Sierra> A rising generation of voters are stepping up across South Carolina.

They're asking big questions, and they're demanding real answers tonight, voters from across South Carolina share what matters most to them this election season.

On this Palmetto Perspectives Education Special , Ready to Vote.

♪ ♪ ♪ Hello and welcome to Palmetto Perspectives , Ready to Vote, I'm Sierra Artemus.

As another election season approaches, young voters from across South Carolina are paying attention.

From the cost of education, to jobs, housing, foreign affairs and the issues shaping their communities.

Many are asking an important question, do our voices really matter?

Tonight's program is all about hearing directly from young voters.

We're sitting down for an honest talk about the issues that matter most to them, and why civic participation is becoming more important than ever.

This special conversation is a part of a partnership with "Be The Ones," an organization working to empower young people to get involved and make their voices heard.

And you can even add your voice in the mix on social media by following South Carolina ETV.

Now let's head over to our Ready to Vote moderator, Dylan Gunnels, who's leading the discussion.

> Thanks, Sierra.

I'm Dylan Gunnels, advocacy and community organizing director with "Be the Ones", a South Carolina based grassroots organization working to expand civic participation and support the rising generation of civic leaders.

I'm here with 14 young South Carolinians who represent communities across our state, from first time voters to campus leaders and community changemakers.

These are not just future leaders, they are leading right now.

Tonight is about hearing directly from them, as we explore what is at stake for young people and why their voices and participation on campuses, in communities, and at the polls deeply matter.

Let's get into it.

Hey, friends, how are we doing?

Everyone> Hey So tonight, we're here to talk about this thing called civic participation.

And we're really excited to learn more about what matters to you, why it matters to you, and for you really to share with folks why you're involved.

And so on that note, we're curious, what is it that shapes you, your background, your lived experiences, your family dynamics?

What's important to you and why, who are you?

Panelist 1> I'm from a small military town, in southeastern North Carolina.

I just came here for college.

So my dad was in the Marine Corps for 16 years.

Something that I think has really shaped who I am.

I also, grew up in a church background.

So I've been in and around, religious spheres my whole life.

And I've had the chance to, to go to private schools and stuff like that.

I'm aware that I have just a tinge of privilege.

But I think that has given me a lot of variety in how I see the world.

And I've been able to connect to a lot of different people through the different ways that I've been around.

Panelist 2> And, yes, my name is Danielle, and I am a current senior at the College of Charleston, studying in studio art.

I come from a small town in Spartanburg, South Carolina, even though it might not be small, but it's kind of big.

My background, I went to a all private charter Christian school, and I did have the privilege to go there, but once I explored my college life at CofC, I got into a lot of organizations that helped me for advocacy and also with my passion for our advocacy for the black community.

Panelist 3> I know what really draws me to civic participation is, I think, like curiosity.

I think I've always had a passion for learning.

And, the more you have a passion for learning about others, the more you care about, you know, their lives and what's happening in their lives and how we can make their lives better.

So whenever I'm thinking, you know, what do I want to do with the rest of my life?

And I'm thinking, I want to be curious.

I want to know what problems people are facing, and I want to know the solutions that we can bring to them.

Panelist 4> I'm Michael Weston.

I fully agree with Griffin, and that's actually what I do here in Charleston, in fact.

I tutor at the school, Saint Andrew's School of Math and Science.

I'm a literary advocate interventionist, so I'm really all about helping our students, especially our first to fifth grade cohort, help them get better at understanding literary devices, critical thinking, and really just combating the literary analysis crisis, I think our country is really dealing with right now.

Some other background about me, I'm also very involved in the Charleston Jazz Academy.

I also play three instruments, and I'm really about getting our voice out there.

And I really think that the country is experiencing a lot of existential crises right now.

I think civic engagement is definitely a hot-button topic that we need to explore, and fully unpack, in this discourse to the maximum degree.

I just, I feel really passionate about that.

It's just like breathing, you know, you don't think about it, but it's a very necessary process of really just our social contract, just in this whole, you know, in the American structure.

Panelist 5> The last four years, I've spent fighting book bans in public education in South Carolina.

And from there, I've gone around the country to speak on panels about how we can promote diversity in public educational materials because they're trying to get rid of it right now.

And so, I feel like the biggest things for kids in our generation is that our voices are not being heard.

Whether that means that the diverse materials aren't representing you anymore, or when you're a student like me and you go and try to speak out about it, they're not going to be as open to listening.

And so, that's the biggest thing that I've been combating.

And I think that is why it's so important that we listen to student voices and really try to get us out there, in any way we can.

♪ Guest 1> When I hear civic engagement, I think of a group of people getting together and working together to make a change.

Whether these people have the same views or differing views, coming together and making a compromise, advocating and making real change happen in the world.

Guest 2> I do think our voices are heard, but not in a very serious way.

Just more so like, okay, the kids are talking, you know, let them speak.

But I feel like, some of the things that we are concerned with don't really get recognition, which is disheartening.

Guest 3> I know a lot of people of my age that just don't care about politics, which I think is not a good thing.

People need to start caring more and then maybe they will, we will be more heard if we as a group start sharing our thoughts more instead of just, it doesn't affect me, so why should I care?

That's not a good thing to believe.

♪ Dylan> Let's talk language a little bit and some definitions.

When you hear the term civic engagement, what does that mean to you?

How do, how are you civically engaged?

Panelist 6> I think civic engagement is really knowing what's going on in your community.

It's being involved in your community.

And more than anything, it's having decision making about the leaders and the people who make decisions in your community.

That looks like voting, that looks like canvassing, that looks like getting involved in any campaign election, or even running for office yourself.

It's about ultimately competition and ensuring that the people in communities are heard.

Panelist 7> I think tagging on to that, another huge part of civic engagement is making sure that you're getting involved in the community at that ground level.

I love getting involved, going to protest, going to rallies, really seeing everything that's going on in the ground to push for things to be better at that civic level, outside of just like the legislature.

Dylan> Yeah, you were going to say something?

Panelist 5> I was just going to say, when I was telling my friends, I was going to be doing this, They're like, "what is civic engagement besides voting?"

And I feel like something that we really came to was just like, any way you can connect with, like, not just the government, but just our community as a whole, was a thing.

And so we were trying to like, brainstorm ideas.

And I was like, you can go public speaking, go to the protests, you could write letters.

We do that at my school, we write letters to all the public officials or to school librarians, things like that.

Just any way you can connect with people is just another form of civic engagement.

Panelist 8> For me, a really important part of civic engagement is like the educational piece to it all, cause I think there is a big gap in just overall conversations like these, but conversations in general, we're talking about big issues and how civic engagement is important.

I think civic engagement comes to me kind of easier because I was doing it like in elementary and was doing it in middle school and like high school, and I had the privilege of being on a robotics team, which is like so out of left field for me.

But we were like really focusing on supporting our community and specifically STEM education and STEAM education at young ages.

And that really inspired me to always be a part and like, be aware of what's happening in like different neighborhoods in my community, to the people, like, what they're struggling with, what's happening with them.

And when I came to college, I kind of wanted to do the same thing.

I'm from North Carolina, so I was like, what's happening in South Carolina?

Like, I need to know who my representatives are.

I need to know what laws, because it is different.

And I think that was something that I didn't anticipate as much because I'm like, "They're both Carolina, like, it's fine."

But, I think I've had such a good experience being able to feel like I've made a community in both North and South Carolina, and being able to have an impact in both.

So yeah.

Panelist 9> Going off what you said to me, civic engagement is really, like, understanding each other.

So as being from out of state, coming to South Carolina, it's finding like this whole different community in a way.

But I feel like, all of us have bonded, that we wanna help each other.

And the number one thing we all know is listening to each other.

So I think when you look at civic engagement, when you wanna make a difference, it's really listening to what the community needs and how you can best help them, given that each community is different.

Dylan> So I love that you just said that and I want to pull us in that direction if that's okay, because all of you in some way, that answered that question said something about community, each other, we, there was a lot of we and us language in that.

And so are you telling me that civic engagement is not just about your vote or your issue, but maybe there's a collective in this?

Panelist 6> I'd like to add to this.

It's absolutely about a collective.

Everyone is the culmination of what they've experienced in life.

For example, I come from a single parent household, in rural South Carolina.

You know, opportunities are kind of rare for a lot of people around my area.

And you have to remember where you came from.

You have to remember the experiences of people around you, of who you grew up with, of different perspectives, and recognize how you benefited from that and how you can give back to those people, and how you can make sure that these people who have given so much to you, feel appreciated when you enter, the civic life.

Panelist 10> I think another big component is, just empathy.

I think it's something that a, like our generation, specifically younger people, it's really like lacking as a result of a lot of stigmas and social media and stereotypes.

And for me, it is like personal and connecting it back to how do your personal experiences affect you personally, and then how does that go into you not having like a single minded perspective and thinking about how you, it's not just about one, it's about the collective and how that affects the people that you care about.

It affects the people that you did grow up with and who have brought you to the place that you are today.

Panelist 7> One thing that is a hallmark of who I am and who I try to share with everybody in my life and everybody that I meet, is that we have to start becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable and having those important conversations, because the only way that we learn to move forward from the position where we are is by understanding each other.

There's, that's probably of the utmost importance out of everything else.

Panelist 11> The cost of community is your convenience or I should, I say you're an inconvenience.

And a big part of that is this idea that all of our voices are here in this moment, and we came from different backgrounds, even just through this day.

How we showed up today.

We had different ideas, we had different things going on that probably told us, "Oh, I don't have to show up tonight" or "I don't have to show up to this, my whole self," but your whole self showing up to any space is the treasure in a sense that the world needs right now.

And a lot of the times the generations before us, probably look at us like we don't care about these issues or we're just letting things pass us by.

But it's not true and that shows, by the way we show up today, and the generations behind us are also looking up to us to see how to move forward.

So it's important that we continue to utilize our voices as a unit, but also understand that yes, you will always carry your personal part with you, but always leaving the door open to put somebody else's story alongside of yours.

Panelist 12> A lot of people are also scared to share their opinions because of maybe their parents or a family from the older generation have, like, different views.

And so they get scared and hesitate to share their own opinions.

And that also has something to do with the civic engagement.

Because if somebody is scared to share their own opinion, that's not really being engaged in civic engagement, you know what I mean?

And yeah.

Panelist 9> And kinda going off of what both of you said when I was coming to the College of Charleston, a mentor of mine told me that I needed to make sure that I actively listen.

Cause what she said is a lot of people, you know, we all love to talk, but I think we focus so much on what we're saying as the next thing, that we don't stop and listen to people.

And I feel like since coming to College of Charleston and meeting so many diverse people that I've been able to actually like fully, actively listen to their stories and hearing where they're coming from.

So when we do disagree, I see like what we have in common and how like we do have the same goals, just how can we accomplish it together?

Panelist 13> I definitely do agree with you that it's very, very important to listen.

A lot of things can get, kind of, overlooked at times, especially that we have so much history that we can look at, and it's important to look at it so we can avoid history kind of repeating itself.

Dylan> Well, that's a good segue.

Why don't we take this moment where folks are watching and let's talk about the issues, all of you, along the bounds of that conversation around civic engagement, said the word issue or the things that matter to you.

So what are those things?

Talk to us about, what are some of the things that are driving you to be involved and why?

I think that matters.

Panelist 8> An issue that's really important to me is reproductive rights and reproductive justice.

And as I talked about earlier, my shift from like North Carolina to South Carolina, part of that shift was the shift and my, like, rights to healthcare and access to healthcare.

North Carolina versus South Carolina has a little bit of a longer ban than South Carolina does.

And right now, South Carolina's in the process of considering much shorter than their already six week ban.

And that was honestly, like really jarring and kind of scary for me as a young woman, because, I come from a family who's in health care and science is very important to us and different things like that.

And so is my future, and so is my choice.

Finding ways to educate other students on campus, give them resources, give them someone to talk to is so important to me, especially in today's day and age and especially in a southern state.

Panelist 1> If I may add on to that, the education piece, I want to teach.

That's kind of the end goal for me.

And I'm currently in, the Foundations of Education course at the College of Charleston.

And one of the things we just looked at is what the goals of education should be.

It's kinda like the great debate among school teachers, and what the end goal should be.

And we talked about, a portion of our chapter this past week was, was talking about, sexual education, and stuff like that.

And there was a statistic, actually, I believe it was from Planned Parenthood, that 39 states in the country have allowances for sexual education, in their curriculum, but none of them have any actual standard for medical accuracy or anything like that.

So I do think, on that topic specifically and just in general, I think that we're scared to have conversations about history.

That was mentioned a minute ago.

Just civic engagement requires understanding of how civics has progressed.

And I think that includes both American history and history more broadly.

I think that we can look at that, look more closely at how we're teaching our kids, to retain information.

But also how we're teaching them to discuss information, and how we can get them involved, with things like that.

Panelist 5> One of the biggest issues to me, is how little we're teaching our students, especially in South Carolina, and the divides within what schools are accessing what materials.

Because one of the biggest things that I've seen is that private schools are getting much more materials than public schools are, and then certain public schools are getting more materials than other public schools are, depending on where that school is and whether or not it's an affluent city or a part region of that city that it's in.

An example of this is the voucher bill that's been going on in South Carolina.

But then we can also look at the fact that South Carolina has one of the lowest educational rates in the country, and we need to educate our students so that they're able to have conversations like these, because all of us are smart enough to hold these conversations and listen to different perspectives, but other students are not.

And so we're not being taught to understand our history.

That's being seen when AP African American Studies was banned two years ago, and now kids can't take that class, or it's being seen when all of our math curriculums our psychology curriculums, our science curriculums are being completely changed to take out information that they think is too hard or we shouldn't learn, and then not telling us what we are losing.

And so we need to reimagine the public education system and make sure people aren't being taken away from what they have a right to learn, because some people aren't going to be going to college or they're not going to be fighting for this, like higher education, whatever.

And you need to make sure that when they are in school, they're given all the resources that they need, because then they can see what, what everything they can do with their life and how they can interact with people on a much better level.

Panelist 4> You can just see the news.

I mean, teachers are quitting at alarming rates.

That tells you there's a serious deep rot in the profession.

And it's not even, it's not the teacher's fault.

I think it's just the environment.

It's the social media, it's the AI, which is creating an existential issue with all of this.

And it's really drawing all this out.

I only have a front-line perspective with the students.

I get to hear their insights with reading partners, as a tutor, as an educator.

And hearing what they say, I mean, it kind of scares me.

The kids are concerned and some of them are even talking about politics and now the gas prices are so high.

They talk about AI and the influence of AI.

You know, they're always saying memes like six-seven, which I mean, we're guilty too of that.

But it's a critical thinking crisis, and we have to try to rectify.

And how do we do that?

Well, it's civic engagement, got to target the source of the issue.

The older people, the older generations, those are the people that erect the legislation and the laws that we are subject to.

We're the stakeholders in this reality.

We need to target them because we're going to be living on this planet for the next 60 years, and some of them are going in like the next 10 or 20 years.

And it's very unfair contrast.

We need to try to resolve this.

We need to try to fix this because we have the momentum, we have the power, we just have to care and want to get out there and do something about it.

That's why this movement, this Ready to Vote is so, so popular and why it's so impactful.

Dylan> I'm hearing a lot of the next generation.

We're going to talk about that tonight too.

Panelist 7> I would just like to add on too.

As someone who is an education major and like, is on the ground with these kids, as someone who has younger siblings, just from a different perspective on, like, the gap between education, I worry a lot about these kids not being able to get personal with the issues that are currently presenting themselves.

As someone who is of mixed race, is a woman who has had religious battles, who has had numerous mental health battles, all these things, who has friends who were impacted by immigration and all these huge issues.

It didn't dawn on me until I started to get into college, how personal all these issues were to me and how they impact me and how they impact my family, my friends, my future, all of this stuff.

So I feel like the more that we let that gap widen, the more dangerous our society becomes, because these kids are going to sit here and they have this idea that, you know, this doesn't attribute to me, this doesn't happen to me, this doesn't have anything to do with my family.

But once they're actually faced with these issues head on, it becomes a lot harder to navigate them if you don't speak up and you don't get your voice out there and you don't have those tough conversations with other people.

So I think it's really important that we start having kids get acquainted with this stuff way before, just when they get to college, and they take those women's and gender studies courses and, you know, they get into history and they learn about all of these, you know, things that have happened in our past in order to prevent them in our future.

That needs to start way ahead of just college.

Panelist 3> You mentioned some of the battles that you've gone through.

And quite frankly, those aren't battles that I've necessarily gone through.

And I think that's where a lot of young people struggle in politics.

I think a lot of people think that just because it doesn't "affect them," that they don't need to care about it.

And I know myself as a white, straight male, it could be very easy for me to just not care about a lot of issues that a lot of different communities are facing.

So, maybe it's not my battle, but it's still gonna be our war.

All these problems are interconnected, and no matter what anyone says, they're affecting us.

So I think it's very important for people to recognize that just because it doesn't feel like it's affecting you, just cause it doesn't feel like it's affecting the people around you, it's affecting someone.

And if it's affecting someone, then we should care.

Panelist 2> I'm very passionate about, contemporary art and how people express the way culture identity is like, you know, seen within the community.

And a lot of issues that I look upon is how museums are now beginning to sensitize contemporary art and how people express how their community is in general.

In my own practice, I focus on the joys in life, usually within my culture, we in art, they bond over struggle or trauma.

But I try to look about the joys in life for like communication, vulnerability and just the connection between people.

Some of my pieces talk about, like, the connection as a metaphorical boundary for people to either talk about issues at a table or just sharing a meal with someone.

And those are experiences we share among anyone.

It doesn't matter like, what race you are, where you're from, your background.

We all have those experiences where we want to share our history without being sensitized.

Panelist 6> I wanted to touch on a different issue that I think coincides with a lot of what's been spoken about today, the affordability crisis.

We've spoken about education, gas prices, but, a child at school cannot learn if they're hungry, cannot learn if they're worried about where they're living.

And we have not seen in the last 50, 100 years wages increase with the level of inflation.

We've seen the wealth divide in America only increase with the top 1% and the rest of us.

And I personally came from a town where there were kids who were hungry at school.

There were kids who didn't know where they were sleeping.

And that's heartbreaking.

I have the opportunity to go to college.

I have the privilege to be here to pursue higher education and in a way, pursue a different life than many people that I come from have the opportunity to pursue.

And it's incredibly important to remember those people who struggle, who live and struggle every day and try to make the most out of life and simply can't afford to live today.

Panelist 4> To Griffin's point, this is why we've seen the California inferno unfolding with warehouse fires, which is absolutely an incendiary, explosive retaliation of that fact, of the affordability crisis which is looming and affecting everybody.

The proletariat, the working class versus the bourgeoisie, the really rich people, which these issues don't really affect.

Us, the young people, we need to confront them.

I feel like this country is dealing with so much civil unrest, even with Alex Pretti, ICE Minnesota shootings.

It's so politically charged, the atmosphere's so galvanized.

We really, really, really, really need to do something about these issues.

I mean, I think talking about them is the first step, but there has to be some sort of tangible action to follow-up.

Other than that, just check-in with YouTube video, just another passive view and nothing actually amounts from it.

And then this crisis looms and then more things happen.

That was a breaking point, it was a tipping point.

So we need to target the legislation.

We need to target the actors, the political actors.

Dylan> I want to talk about these folks that y'all keep talking about a little bit more, if that's okay.

Then let's talk about power.

The folks who hold it and, how you feel like you're able to make a difference in it.

And particularly, you know, we've been talking about civic engagement in the broad stroke, and you're talking about 100 different things that you can do that could be considered civic engagement.

But let's go now to voting.

Where does voting fit into civic engagement for you all, as young people?

I know some folks in the room right now are in high school.

Talk to us a little bit about your relationship with voting and what that looks like right now.

Panelist 9> So, I recently registered to vote, actually, when I came to college, but back in November of 2024, and the presidential election, I worked as an assistant election poll manager, and I remember I was 17, so I couldn't even vote then, but I just, I remember this girl, she walked in and she had just been granted like citizenship.

And this was like her first time ever voting.

And I just I will never forget after she casted her vote, just how excited she was, she was like, I never had this opportunity before.

And I guess being 17, just seeing that, cause I feel like all of us can, we know someone who just doesn't believe their vote counts.

We know people who just view it as this routine kind of work, but just seeing that and having that experience just really made me realize how much and how big of an opportunity we all have.

And it's one that we have to keep doing.

Panelist 13> I am, just turned freshly 18, so I will be voting for the first time, but I am the first person in my family to be able to vote to have that privilege, to put my little, you know, piece of rice in the sand, to be able to vote and see if it matters.

I know sometimes it's, you know, really obvious to feel that our votes get really lost with everything that's happening and a lot of things that are being moved politically, but I think it's really, really important.

So I'm really excited to be able to get this opportunity to vote and hopefully make a difference.

I know that's not only the only form of change that I can make, but I'm hoping that it's the first step to really making a change.

Panelist 5> I agree, I'm voting for the first time as well this fall.

And I was raised by a family where we would get there at like 7 a.m.

with a box of donuts, waiting in line.

Like, my parents were so excited, my mom would cry.

We'd collect the stickers, like, it's a whole thing.

But I think the hardest thing, at least as a high schooler that I've noticed, is that we can't vote until pretty much right when we graduate.

Or maybe you voted in the last election your senior year, but as being someone who can't vote but also can see everything that's going on, it feels like you're being ignored.

And what can you do until you turn 18?

So I feel like it's very momentous that I'm able to do this and able to vote this election.

But also, how can we help the younger kids who can't vote quite yet and maybe aren't seen as not intelligent enough, but like, not able to help in some way, if that makes sense?

Panelist 6> I'd like to say that voting is, the bare minimum and very important.

It is the first step.

And, I come from a community where realistically, most folks aren't voting.

They might vote for the presidential election.

My family votes probably exclusively for presidential elections.

And you know what?

That's not their fault.

It's not my community's fault.

It's not people who don't vote's fault.

It's the fault of gerrymandering of the processes and systems that have robbed people's voices.

For example, in my county, almost every single race, every single year for a county position, a town position, mayor, is only Republicans, only Republican parties.

And the Republican primary decides who wins that election.

They are uncontested, and for many folks, there's no point in voting.

They know who's gonna win.

They know who's gonna win way before those polls even open.

Panelist 3> So I was eligible to vote in this past election, this year.

And obviously, this was a transitional year.

And, it was only about three city council members up on my ballot back in North Carolina.

But, I registered for my absentee ballot maybe three weeks before the election, and I didn't get it until the day before it was supposed to be sent back in.

And in that time, I was supposed to print out a picture of my ID, find two witnesses, and get my ballot notarized.

I was not able to submit my ballot, and I was not able to vote for the first time.

So I will be voting for the first time in this upcoming midterms.

That is ridiculous.

That I move away for college and voting is that difficult, and it's looking like it's gonna become even more difficult.

So once again, it's not necessarily the fault of the people who aren't voting.

It's the system.

It's a systematic issue.

Panelist 1> The concept I think that almost has driven this for years is the fact that we've somehow made politician a job title, like we've made politics a job, and in doing so, we've made like the average citizen, a consumer of the political service rather than us being the ones driving what's happening.

Like, there doesn't feel like there's any more, like the civilian has control over what is happening in their offices.

We sit back and we're like, yeah, you can call your representatives, but how much control do you really have over your representatives?

I'm not saying we should have them like marionettes on strings, but I think it's, I think we've somehow managed to make the concept of voting and civic engagement, and politics as a whole, into, almost a task.

Rather than the right and privilege that it is that we have in America because it is so valuable.

And that's why we were founded in the way we were, because we wanted to make that valuable.

And obviously we've had to make, changes to make that value something that's accessible to everybody.

And that's still something that we are working on actively.

But I think to that, like we've, we've made it such an ordeal to get your voice heard and that's, that is absurd.

You're right, that's crazy.

Panelist 7> And I feel like this leads to a bigger issue, which I've been subjected to myself, where it like, there's this culmination of a domino effect where the issue doesn't become, rather than the fact that one person doesn't believe that their vote matters, but rather that there's so many people that believe their vote doesn't matter.

That, that prevents any actual effective change being made.

I know that personally, a whole bunch of people in my life, not necessarily my family or anything, but shockingly, professors, teachers, mentors, all of those people.

They have made me feel like I believe that my vote didn't matter.

So at the age of 21, for the very first time, even though I'd been registered for years since I first left high school, I'm going to be voting in the upcoming elections cause I'm just getting to this point where I realize that, you know, once people step into their power, like we're all doing by just being here, and they realize that, you know, it's not just one vote that makes that wave, but a collection of those votes toward the changes that they want to see.

That's where, you know, actual progress becomes made.

Panelist 10> You know, I just want to go back to a point.

We brought up gerrymandering, and we have been seeing the deliberate manipulation of district maps, to push elections and to really, manipulate the system.

And I think it should really go back to, gerrymandering of school districts.

I recently did research in a small project on this, and we've all been talking a lot about, like, the education piece of it.

And I think a big problem that we're seeing with young people, especially, is the education part of just understanding voting and understanding the impact that it has on a larger level.

Because with the gerrymandering of school districts, we see how resources are, placed in different areas for, multiple different factors that are completely unfair.

And one of the things I touched on was, the independence of districting commissions, and how we need to make sure that whenever our school districts are being, assembled and like, put together, that they're being based on, like, factual information, not just a bunch of different factors based on, like, individuals and like race and income disparity and things like that, because it all comes down to the education piece and how we're informing younger people on how to vote, the importance of it, and also how it just affects everyone individually around you.

Back to like the empathy piece I was talking about earlier.

Panelist 13> Like I mentioned earlier, since I was the first person in my family to be able to vote.

I didn't know how to register myself to vote until just recently.

I didn't know how to go about all of that because I am the first person and it's not really talked about in our community, nor in school.

I didn't know how to go about it, so I had to go on to TikTok to really get the information, to know.

So since really schools and education are kind of lacking that, it's, we're kinda, young people like me have to go out and look for other sources.

When it I shouldn't be doing that.

I shouldn't be having to go to TikTok to look how to register myself to vote.

It should be taught in school, in my history class.

Panelist 12> I think we should really teach young folks to really analyze what they think and their opinions, because that could really change somebody else's life.

As right now, with immigration and all that stuff.

There's a lot of people who don't agree with it, and some people who do agree with it.

And I think people should really educate themselves and learn new things, maybe a new perspective to look at it from.

Panelist 4> The immigration community, they're still affected by all these issues that contribute to our economy, and they're still affected by all these issues.

And here's the kicker they can't vote, but they can still be leaders in their communities even though they can't.

Which makes, it makes it more paramount.

It makes it even more important because you don't, you can't vote.

You can't vote because you're not a citizen till the government decides, you know, so you have even more leverage.

And it's just more important for even them to go out there in their communities and be even more involved in motivating people to go out and vote.

So I think that's, that's kind of the hidden engine of our democracy, and some of it's still functioning components.

I like to call it a "demockracy" like a mockingbird.

M-O-C-K.

It's just a mockery of it.

I don't think we live in a functioning real democracy anymore.

It's more of like a corporate oligarchy, or it's like a few in control, allotting decisions for everyone else.

Dylan> Go back here, and then I want to talk about TikTok.

[laughter] Panelist 10> I'm sure we all do.

But I just want to touch on the immigration piece.

America is built off the backs of immigrants.

And I was just talking to someone about this other day, but I don't think people really think about the missed opportunity we have with not giving people who come to this country looking for a better life, with good intentions, with good backgrounds.

We're missing an opportunity to give them an education.

These are people, like he were saying, who are leaders in the community but cannot hold an official position.

And that is a problem because we have officials that we don't want in office that we can't get out of office, it seems like because we're trying to get the vote out.

But there are people in communities that are here who have come here with the sole intention of making a better life and making the world better with their own skills and just thinking of like, the minds and what it takes to come to a new country, learn a new language, take on new jobs, take on new opportunities.

Just imagine what these people could accomplish with an actual education and how different our country would look if we gave them respect and attention to them.

Panelist 13> One final point that I would like to touch on what he said.

Also coming from an immigrant background, I think it's really important to just really look at all the things that these immigrants are doing for this country.

Like he said, America is built off of immigrants.

And I know a topic that I would like to touch on is that a lot of immigrants, including my family, pays taxes.

They pay all these taxes, they don't get any benefits from them.

They don't get stamps.

They don't get any tax files back, any money back at the end of the year because they simply can't.

But apart from that, my parents still file taxes.

All my family files taxes, even though they get no benefits from it.

They can't vote, they can't make anything.

Their voices are not heard in this country, but even then they still contribute and, you know, continue to help everybody in this country.

So I think it's something that especially in these times right now, it's really, really, really, really controversial, on immigration at the moment.

So it's just, you know, the things that like, are being said about us, you know, really trying, people are trying to kick us out.

Everything that's going on is just, it's truly sad.

Honestly, in my opinion.

Panelist 7> I would just like to add on to that just one thing.

There's this culminating fear of the other, not just in terms of immigration, but as a society in general.

And you can't say every voice matters without including every voice.

♪ Guest 4> In this upcoming election, I think that, the issue that I would say matters the most to me is just kind of the general unrest going on in our society.

There's a lot of immigration unrest, a lot of, you know, disagreements as far as the economic stability of, you know, what we're going through right now, these inflation and just lots of wars, a lot of things going on.

I think that a lot of things need to be addressed right now.

But what matters most to me probably is just how chaotic it feels right now.

And I think that, that kind of can go into a lot of different sectors of the world right now.

Guest 5> The issues that matter most to me and why are, particularly with education and funding.

As a young college student, I'm always looking for the next opportunity for higher education and obviously funding for those things and then funding for housing and stuff like that as I enter into like adulthood and stuff like that.

Guest 6> I would say the biggest ones for me are definitely like the economy as well as the housing market and mortgage rates.

For like our generation coming up, we aren't really able, we don't have capacity to buy houses.

Just because of the mortgage rates and what they are right now, and also the economy, just how expensive everything is as a young adult.

♪ Dylan> I just want to kinda, these are not questions more I just want to kind of summarize what I'm hearing and make sure that's true, that we all agree that voting is important.

Is that what I'm hearing from this group?

Everyone> Yes!

We all agree that civic engagement is not just voting, <Yes> that's what I'm hearing, okay.

And there's a lot of other ways to be involved.

But voting is still important.

Everyone> Yes Dylan> Okay, okay.

And power affects us all.

Everyone> Yes.

Dylan> I think we all said that, okay.

So I want to land the plane here getting creative.

You know, at "Be The Ones," we talk a lot about that.

Like how can we spark creativity and joy around the process.

So we've done a lot of like the [exhales].

Like, let's take a breath.

We talked about the issues, we talked about heavy stuff.

we talked about barriers and frustration.

Let's make it your world now, in this space.

This is your opportunity to create what you want things to be like and look like for a group of people who are hopefully watching this for a long time in the state of South Carolina and are going to hear it.

So my question to you is that and it came from TikTok and that thought, I know, but truly, is that, you know, I'm an elder millennial, [laughter] and so I'm a little older in this group, but you all and I say you all in that broad stroke of have, use so much creativity and social media and, and different forms of relational activism and relational organizing.

And so I would love to hear from y'all.

And we would love to hear from y'all around that.

What are the ways that you're getting creative around civic engagement and education?

What are the ways that you're overcoming things that you're facing, with the resources and tools that you had that we didn't before, like TikTok and other avenues.

So how are you getting creative and making this your own pocket?

Panelist 5> Again, one of the things I've done is a lot on education and fighting book bans.

And so we've been doing book drives for Title I elementary schools around Charleston County, and we, this was last year, for Christmas time we posted about it on our like Instagram page.

And we're like, we're doing a book drive.

It was really just to go to kids in our school and be like, you can get community service if you donate, used books.

And we had, I had this, librarian DM me on Instagram and she's like, "Hey, I have 300 books.

Can I bring them to your school?

Donate it to you guys, so you guys can bring it to the teddy bear picnics that we do," which is when we read to mainly Title I elementary schoolers and then put them in Little Free Libraries and then donate the rest of them to specifically Pinehurst Elementary School.

And so that was something really fun and just a great way we could use social media, because I just expected to connect with a couple high schoolers and be like, y'all probably have used books, you're about to move out for college, give it to me.

And instead I got someone I've never met before, and she was able to make a much larger impact than she might ever realize.

And so I thought that was amazing.

Panelist 9> So within a couple, like, months of being at the college, working with "Be The Ones", Luke and I, got to go to a local elementary school and we were kind of like just doing, not necessarily like a mock voting, but it was showing younger kids how to fill out, like, a ballot and then letting them like, actually place and like vote and it was funny kind of seeing their answers, like some kids wanted more pools or more pizza.

And it was just like, it was something kind of lighthearted.

But I felt like that was, it just kind of showed me that you can start at any age, helping to serve your community.

And it felt like once we really showed them what matters and seeing how they can use their voice, that was just really impactful to me.

So I feel like we talk a lot about us, our age, but we also don't talk about like the younger generations, how we can kind of start helping them ease into getting involved.

Panelist 10> One of the best ways for young people, children, people our age, people who are teenagers in high school, middle school, to have their voices heard and to have new perspectives and learn about different stories, is through the arts.

I have a background in theater, and I rave about it and talk about the importance of it, but really getting younger people into these spaces where they have the opportunity to step into other people's shoes and completely transform and learn about different stories and different perspectives, gives them one, the ability to engage in critical thinking, which is essential to understand all the topics that we're talking about.

But two, it's just, an opportunity for them to expand their imagination.

We're talking about TikTok, and TikTok is a great way for us to stay engaged and connect with one another.

But social media is also, really putting a cloud around kids imaginations and their creativity.

I think that's a big piece of it, is that we're losing that light in a lot of young people, and that's what fuels these passions that we're all a part of.

I know for me, theater was something that just opened me up more and like, got me more excited to talk to people and to go into new spaces and meet new people.

So, for me, it's really the arts is just such an essential part of it to me.

And, fighting for funding, fighting for spaces that arts can be, uplifted for these young people.

Panelist 1> We have a tendency to underestimate the capacity of younger people to be put in the shoes of the things that they're stepping into.

And I think that, that giving them ballots to fill out, whether it be about pools, it gives them the chance to experience something that will soon be about their future and their country, and their state, and their families, and the people that are around them.

We can expect big things out of kids because teacher expectations influence student outcomes.

If I can look at you and say, I know that you can do great things, I'm going to give you the opportunity to do them.

Kids are willing to step up.

We all have taken the opportunity to step up in that way.

And I think that an organization like "Be the Ones" and South Carolina ETV working together to make something like this, I think is an example of the fact that if you give young people the opportunity, they will make something great out of it.

Panelist 11> I'd also like to add, creativity is something that sparks every happy bone in my body.

So for where I work, because I am removed from the world of the Academy now, I have become an adult and work and pay taxes like we've talked about earlier.

And what we do at "Metanoia" focuses a lot on being creative and how we meet people where they are.

So I was a big contributor to what we call now, "Reynolds Homecoming," which once was "Build a Better Block."

And it's all about community engagement and civic activation.

So we have all people, it's not just young people able to vote and interact with different activations, to tell our representatives what it is we're looking for in our city.

Metanoia is in the Macon area, also Chicorra Cherokee neighborhood, which is a part of North Charleston.

And it's often an overlooked community that people don't see.

But people are now fleeing to, because of how accessible it is to downtown Charleston.

And I'm learning that people care more about the space, that how it can benefit them as being accessible, more so than how can they invest in this space.

And we are the disruptors of that.

We show up regularly at our community council meetings and listen to what other nonprofit's are talking about, but also making it important to amplify all the voices that are speaking, no matter the age, a big, another part of that was, we spent the past year collecting oral histories from all the elders who knew what Charleston and North Charleston looked like, and can talk about that loss of third space, which is something everyone's kind of said in a different way in this conversation.

And third spaces are what keep us creative.

Third spaces are what keeps us in community.

We got so used to showing up collaboratively during the day, and then we go our different ways and stay "connected" through a link or on social media.

But there are still times when we need to be away from a device and actually be face to face, because that's how you can truly be heart to heart and in real community with one another.

So I'd say, creativity sparks when people leave room for the unimaginable in person.

Dylan> Absolutely.

So, we got to land the plane here, y'all.

Our time has come to an end.

<Aww> So this is a moment where I would like to ask if everybody would quickly give an answer.

We'd love to hear from each of you as we close out.

And what is the most important thing?

Alright, you ready?

What is the most important thing that you want to share, with South Carolinians?

Imagining, a large demographic of folks that are hopefully watching this.

You may be thinking about your own generation.

You may be thinking about generations ahead of you.

What is like the most important thing that you want to share as we close out tonight?

Panelist 14> Like I would say, one of the most important things, is just being educated.

For example, at our high school, we have around 400 seniors and we are all going to be eligible to vote soon.

But however, not all of us are educated on what the matters are.

So I think that it's really important to just stay educated, stay informed.

And the first step is voting.

Yeah.

Dylan> Awesome, thank you.

Panelist 1> I would say, kinda off the, the typical track of go vote, just love each other.

Like I think it's, I think it's not necessarily something that you look at and you're like, oh, this is going to change my, my voting decision or anything like that.

But I think that the concept of civic engagement is driven by how much you care for other people.

So I would say go out there and find ways to listen and love on the people around you.

Because things like that come around and everybody will benefit from it.

Panelist 5> I, one thing I wanna say is, know who's in power and know how they're using that power, and whether or not you agree with it, because then that can influence whether or not you do end up voting.

And you can see in everything that we've talked about, that there are politicians who are using powers in ways we don't want them to.

So educate yourself and figure out what politicians or who's running for office so you can get out those politicians.

Panelist 2> I would say, don't let threshold fears stop you for advocating yourself creatively.

I would say go towards what you're passionate for and express whatever you're interested in with full force.

Panelist 9> I would say going off what Noah what kinda said, is getting to know each other, connect with each other, you know, just beyond where they might stand politically, but just getting to know who they are as a person, what they love doing.

It's easier to be comfortable disagreeing with them and finding common ground if you know things about each other.

Panelist 12> I would say to always do your own research and make sure you're involved in your own community as well as, helping others and always trying to be a better person.

Panelist 10> I would say, we're living in a great, great time of division in our nation right now.

And it's really easy for us to find ways to disagree and come into conflict with one another.

But back to the empathy piece.

It's all about, finding ways that we can be connected with one another and find similarities and things that we can agree on.

And I think that one of the most important things is making sure that we're just looking out for one another.

It all comes down to how can we, we've talked a lot about what we do in our communities, and that's not for everyone.

It's not everyone's thing to go out and speak out and go to protests or whatever.

So I would say, whatever you feel called to, whatever is something that you're skilled at or you can contribute anything.

Anything is something that can help us move to a place that we all feel like we're moving forward and making some progress as a society.

Panelist 6> I got two things.

I'd say, go out there, get out there.

You should vote.

You should express your opinion.

And more than that, don't mystify politicians or offices, right?

They are just people, at the end of the day.

And as a part of that, you should run for those offices, even if it starts small.

For example, I've run for student government.

I'm a senator.

Beyond that, run in your local town.

If you've lived in your town for a while, you don't like where things are headed, run.

There's no reason not to.

And, when we demystify politicians and these figures and realize they're just people, then that allows everyone to get more involved.

Panelist 8> For me, I have a couple of things.

First, like everyone else has said, I would say that educating yourself on what's happening around you is so important.

Things get a lot scarier to talk about when you know what's happening.

And it's as simple as a news article away.

It's as simple as asking a friend, "do you know what happened, can you explain this to me?"

The second thing for me would be speaking about it.

You being that voice to spread that out, posting about it, whether it's on your socials, talking about it in a school club.

And then lastly, finding actionable ways to make a difference, even if it's something as simple as donating a dollar on a GoFundMe, going to a beach clean up, going to a club that's going to a protest.

There are so many simple ways to get involved, and sometimes making that first step is really all it takes to not only do good for yourself and your community, but to potentially be an example for others around you.

Panelist 7> I would say, as someone who is just starting to fully step into their own intersectionality and has clawed my way up from some of the darkest places of being underprivileged and, you know, being under recognized and all of that, everyone realizing that if you give us the positive and productive spaces to do it, we will do it, and we can.

Panelist 11> I would add, to make, find a way to make the inaccessible, more accessible.

Anybody can see an issue and learn how I can make this better, or see something that's accessible easily to them.

Think about your neighbor and not in your own neighborhood.

How can they get access to this thing that works so well for you and those around you?

And the other thing I'll say is, to never deprive anyone around you to not encounter your full self.

You do yourself a disjustice to not introduce all of you when you walk into any space.

Y'all gonna catch all of this wherever I go.

[laughter] So learn to show up fully because the world is counting on you and waiting on you, and then not in the way of it's all on your shoulders.

Because instead of othering, it's us.

It's not, this is their problem, these are our problems.

This is our war to fight, even if it's something only my neighbor endures.

So that's what I would also add.

Panelist 4> I agree, my final words, question everything.

Every single piece of detail, scrutinize it to severity, every minute detail the empirical, the clinical truth.

It's like a ball of yarn, like all that yarn, all those strings are tied together.

All these strings of information connect.

We have to get to the source to cause substantial change on these issues.

Analyze the trickle down effects we have to get to the source of the root cause.

I'm telling the people that're in control, they don't want us to do that.

And that's why philosophy is so corrosive, that's why it's so dangerous.

So I'm investing heavily in philosophy.

I can tell everyone here do the same and really get to the roots of the issue.

Panelist 3> Whether we like it or not, it's our fight, but it's our fight to win.

And so that means we just got to keep moving and see the change that we want to see.

Panelist 13> I would like to say, you know, just always like we mentioned earlier, be empathetic, you know, put yourself in other people's shoes.

Just because it doesn't affect you, doesn't mean it's not your problem.

A lot of certain situations right now are glamorized because of social media.

So I think, don't let that stop you.

You know, always put yourself in other people's shoes.

Just because it's not your situation, it's not your battle, that doesn't mean it's not your war.

How we mentioned earlier.

Dylan> I want to thank y'all for being with us tonight.

I want to thank you for showing up authentically and sharing with the entire state, what matters to you and why.

And I also just want to say to each of you, every time I get the opportunity to sit with you and work with you, I leave inspired.

And so I want to thank you for what you do for your community and for all of our communities.

And keep up the good fight.

What we heard tonight is a reminder that young people across South Carolina are not just thinking about the future, they're already shaping it.

This election season is not just about candidates or campaigns.

It is about real issues, real lives, and the kind of communities young people want to help build.

And it's a reminder that when we invest in young people and create space for their voices, we strengthen not just participation, but the future of our communities across South Carolina.

We want to thank everyone who took part in the conversation, both here and online, and especially for sharing your perspectives.

Now back to Sierra.

Sierra> Thanks, Dylan.

The voices you heard tonight reflect a generation that's engaged, thoughtful, and ready to be a part of the process.

Whether it's through voting, community involvement, or simply staying informed, civic participation starts with understanding the issues and making your voice count.

If you would like to learn more about voting resources and how to stay informed this election season, visit SCETV.org or follow the conversation on social media @SouthCarolinaETV.

Thank you for joining us for Palmetto Perspectives.

Ready to Vote.

I'm Sierra Artemus, good night.