Who is “the youth”? Is there an age range associated?
Who writes the articles published by OAG?
What does it mean to “Join OAG”?
Is OAG a national organization?
What is OAG research all about?
What is OAG’s definition of “social justice”?
Who is “the youth”? Is there an age range associated?
Our analytics tell us that most people reading and/or contributing to OAG’s content are 16-25.
More importantly, OAG was created for the constantly changing young generation, because youth are still considering how to shape their world (and as we like to think, not completely jaded yet). Then again, sometimes the language used in OAG’s content makes it inaccessible to many youngsters.
There are no rules, so ultimately anyone who feels part of the current young generation, or anyone who wishes to be a part of that conversation, may contribute to OAG.
Is OAG a blog?
No. OAG has three ways of approaching social justice, which is where the “Think, Speak, and Create” in our slogan come from. “Speak” is our blog tool, the Takeover. It is unique from most blogs in that it is completely collaborative; anyone may sign up and contribute content. All content must tie in a social justice perspective. Because this is not a unilateral perspective, we encourage writers to defend their arguments and assumptions. We also publish content quarterly selected by an editorial team in the Takeover zine.
We also do not sell advertising space on the Takeover, unlike many blogs.
Is OAG a social network?
No. OAG has chosen to minimize features of personalization (e.g. personal blogs. detailed profiles, private messaging) when using OAG.org, in order to keep focus on the collaborative project. OAG has certainly created networks between youth, and the connections within often revolve around social justice organizing or shared political interests.
Who writes the articles published by OAG?
Anyone. Absolutely anyone can sign up to publish an article to the Takeover. It only takes about 60 seconds to sign up, and you can also sync your password with other online accounts.
That said, we definitely have users that write more frequently than the rest.
What does it mean to “Join OAG”?
Joining OAG simply means creating a user account so that you may contribute articles to the Takeover. OAG’s community also extends to volunteer researchers, facilitators, attendees at events, and our advisory board.
Is OAG a national organization?
Not exactly. OAG was founded in Seattle, and because we don’t have much of a budget, the reach of most of our work has still been limited to Seattle and the surrounding regions. On-site research has reached only as far Yakima, but contributions to the Takeover have come from as far as France or Iraq. Our analytics tell us that after the US, we’re pretty popular in Canada and India.
OAG was purposefully established so that it knows no bounds, in terms of who can contribute to the conversation about how youth are to create social justice. In reality, a lot of our content is about social justice organizing going on in Seattle and its surrounding regions.
What is OAG research all about?
OAG’s research arm was actually its only tool when first founded. Essentially, a bunch of University social science students wanted to put their skills in research to actual political use, and to make the conclusions accessible to the public. OAG’s founders also lamented the fact that a lot of major activist organizations were using over-simplified rhetoric to inspire donations or volunteerism (think environmental activism & climate change).
Today, OAG will facilitate research whenever you(th) submit an idea. First your idea goes to the Advisory board for approval. We provide you any tools and advice you think you’ll need (and some monies if necessary), we keep in touch along the way, and ultimately we help you edit and publish your work.
Here are some past examples of OAG research >>
Does OAG have meetings?
No. OAG has decentralized over the years, so these days meetings are arranged individually between curious people and our volunteer facilitator to answer any curiosities. The OAG Advisory Board communicated via an email listserve.
Check out our g-calendar here >>
Does OAG have staff members?
No. OAG does have regular volunteers and an advisory board. As far as money goes, some volunteers have been awarded stipends for their work.
Check out our current crew here >>
What is OAG’s definition “social justice”?
OAG does not have a single definition of social justice. OAG was founded to spur critical thinking and conversation around what is “social justice,” and how exactly do we make it a reality.
OAG’s use of “social justice” also stems from the belief that current forms of issue-based organizing are less effective, if not Sisyphean, compared to organizing for social movements.
Why does a social justice organization use the name assigned to a territory occupied by Imperialist forces (i.e. American)?
This organization was founded as Our American Generation in order to address the youth of the United States specifically. We believe that the particular socialization that American youth has indeed created shared assumptions, ontologies, and perspectives towards life & politics. This is not to say that American youth are homogenous, but rather that there are unique tendencies and politics amongst American youth. OAG was founded to connect these youth and encourage their own political development.
