Despite the reality that so many social and economic issues are currently facing our country, young people are increasingly divorcing themselves from the political process. This is occurring despite concrete evidence of youth idealism and energy in other non-political areas. Indeed, the majority of young people in America care deeply about political issues like the economy, immigration, and gun violence. Yet, while over half of Millennials regularly volunteer, even more think that the best way to make positive change is through volunteering and charities – not through political action.

But politics, and political participation, still matters – it’s the best way to solve the pressing issues of our time, from the economy to immigration. And we are not teaching young people the knowledge and skills necessary to be active citizens. The recent focus on STEM education and focus on standardized testing of core subjects, while necessary in some respects, has largely pushed the discipline of civics out of the classroom. We are not teaching young people the importance of being politically engaged.

Most importantly, young people are receiving unequal civic learning opportunities, especially in rural, urban, and low-income schools. When compared with average socioeconomic status (SES) schools, low-income students are half as likely to study how laws are made, and 30% less likely to report having experiences with debates or panel discussions in social studies classes, while 60% of residents live in civic deserts, compared with 30% for urban and suburban residents. This reality has been coined as the “Civic Engagement Gap.” It should be noted that does not lead to young people being less likely to want to make a difference in their communities. But, on the whole, this civic opportunity gap leads to a lack of young people learning how to use the system to make change.