by LaunchProgress · December 31, 2013 1:20 PM

2013 was awesome.

1. LaunchProgress opened its doors this fall with three events in New York, DC, and Boston. We met and talked to over 400 young progressives dedicated to moving this country forward.
   
2. While all eyes were on governor’s races, we brought it back to the local, young electeds who are really laying the groundwork for progressive change in this country.
3. Then we got to hang out on HuffPost Live with ambitious young progressive leaders…
   
   and dreamy host Marc Lamont Hill.
   
4. Oh, have you seen our video
   
   Video by Daniel Schloss
5. We did a session at RootsCamp with ANC Commissioner Rory Slatko and met the next generation of America’s leaders.
   
6. We began putting pressure on the political establishment to start investing in young people running for office.
7. And we finished the year on a Millennials Top 10 in 2013 list…right next to Beyoncé. Thank you Generation Progress!

But our 2013 shout out goes to you—our volunteers and supporters. We are so grateful for all of your help. We know LaunchProgress wouldn’t be here without you.

Thank you for an amazing start. We can’t wait for what’s next and with your help, we know we can make it a game-changing, progressive year.

Cheers! Happy New Year!

Poy, Luke, and the LaunchProgress Team

by Evan Williamson · December 09, 2013 5:11 PM

For many Millennials, coming of age in the wake of the Great Recession made them fundamentally question the definition of “the good life.” America’s youngest generation of adults faces a crossroads in its professional development: will we seek the most lucrative opportunities available to us, or will we look beyond ourselves in an effort to derive something greater from our work?

In their article in the New York Times, Emily Esfahani Smith and Jennifer Aaker identify a pattern indicating that a great number of us have made that choice: more than our forebears, we are looking for a sense of meaning in our professional lives. Not happiness or advancement, (though we prize those as well, according to Pew) we seek meaning, or an affirmation of our individual “cognitive and emotional assessment of the degree to which we feel our lives have purpose, value and impact.” Not surprising from a generation of charitable givers and lifelong volunteers.

The authors rightly point out that the search for “meaning” is subjective by definition, but also note that we have begun fulfilling our promise to search for “other-oriented” work, gravitating towards healthcare and government work. Inevitably, in a generation hungry for meaningful work, public service and elective politics will be jobs in high demand.

At the same time, as Millennials begin to leave our impression on every sector of society, we must ensure that Millennial perspective permeates political debate. As Peter Beinart of the Daily Beast recently pointed out in an insightful article, this doesn’t just mean getting younger people into office; Millennials’ formative experiences with government have changed the playing field of electoral politics and left Millennials far more progressive than preceding generations. Millennial change will be progressive change, and Millennial leadership has to be progressive leadership.

Millennials stand ready to provide a fresh take on the way we confront common challenges. We need to foster the ethic of service identified by Emily Esfahani Smith and Jennifer Aaker, and help eager new progressives into elective office.

LaunchProgress is committed to opening the door for this idealist generation, and recognizes that Millennials will need to establish pathways to leadership through state and local office so that tomorrow’s leaders can begin serving today. Are you ready to join them?

We have a generation that stands ready to commit itself to a new ethic of public service. Join LaunchProgress and help the Millennial generation fulfill its promise.