BlueWaveNJ and Hudson County Young Democrats to Hold Forum Focusing on Millennials

Tuesday, May 15th

6:30 PM

Mercedes Studio at Jersey City Theatre Center

339-345 Newark Ave., Second Floor

Jersey City, NJ 07302

Concerned that millennials are underrepresented in the political process, BlueWaveNJ and the Hudson County Young Democrats will host “A Millennial Town Hall: a Forum to Assess the Policy and Development Needs of NJ Millennials,” on Wednesday, May 16 at 6:30, at the Merseles Studios at Jersey City Theatre Center 339-345 Newark Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jersey City, NJ 07302. Admission is free.

The Town Hall aims to address the needs and priorities of New Jersey millennials—generally considered to be young people in their twenties and thirties—by bringing them together with state policy stakeholders for a lively Q-and-A session. The goal of the meeting, which will give millennials an opportunity to communicate to policy-makers what it’s like to be young and in debt in the state, is to begin incorporating this generation’s unique challenges into existing policy proposals being put forth both at the state and local government levels.

Event organizer Koren Frankfort, BluewaveNJ Board Member and HCYD Community Outreach Coordinator, explains, “Millennials have been priced out of the political process.  It is our goal to get millennials in the room where the decisions are made in a fair and balanced fashion and to engage them in the political process.”

Student loan debt and affordability issues in NJ are two of the issues that will be addressed. While the state Assembly has passed and referred to the Senate an expansion of the tuition aid grant program to part-time students, and there are multiple bills in the state senate and assembly that will help current and future enrollees, millennials who have graduated with extensive debt continue to struggle without relief. In addition, housing development targeted towards young professionals is very expensive.

These issues, as well as others that surface from the meeting’s Q&A, will help pinpoint the research and policy initiatives necessary to help reverse the state’s brain drain and stimulate commerce within the country’s most economically-challenged age demographic.

About BlueWaveNJ
Established in 2005, BlueWaveNJ is a grassroots organization working to enact positive change in our community, state and nation by protecting and improving the rights, opportunities and quality of life of all people through legislative advocacy, public education on critical issues and community mobilization. Visit bluewavenj.org and connect with us on Facebook: /BlueWaveNJ and Twitter: @BlueWave_NJ.