Updated: 2/27/2006 6:17:17 PM
Bill Waldrep can't vote yet, and he can't run for political office, but at 14 he's leading one of the most influential groups of young people in the country. They're called Generation Joshua. School aged kids who meet once a month to learn about civics and politics.
"Unfortunately lots of adults today aren't involved in politics and if we can get kids our age interested and involved and give them the information they need now, then hopefully as adults they'll continue to be involved," Waldrep says.
Generation Joshua started as an online civics education program for home-schooled students. Now, there are 31 clubs like the one in Knox County nationwide. It runs a lot like student government. There's the cabinet with 14 year old Waldrep as President, and Vice-President Joshua McDonald who, at 11, is the youngest Generation Joshua member.
There is also a secretary, treasurer, a media representative, and committees very similar to Congress. So far Knox County has the largest Generation Joshua club in the country. With 50 members, every student gets a hands on approach to politics.
"We actively encourage our students in projects that involve contacting their legislatures about issues that are important to us," Parent Coordinator Staci Proctor says.
President Bill Waldrep says his group is against abortion and same sex marriage. As a faith based organization, Generation Joshua promotes conservative viewpoints. 16 year old Kaity Proctor is taking a stand against separation of church and state.
"We took the church out of the state, but you've still got that thing of our founding fathers were Christians and they put God in the government and the way things have gone now, it's just gone almost," Kaity says.
But, Kaity also says the group doesn't form her opinions for her.
"I'm not an uneducated kid," she says. "I'm not going to base what I believe on mere opinion. I'm going to research it and I'm going to look things up and look at both sides of an issue and make an informed decision based on what I believe and not what my parents tell me."
Kaity wants to be a nurse one day. Although she has no political career ambitions, she says she can still make a difference.
"I think that's one thing about Generation Joshua I guess I'm a prime example of," Kaity says. "Just because you're not interested in politics doesn't mean you can't be involved in politics."
Even club President Bill Waldrep doesn't see the real title president in his future. More than anything, he sees Generation Joshua as a golden opportunity to give young people a voice in politics.
"Hopefully, if they come and they can learn how to be involved in politics and learn that it isn't just boring, and that it's extremely interesting, and it's very easy for you to make a difference even if you can't vote," Waldrep says.
