Goal: Develop a new generation of progressive leaders.

Leadership

Organization’s Objective

Democracies, by definition, rely on the involvement of people. Forward Montana is trying to solve the problem of low participation in our democracy by tackling the issue in a very homegrown, localized way, with a specific focus on young people. Low participation goes beyond voting rates. Low participation includes all the potential volunteers who think their work won't matter in a political system dominated by broadcast media and big money. Low participation includes the sentiment of every voter who has ever complained about disliking the candidates they gave us rather than thinking about who would be a better candidate. The implications of low participation are rampant. Low participation empowers special and powerful interests to simply strengthen their hand, reinforcing the perception of politics as an insider’s game, reinforcing cynicism, and lowering participation further.