENDING THE PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
Demographics are similar to the United States

This young generation wants your investment — and your patience. You can feel their optimism and concern as they ask for your help. THEY WANT A PURPOSE. And they will find it if you support their passions — as politicians, parents, or even investors.

EXCERPT FROM: A Smarter Planet: Education, Innovation, and Equity

This is not an immediate gratification program. We will not see the benefits of this for AT LEAST A DECADE. This is bad for politicians because they need to point to the PROGRESS they’ve made for reelection and as a result have not invested properly in the future of our nation.

By Alex Mekuria, Sophie Arnold, Syed Aamir Sohail, Ines Borromeo

GENERATION NOW

Knows No Boundaries

Adrift in choice and change, young Americans not only believe in the American dream, they want to play a role in expanding it.

This report is a call to action to engage a generation of Americans that still, despite what the press says, has hope as they ask for your partnership and collaboration in improving our collective future.

This cohort is coming of age at a time when science, technology, and robotics are changing the skills necessary for success, and yet the impediments are a loud and clear call to us - adults who came of age in a different time.

THE STUDENTS:

Believe in the American dream.
Believe in their ability to impact the world.
Believe in global communities.
Believe technology and job displacement affect all races and genders.

THE CHALLENGES:

They are watching the complete disruption of institutions from educational to governmental.
They see the cost of college as the #1 impediment to their success.
They see terrorism as a top issue — and define the issue as a local — not foreign — threat.
They see politics as an obstruction to long-term solutions, yet believe they can deliver results.

This generation will be able to reimagine institutions and businesses in a more wired world, with billions more people on the world wide web in the next 20 years.

With these tectonic shifts from an industrial to a digital age as a known landscape, Envision students arrived from all 50 states and 30 countries to partner with us in solving problems for the future. We surveyed the attendees to find out what they felt would most directly impact their future and allowed them to play a role in the Delegation for Change of their choice. We find the impact topics were fairly aligned with the issues of today, but the solutions and beliefs that surfaced were pretty awesome.

THE IMPACT ISSUES:

THE PROPOSALS:
Where there is disruption, there is opportunity. The students worked in Delegations for Change based on the impact topic they found most interesting, and the groups were tasked to agree on a problem they found most pressing and collaborate to discover solutions.

Free from institutional constraints, the students proposed some innovative and very creative solutions:

Advance students to the next grade based on competency, not age
Provide government funded re-education of workers displaced by technology
Train school personnel, including maintenance staff, on how to handle terrorist situations
Reverse ocean pollution through new technologies, creating a cleaner planet and more jobs
Match students with teachers based on engagement metrics, not test scores
Introduce music education to increase cognitive skills
Protect student privacy by mandating drone-free zones above schools
Turn excess food into cleaner conditions in impoverished areas of the world
Create self-cleaning concrete to reduce the amount of smog caused by vehicle emissions
Bring the taboo topic of mental illness out into the open to educate and help
Utilize drones to help in high risk rescue scenarios such as high rise fires
Improve global relations through a moderated agreement between Russia and the U.S.
Minimize civilian casualties in war zones through Russia and U.S. cooperation
Create a Finnish-peace keeping force stationed in the Baltic States
Bolster the U.N. to create international property
Use social media technologies to bring Western education to the developing world
Support women’s rights in the developing world through new schools for girls
Divert money from advanced domestic science trials to third world basic education
Increase tree planting in major cities to improve air quality on a global scale
Enlist companies to donate resources for global vaccinations

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DRONES, CLONES, & GENOMES

Technology & the Future of Humanity

Technological change is ubiquitous – but not without concern. With innovation comes displacement and new moral dilemmas – something Generation Now is quick to point out. The student proposals underscore their concern to guard individual privacy and prevent a further separation of a wired world from those less fortunate. And in a note of their social awareness, the students consistently addressed the need to help people and sectors left behind by technological “advancement.”

THE STUDENTS PROPOSE:

Blocking off school zones from drones to ensure student privacy
Keeping a pulse on how automation affects jobs across racial and territorial boundaries
Using drones in high risk situations that have proven problematic for first responders

EXCERPT FROM: Fire Flighters

We suggest investing in new drone technology-one which will effectively be able to deliver essential supplies in times of crises. We suggest the usage of drones fitted with ventilation systems to be flown into problematic areas. They can be fitted with small-scale fans or other ventilating technologies.

This is by no means a replacement for firefighters, nor is it an effort to substitute technology for meaningful jobs. Drones will simply allow for easier implementation of the various tasks and protocols, making it safer for both affected civilians and firefighters themselves.

By Annie Podedworny, Arlin Vieira, Kyra Smith, Travell White, Zachary Solomon, Jonathan Schoolcraft

Conflict & Compromise in a Global Age

Not surprisingly, young people today continue to rank student debt as the number one issue that will impact them. According to a recent UCLA study, about 55 percent of incoming first-year college students express concern about their ability to afford tuition and other costs. A close second to student debt however, is national security – a topic that might, unfortunately, define this era. How do students who came of age during 9/11 and Newtown imagine a safer world?

THE STUDENTS PROPOSE:

Training all school personnel, even maintenance staff, on how to deal with terrorist situations
Partnering with Latin America to help rehabilitate areas of high drug growth for economic gain of all
Facilitating a moderated agreement between Russia and the U.S. to improve global relations

EXCERPT FROM: Security Preparedness in K-12 Schools

Create security officer positions for all K-12 schools, with a goal of educating children on how to handle terrorist situations as well as to ensure safety. Another solution to enhance the safety of the children and staff of K-12 schools is to require that all school employees, such as nurses, administration, teachers, custodial staff, etc., be educated about active resistance. School employees must attend professional development sessions semi-annually. With every adult in the building informed, students will be able to gain a proper knowledge-base of what to do when there is an extreme situation.

By Tori Baker, Kyle Chittal, Delaney Johnson

Water, Wildlife, & Weather @ 2050

Generation Now is worried about our planet, the impact of humans, and although many thought they could make an impact at home, they felt like making an impact outside the US was imperative, though challenging. They agreed sound policy will be required to preserve the environment for future generations. In their essays, the students wrestled with the problems of education and hunger, often with the developing world in mind.

THE STUDENTS PROPOSE:

Reversing ocean pollution through new technologies
Turning excess food into cleaner conditions in impoverished areas of the world
Creating self-cleaning concrete to reduce smog from vehicle emissions
Planting trees in urban areas to help with runoff and air quality

EXCERPT FROM: Sustainable Hygiene Program (SHYP)

In 2012, the global population suffered an estimated 871,000 deaths due to water contamination, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene. Over one-third (34.1%) of these fatalities resulted from insufficient hand-washing alone. In 2014, it was estimated that 81% of the global population lacked proper hand hygiene resources, making them vulnerable to preventable infections and possible death. While this is a worldwide burden, low-income countries suffer from these easily preventable diseases most, specifically those in Africa.

In Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia, largely poor countries whose economies are based on agriculture, lack of money and infrastructure prevents the adequate storage and transport of fruit crops including oranges and mangos. Often, these fruits become spoiled by heat before they can be sold, resulting in large losses for those in the farming industry who cannot profit off their harvest. Yet, these “wasted” fruits hold incredible power, which would be harnessed by the “Sustainable Hygiene Program.”

By Olivia Kelly, Alexander Grant, Markeya Hall

Healthcare, Disease, & the World of Tomorrow

Although we may not agree on solutions, we all know healthcare is a problem. When this group of young students took on “Curing the Future” they did it without the constraints of politics, money, or even existing conditions. Their solutions ranged from personalized medicine to limiting the spread of infectious disease. In all cases, they presented solutions with the gift of really thinking outside the box.

THE STUDENTS PROPOSE:

Ensuring that all Americans have access to affordable healthcare through taxes and public programs
Breaking down barriers around the discussion of mental illness to facilitate diagnosis and treatment
Providing time-release dosage mechanisms for prescription drugs to help curb drug abuse

EXCERPT FROM: Healthcare, Is it too Expensive?

In today’s America, 1 in every 5 people cannot afford healthcare; yet in The Declaration of Independence, it is stated that everyone has the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. One is lead to wonder, then, how people can be expected to live and work, if they cannot even maintain their health.

By Abigail Smith, Charles Roberson, Charlotte Jannach, Schuyler Saint-Phard, Tomas Rosales, Tori Ramirez

Education, Innovation, & Equity

Technology has transformed much of the next generation into results-driven problem solvers. They see – and in fact, hold in their hands – keys to innovating and connecting faster and farther than their parents ever imagined. With this in mind, the students of Generation Now demand innovation – and rapid response – in improving education and combating inequality.

THE STUDENTS PROPOSE:

Providing government funded re-education of workers displaced by technology
Reworking or scrapping test-based classroom placement and focusing more on engagement
Ensuring teachers are engaged by requiring a background in relevant subject matter
Replacing textbooks with computers and tablets in all schools to create equality of education

EXCERPT FROM: Re-Education for Job Displacement

Increases in accessibility to existing resources on a national level will influence real change. The Americans who are displaced by automation and redundancy are largely those who are in the lower-income demographic. These individuals likely do not possess skills that are able to transfer from their current line of work to more complex work… The training for their future is vital. The current educational institutions are centered on the way that our current world functions. The training for adults who are removed from their positions and those who are unable to join a depleting industry is also incredibly important.

By Kelsey Carrick, Margaret Kelley, Grant Olson

Women and Global Leadership

Women are seen as collaborative, consensus-building, compassionate, and self-aware; suggesting they are well-positioned to take on complex global leadership roles – but to date, there is still a glass ceiling. The students who took on women and leadership searched for paths to empowerment and amplification of the female voice here and around the world.

THE STUDENTS PROPOSE:

Supporting women’s rights in the developing world through new schools for girls
Using popular platforms, such as social media, to empower women and inform the world
Ensuring equal pay for men and women by creating a government regulated task force to keep watch on corporations’ pay practices

EXCERPT FROM: Pathways to Power: Ekata

We need to educate women on the negative effects that their words have on one another. This issue is one of such importance that even Melania Trump has picked cyber bullying as her issue to work on as First Lady. We need to change the way women interact with one another. Now is the time!

By Lexy Ashford, Nina Marganti, Alyza Barnhouse, Georgia Chapman, Alexis Ayres

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Delegations for Change Winners | College

RACING EXTINCTION:

Self-Cleaning Concrete
Alia Elkady (Presenter), Jasmine Devenny

CURING THE FUTURE:

Sustainable Hygiene Program (SHYP)
Olivia Kelly (Presenter), Alexander Grant, Markeya Hall

A SMARTER PLANET:

Re-Education for Job Displacement
Margaret Kelley (Presenter), Grant Olson, Kelsey Carrick

Delegations for Change Winners | High School

DRONES, CLONES, & GENOMES:

Fire Flighters
Annie Podedworny, Arlin Vieira, Jonathan Schoolcraft, Kyra Smith, Travell White, Zachary Solomon

Drones are Becoming More and More Commercialized Every Day
Bryan Bennett, Jose Folgar, Jamieson Bell, Fiona Kincaid, Chinonso Morsindi, Jenelle Hanson

IMAGINING PEACE:

Conflict and Compromise in a Global Age
Blake Barclay, Colton Anderson, Konnor Halteman, Hailee Andrews, Isabella Chavez, Reid Burton, George Kaplanidis

Saving NATO
Morrison Bisbee, Parker Johnson, Pierre-Richard Baddoo, Savannah Davis, Salvatore Cesario, Joseph Yourkoski, Justin Hamilton

RACING EXTINCTION:

Racing Extinction
Annika Srivastava, Grayson Massenburg, Miles Moore, Valentina Irazabal, Savannah Nippa, Phoebe Lao

Water Conservation in San Diego
Cathryn Jones, Shay Neth, Samuel Escamilla, Nickhil Rawat, Madi Gawlinski, Sophie Lindley

CURING THE FUTURE:

Let’s Talk… about Mental Disorders
Ben Richards, Crystal Raines, Raven Washington, Victoria Wolan, Aman Srivastava, Andrea Venderby

Healthcare: Is it too Expensive?
Abigail Smith, Charles Roberson, Charlotte Jannach, Schuyler Saint-Phard, Tomas Rosales, Tori Ramirez

A SMARTER PLANET:

A Smarter Planet
Hannah Mollin, Amber Allen, Lawrence Veyberman, Luis Andrade, Kaylee Kembumbala, Analise Kruse

The Standards of Teachers
Simi Iluyomade, Stephanie Casting, Connor Voitus, Pablo Flower, Kaicey Pritts

PATHWAYS TO POWER:

Women in the Workplace
Tianna Green, Amanda Coy, Faith Limantono, Patricia Ashford, Sadie Hopkins, Sadie Dominguez

Pathways to Power: Ekata
Lexy Ashford, Nina Marganti, Alyza Barnhouse, Georgia Chapman, Alexis Ayres

Delegations for Change Winners | Middle School

DRONES, CLONES, & GENOMES:

Drone Safety / Drone Production
Victor Moreno, Anastasia Lerma, Andrew Keenan, Alyssa Lawson, Tristan Murray, Maria Jose Guerrero

IMAGINING PEACE:

How can the United States and Russia Work Together for Global Peace?
Michael Evrard-Vescio, Sergei Frazier, Sofia Posadas, Noah Wagner, Jeremia Gardiner, Jordyn Youngelson

RACING EXTINCTION:

The Ocean is Humans Most important Resource.
Jolie Brochu, Kiana Ejercito, Brittney Clemons, Paul Fiorenzo, Francesco Contreras

CURING THE FUTURE:

Prescription Drug Abuse
Daniela Oquendo, Alexis Tamon, Lea Thomas, Adam Oliveri, Grace Roberts, Ayusha Thapa

A SMARTER PLANET:

Education in the World is Very Limited and Needs to be Improved, Especially in the U.S.
Avery Winslow, Kimberly Ramos, Lexx Atwood, Ashley Hamilton, Gregory Green, Douglas Scealf

PATHWAYS TO POWER:

Women’s Equality
Maddy Vonins, Gabby Burgess, Julia Yohe, Elena Mitchell, Logan Russell, Alexis Vivanco, Ryleigh Resendiz

CLASSROOM CURRICULUM FOR TEACHERS

The rate of change in our society is outpacing our educational system, creating a gap that we can fill.

Our future leaders aspire for greatness but do not know how to achieve it. They feel disempowered and frustrated by work without direction. With this in mind, teachers, schools, and policy need to focus on one trait:

ENGAGEMENT

At Envision, we employed design thinking in each of our programs and noted in our Delegations for Change that students didn’t see left vs. right. They often don’t even see an aisle. They worked together in many cases to solve problems that affected everyone.

Envision is proud to offer access to select high-quality content and curriculum from Discovery Education, our educational content partner. Learn more at www.chasetheraceinschool.com.

HOMEWORK, FOR PARENTS

Parents need to look at the gap between an education system that was designed for the industrial economy and a reality that is digital – and dynamic. To bridge that gap, it will require the continued partnership of parents and innovative education companies, like ENVISION, to help steer students toward their passion and provide them with the skills they need to be nimble enough to adapt to the changing demands of our always evolving economy. We need to teach our children to think, create, innovate, and collaborate – which are functions that will never be automated.

WILL GENERATION NOW ANSWER THE CALL?

Each generation of citizenship has a calling. The 1920’s and 1930’s were about defeating fascism, the 1950’s and 1960’s about civil rights, and the 1990’s and 2000’s about gay rights. What will the 2020’s and 2030’s rally around?

This is a generation that will redefine what it means to be human, as genetic engineering and technology advance. The questions will switch from “can we” to “should we?”

THE MODERN MORAL COMPASS.

Science and technology now are redefining what it means to be human, what it means to have moral choice — both as a corporation and a person. Those questions must guide students, parents, and educators alike.

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