Chapter 1 ©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 From the Reluctant Student to Passionate Proponent: How Youth Have Used Family Policy to Change the World

Chapter 1 Outline Reluctant Student or Passionate Proponent? © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Chapter 1 Outline Reluctant Student or Passionate Proponent? Are Families a Public Issue or a Private Matter? Why Is It That Family Policy Matters? What Difference Can You Make in Shaping Family Policy? How Likely Is It That Family Policy Will Shape Your Career and Life? How Can You Get Started?

Reluctant Student or Passionate Proponent? © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Reluctant Student or Passionate Proponent? Some students fail to see how studying family policy is important to their lives and careers. Sometimes reluctant students fall into a trap—the illusion of knowledge—and fail to see that success in family policy takes knowledge and skills. How can public policy contribute to families? What can families contribute to public policy?

Are Families a Public Issue or a Private Matter? © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Are Families a Public Issue or a Private Matter? Dominant culture in the United States places great value on families, yet upholds the individual as primary. Too much value placed on the individual can be detrimental to one’s personal and public life. Families are important because they are where people first learn how to relate to others and overcome self absorption. Family is primarily private; yet it is also publicly seen, politically contextualized, and a societal good.

Why Is It that Family Policy Matters? © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Why Is It that Family Policy Matters? Families are the building blocks of society. Public policy can support family functioning by shaping the environment in which families operate. Investments in keeping the family foundation strong today have been proven to pay back tomorrow.

What Difference Can You Make in Shaping Family Policy? © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 What Difference Can You Make in Shaping Family Policy? Politics should not be abandoned because it appears dirtied. New technology has changed the context of political action. Recent examples of young people in nonviolent political protest include: The Occupy Movement, 2011 Tea Party Movement, 2009 Collective Bargaining Protests, 2011 Egyptian Uprising, 2011 Civil Rights Movement Youth activism has power. “We want people to understand that young people weren’t just bystanders in the civil rights movement, they were pioneers.” Justin G. Reid (cited in Lohmann, 2013, para. 28)

How Likely Is It that Family Policy Will Shape Your Career and Life? © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 How Likely Is It that Family Policy Will Shape Your Career and Life? Family policy may shape your work life, whether you work directly to affect policy or not. Professionals often find their ability to deliver services constrained by policies that place families in harm’s way. Family policy works best when promoted by professionals who understand what it takes to make families work and who grasp how the public policy process works.

© Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 How Can You Get Started? Political activism often begins when you find yourself saying, “This isn’t right!” or “There ought to be a law!” Don’t allow excuses, difficulties, time, or money stymie you when responsible action is needed. Remember that change is hard, but when it seems hardest, there is often a clear and powerful reason to take action.