Gen-Z for Change
Gen-Z for Change attempts to use social media to "shift the conversation left" by targeting young voters to persuade them to adopt "progressive ideologies". The group achieves this in "by flooding TikTok with engaging progressive content".
Gen-Z for Change started as TikTok for Biden, co-founded by Aidan Kohn-Murphy.[1]
Background
Verbatim from their website:[2]
- Gen-Z for Change is a "nonprofit organization leveraging social media to promote civil discourse and political action among our generation. Partnering with influencers, activists, and celebrities, we produce multimedia content on a variety of topics including COVID-19, climate change, systemic inequity, foreign policy, voting rights, and LGBTQIA+ issues."
- We educate our peers through timely explainer content about the news, legislation, and pressing issues that we care about.
- We encourage civic participation and mobilize our audience by keeping them informed and politically aware year-round. We encourage our audience to take action when appropriate through donations, calls to Congress and voting in municipal elections.
- We shift the political debate by flooding TikTok with engaging progressive content that hits more FYPs than our opponents. We also only promote issues, organizations, and topics that WE, as young progressives, support. We aim to shift the conversation left by engaging more young voters in progressive ideologies.
- We enact change by working together, partnering with other organizations where it makes sense to create exponential impact, and by meeting our audience where they are with the information they need to make informed decisions in the voting booth.
Jack Petocz
Jack Petocz has become a cause célèbre among the left for his opposition to sexually and overtly racial graphic books being withdrawn from school libraries, and for leading a protest against the "Parental Rights in Education" legislation in Florida. He was honored with an award "at the 2022 PEN America Literary Gala,"[3] was featured in the New York Times, and was invited to the White House under Joe Biden.
Jack Petocz spent July, 2022 training with Gen-Z for Change.[4] In a profile at a local publication Flagler Live, Jack Petocz was quoted as saying: “We’re going to be pursuing a lot of midterm work, especially in Florida with [Florida Governor Ron] DeSantis, planning for that and strategizing."
Gen-Z for Change 'Partners'
Gen-Z for Change's "Partners":[5]
- Joe Biden's White House
- Joe Biden's Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
- Made to Save (an 18-month-long initiative of Civic Nation)
- The Institute of Politics (IOP) at Harvard Kennedy School
- MTV Music Television
- 51 for 51
- Accountable Tech
- International Refugee Assistance Project
- Climate Power
- March On
Core Team
According to the Gen-Z for Change website, the following are the "Core Team":[6]
- Aidan Kohn-Murphy, Founder & Executive Director
- Victoria Hammett, Director Of Programming & Deputy Executive Director
- Elise Joshi, Director Of Strategy & Deputy Executive Director
- Nandi Perry, Director Of Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion
- Tegan Lecheler, Director Of Operations
- Lou Avril Diaz, Director Of Latino Engagement
- Sam Schmir, Director Of Marketing & Communications
- Sam Shlafstein, Communications Coordinator
- Olivia Julianna, Political Strategist
- Jack Petocz, Political Strategist
- Sofia Ongele, Digital Strategist
- Sean Wiggs, Digital Strategist
- Claire Simon, Initiative Specialist
- Lilyjoy Winder, Debi Program Manager
- Connor Hesse, Tiktok Content Coordinator
- Caitlin Mourek, Digital Design Associate
References
- ↑ Aidan Kohn-Murphy (Accessed August 25 2022)
- ↑ Gen-Z for Change Team (Accessed August 24 2022)
- ↑ Gay student says Florida school is stopping his run for student leadership (Accessed August 24 2022)
- ↑ (Accessed August 24 2022)
- ↑ Gen-Z for Change Team (Accessed August 25 2022)
- ↑ Gen-Z for Change Team (Accessed August 24 2022)