Oct. 11, 2040: You wake up to the sound of the television in the background; CNN is covering the 20th anniversary of the Israeli−Palestinian ceasefire. After breakfast, you walk out of the house to find your newly wedded neighbors, Mike and David, mowing their lawn. You step into your hydrogen−powered car and drive to the office, a wind−turbine company centered in Detroit.
Pinch yourself because this is not a dream — this could be your life in 2040.
Think 2040, a national initiative sponsored by the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network, is posing a question to our generation. What do the Millennials want to see happening in 2040?
As the only student−run think tank in the country, the Roosevelt Campus Network is a means for our generation to actively participate in civic discussions beyond simply phone banking or canvassing in the name of someone else's policies. Roosevelt is a vast resource that aids in the policy−writing process, as well as passing ideas on to those in Congress.
Think 2040 is a project within Roosevelt that is aimed at directly altering our future for the next 30 years. "For everything past generations said that was wrong, Think 2040 asks us to imagine a world where we get it right." What if everything we said would happen actually did happen — this is the world Think 2040 is trying to build. As our generation ages, we will gain more and more influence in society, but now is the time to start initiating change. Think to yourself: what is an issue that you are passionate about, an existing condition that you want to see changed? Now, think about how you will play a part in shaping that change. Whether you're passionate about the disparity between economic classes or government torture of prisoners, Think 2040 is an opportunity for you to enact that change you wish to see in our society.
Tonight from 7:30−9:00 p.m. in the Rabb Room of the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service's Lincoln Filene Center, the Tufts chapter of Roosevelt Institute Campus Network will be hosting our first Think 2040 Conversation that poses these very questions to students. You need not be worried about coming prepared for heated debate — no prior experience in policy writing or civic discourse is necessary. This is a forum for you to simply say what is on your mind. The purpose of this initial conversation will be to both brainstorm ideas as well as garner methods for implementing such initiatives. Roosevelt has both the know−how as well as the resources to draft the policies that will lay the framework for our future. Living on a college campus offers the best opportunities for our generation to be heard. And Think 2040 is striving to comprehensively represent the ideas held by every individual and student group at Tufts.
Regardless of our actions now, 2040 will be a Millennial America. The only question is whether it is one we are proud of. Come to our conversation, "share your vision" and let your voice be heard. You never know, your idea could be the one to change our future.
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