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Neely Center Promotes Civic Engagement as Key Partner in America in One Room: The Youth Vote

Neely Center Promotes Civic Engagement as Key Partner in America in One Room: The Youth Vote

Director Nathanael Fast contributes to the development of future ethical leaders at historic gathering of first-time voters in D.C.

by: Sabrina Skacan
07.19.24
Nathanael Fast speaking during a panel discussion

Neely Center Director Nathanael Fast will participate in America in One Room: The Youth Vote taking place July 19–22, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
[USC Photo]

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  • Nathanael Fast

    Nathanael Fast
    • Associate Professor of Management and Organization
    • Director of the Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making
    • Co-Director of the Psychology of Technology Institute

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Are GEN Z youth ready to lead in a polarized country?

That’s the goal as NATHANAEL FAST, director of the Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making, heads to Washington, D.C. for the AMERICA IN ONE ROOM: THE YOUTH VOTE on July 19–22, 2024.

“Ethical leadership is so critical right now, not only to address polarization but to meet the challenges and opportunities of future-shaping technologies like AI,” Fast said. “Our goal with this event is to ensure that Gen Z participants are informed about the important challenges our nation is facing as well as have the skills to go out and engage their communities.”

The Neely Center will partner with CLOSE UP, HELENA, THE GENERATION LAB, and DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY LAB at Stanford to host the four-day conference for 17- and 18-year olds. The historic gathering will bring together a nationally representative, scientific sample of 500 first-time voters from across the country to deliberate key policy issues facing the nation.

The students will discuss core issues related to healthcare, the economy, democracy, and the environment through Deliberative Polling®, a public opinion process developed by Professor James S. Fishkin of Stanford University. Individuals are first surveyed in a baseline poll on key topics and then again after participants have had in-depth discussions “deliberating” the issues. The resulting change in opinion by the representative sample would represent the conclusions of the general demographic.

For America in One Room: The Youth Vote, the results will provide a meaningful snapshot of what first-time voters think ahead of the election, when given the opportunity to deeply consider top issues in a carefully designed forum for engagement.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a theme that will cut across the deliberations. With fast-moving advancements, AI has the potential to impact all areas of society. Student participants will consider several proposals relevant to the ethical applications of AI, considering both how to push the technology forward while protecting society — especially young people — from harmful effects.

“The Neely Center brings our research-based expertise to help democratize the big decisions that are shaping the future, including issues around AI and other social concerns Gen Z will inherit,” Fast explained. “Should AI companies be allowed to use our personal data to train their models without permission? Questions like this need to be debated out in the open rather than decided quietly by a few powerful actors. Participants will gain tools to bring their voices into conversations with industry leaders and policy makers.”

This event is a response to the polarization we’re seeing across society and on our college campuses. Developing young leaders and their ability to engage in respectful dialogue across differences is exactly what our country needs right now.

— Nathanael Fast

Director of the Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making

The first America in One Room event in 2019, proved that entrenched partisanship among adults is surmountable when Americans, of any background, can engage in productive political dialogues. This year’s event takes those lessons learned to Gen Z with the directive to train them to bring the deliberative process back to their communities.

At the conference’s close, Fast will lead a session on leadership, including how student participants can build powerful networks and grow their influence, providing tips and advice about leadership and power that he regularly shares with executives.

“We want the participants to get fired up about building their networks and to think about what kind of leadership roles they want to play,” Fast said. “The goal is for these 500 Gen Zers, who represent the full political spectrum, to remain civically engaged and pay it forward to multiply the impact of what they experienced long beyond this single event.”

The America in One Room partner organizations hope the student participants will return home as “civic ambassadors,” ready to connect and deliberate with young people in their communities as they gather data on youth perspectives nationwide.

After the event, the partners will publish a report highlighting data from the conference detailing Gen Z priorities.

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