Sent every Tuesday

Hey y’all! It’s been a week since you heard from Ben in the last WYD newsletter on Election Day (though personally it feels like waaaay longer than that). He encouraged y’all to make your voices heard at the polls if you hadn’t already, and a week out from the election, I’m thrilled to report that young people did exactly that -- you cast your ballots by the millions and made an undeniable impact on the outcome of local, state, and national races.

You overcame so much to reach this moment, and not even a global health crisis could dim your power. Thank you for participating in this election season in whatever way you could -- whether that was through your voice, your vote, your relationships, or your protest. The work doesn’t stop here, and I’m confident that you’ll continue to keep those in power accountable for moving our country forward.

Let’s Do This!

Jackie

DoSomething Members Cast Their Ballots and Helped Power Record-Breaking Youth Voter Turnout

Despite every challenge thrown their way this year, more young people like you turned out to vote in the 2020 election than any other election since the 70s. It’s estimated that once all the votes are counted, national youth voter turnout will be between 53-56% (compared to 45% in 2016). The youth wave showed up in full force this year, overcoming a global pandemic and efforts to suppress young voters.

“First time voter alert! For so many years, I've been waiting for my chance to vote and today the day finally came,” says DoSomething member Emily, 18. “I wanted to use my voice to take action and make real change in the polls.”

Driven by motivating issues like climate change, racism, and the coronavirus pandemic, millions of young people cast their ballots. Young voters of color (particularly Black voters) powered President-elect Joe Biden’s win in several key battleground states, and it’s estimated that in states like Georgia and Arizona, Black and Latinx youth may have single-handedly made Biden competitive.

“I believe that if I have a voice then I should use it,” says DoSomething member Reneisha, 18. “My choice matters, and if I can say I at least tried to do the right thing then I accomplished something.”

If you need to get caught up on the results of the presidential election, understand all the post-election news, or access relevant mental health resources, check out our post-election explainer.

The DoSomething community has already saved 4,724 pounds of CO2 by traveling more sustainably through our Go There Greener campaign, powered by Chevrolet. DoSomething member Aric, 17, kept 4 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere by riding his bike for just one day. Help us reach our goal of collectively saving 10,000 pounds of CO2!

Another environmentally conscious playlist... from this DoSomething member who participated in our Shower Songs campaign for his school’s social responsibility month.

The official winners of Halloween… are Skylar and Langston, whose mom is Genisha, our Head of Campaigns. Langston channeled his inner Ali, and Skylar’s Naomi Osaka costume was noticed by the tennis champ herself!

“Your vote can move mountains”... that’s the message students spread through AP’s Civic Knowledge & Action Project, in collaboration with DoSomething.

This week in DoSomething dogs… DoSomething member Sara and her dog went for a walk to save CO2, and DoSomething member Kasey and her dog cast her ballot in the 2020 election.

More Amazing Impact From the DoSomething Community!

We asked you to brag about the amazing stuff you’re doing, and you did not disappoint. Here are some of our favorite answers from the DoSomething community. (Psst...submit yours here!)

“I received an award for my good grades at school, also I made some lunch boxes and with my family gave them to homeless people in the streets (with all the biosecurity measures).”

- DoSomething member Ana, 17, Ecuador

“I have decided to develop Young Leaders Voices, a project aiming to publish a series of interviews on key topics for young people, giving always two sides of the same story and trying to understand the complexity of today’s challenges from a great variety of perspectives. The first series of video interviews is called “Youth and Covid Talks” and it aims to share various ideas on how the current pandemic is affecting young people and how European and world’s leaders are protecting younger generations from its side effects.”

- DoSomething member Luca, 25, Italy

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