For many young people, the once-a-decade occasion known as the U.S. Census is a wholly new experience.
Maybe the newness of it is why young people are among the least likely to participate in the census.
In a video shot at SXSW, hip-hop artists Murs, Quincy Jones III (QD3), and Kurupt worked with the League of Young Voters Education Fund’s “Numbers Don’t Lie” campaign on 99problems.org to spread the word about the importance of the census to young people. Biko Baker, Executive Director of LYVEF commented, “I have a ton of respect for [Murs, QD3, and Kurupt]. It’s awesome that they’re willing to use their celebrity to speak up about why it’s so important for young people to fill out their census forms.”
As census forms arrive in mailboxes nationwide this month, we tend to agree with these musicians. Completing census forms is hugely important for young people. Census numbers determine how much federal funding communities will get for things young people may want to access in the near future, like schools and job-training facilities.
When you get your census form, fill it out. And, creative as you are, video it and maybe you can win an iTunes gift card from LYVEF. Details at the end of this video.