Individuals born between 1980 and 2000, who comprise the millenial generation, are particularly suited for work in public service because they tend to be achievement-oriented team players capable of adjusting to an innovative society, Bethany Henderson, founder and executive director of City Hall Fellows a nonpartisan service group that recruits college graduates to work in city governments said in a lecture at the Rockefeller Center on Thursday afternoon.
Few young people pursue careers in local government due to the widely held perception that such institutions are inefficient, hindered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers and plagued by a general lack of employee enthusiasm, Henderson said. Many of these negative stigmas, however, are untrue, she said.
"We need and deserve the same caliber of people in local government who traditionally join top-tier law firms, consulting firms, investment banks and Teach for America, or pursue other high-profile or high-profit careers," she said.
Younger generations have the potential to revitalize local governments, according to Henderson. In order to engage members of this generation, organizations must work to bridge the divide between the actual role of local governments and the public's perspective of them, she said.
Henderson stressed the importance of urging younger generations to "think local."
"I think so many college students today are drawn, and rightly so, to big causes that are far away," Henderson said. "You can really make a significant difference in your own backyard."
Poor marketing may account for young people's lack of involvement in city governments, as many recent graduates do not view such jobs as meaningful opportunities for social change, Henderson said. This mentality has resulted in a gradual aging of city government employees, according to Henderson.
Approximately 63.5 percent of local public sector employees are older than 40, compared to only 48 percent of private sector employees who are above that age, Henderson said.
"The majority of local government administrators not the politicians, but the people that do the work day-in and day-out the majority either could retire today or will become eligible for retirement in the next five years," she said.
City governments manage a wide range of tasks, such as trash removal and education, and serve as policy "incubators and innovators," Henderson said. The shortcomings of local governments are appalling, especially considering the formative role they play in citizens' lives, she said.
Only one-third of 17- to 24-year-olds reported that a career in local government seemed "somewhat appealing," while another one-third of those surveyed said that they had "no interest at all" in such a career, according to a 2004 survey conducted by the Council for Excellence in Government, Henderson said.
Influenced by her work over a decade ago as an NYC Urban Fellow, Henderson who founded City Hall Fellows in 2007 was inspired to find a way to engage more young people in local public service, she said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
Henderson has raised over $2 million from public and private sources to train 51 City Hall Fellows in San Francisco, Houston and Baton Rouge over the past three years. Largely modeled after TFA, City Hall Fellows serve as a mini think tank for its partner local governments, Henderson said.
Henderson praised TFA for its ability to successfully spearhead a social movement to improve education, and said she hopes City Hall Fellows will be able to increase awareness about the importance of city governments in a similar fashion.
City Hall Fellows spend 12 months working on high-need government-run initiatives, Henderson said. Most City Hall Fellows display personal ties with particular cities and thus are more likely to establish long-lasting local careers, she said.
Henderson's lecture, "Engaging Millennials in Governing Cities," was sponsored by the Rockefeller Center.
