yr an adult doesn’t talk economic policy or political science very often. Which is dumb. Part of the reason new adults are so ambivalent about facing adulthood is because adult life in North America has gotten more difficult; There’s no jobs anywhere, Detroit has been reduced to a self-sustaining tire fire and no one has any money anymore. That’s why I was excited to interview Aaron Smith, co-founder of Young Invincibles, a DC-based non-profit that promotes policy on behalf of young people, as well as doing research, advocacy and education around young peoples’ issues. Aaron’s a Georgetown Law grad, who along with his peers, are working to make a difference for this generation. I spoke with him about what the impetus for starting the organization, what exactly are some of the obstacles facing our generation are and what the Young Invincibles are working on.
First off, if you could just give us a background about what Young Invincibles is?
We’re national, non-profit organization that works to expand opportunities for all young Americans, 18-34 years old. We work on issues ranging from the cost of higher education to youth unemployment to access to health care.
What were you doing before co-founding Young Invincibles?
I was a student at Georgetown Law School at the time, and it was that summer when the health care debate was really heating up. My friends and I basically felt like young people didn’t have enough of a voice in that process, so we started this little group and we never really anticipated it being a full-time thing. Basically, we were just running it out of the cafeteria at the school. And then it just took off.
