In this episode of Voices of Shaping Our Future, we had the pleasure of talking with Fiona, Dean, and Seth — a trio of participants from our “Shaping Our Future” event in May. We begin our discussion with Fiona and her thoughts on what it was like being a part of Shaping Our Future, the complications surrounding rank choice voting, and her expectations surrounding the minimum wage discussion — versus the talking points her group actually addressed. We then hear from Dean and learn about the civil discussions he took part in during the Shaping Our Future event, the controversy surrounding the economic inequality portion of the discussions, and how his group approached the idea of national service. And we end our discussion with Seth and his thoughts on the civilian climate corps and the concept of national service, the various economic inequality proposals that were discussed within his group, and the potential side effects of implementing a national universal basic income.
In May 2021, "Shaping Our Future" brought more than 600 young people together from across the country to discuss their insights on major societal issues our country is facing today. They discussed these issues in small groups, listened to panel experts offer their thoughts, and interacted with each other regardless of whether or not they agreed on the subject matter.
From the team that brought you Voices of America In One Room, this is Voices of Shaping Our Future.
Throughout this season, you’re going to hear from some of our “Shaping Our Future” online participants. In this episode, we meet Fiona, Dean, and Seth.
Fiona is a Psychology student at Lake Tahoe Community College in Lake Tahoe, CA. Admittedly someone who doesn’t know a lot about politics, she was eager to participate in the event when the opportunity presented itself so she could interact with others about the issues being discussed.
Dean is currently a sophomore at Harold Washington College in Chicago, IL. He hopes to eventually earn his bachelor’s degree in Economics, and is always on the lookout for opportunities to help him better his understanding of the world around him.
Seth works at an advertising start-up in Los Angeles, CA. Recruited for his current role while still in college, the 21-year-old is also a filmmaker and spends his free time volunteering. He is passionate about policy, and offered his insights on the various issues that were presented during the event.
The Voices of Shaping Our Future podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, and is hosted by Alice Siu. This series is executive produced by the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University, the Berggruen Institute, the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University, and Tobe Agency.
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