PROGRAM REQUIREMENTSYoung Voices is launching four policy fellowships for a total of twelve fellows. Three fellows will be assigned to each program. Fellows are required to attend one opening webinar, check-in with a think tank mentor monthly, produce six op-eds on their issue area, and appear on two TV/radio interviews arranged by Young Voices' staff. In return for their work, fellows will be rewarded a $2,000 honorarium upon the conclusion of the program.ISSUE AREASTechnology & InnovationYoung Voices would like to build upon the success of our Tech Policy Fellowship by inviting more of our contributors to learn and write about issues affecting American innovation. Earlier this year, Sen. Elizabeth Warren made a splash by positing a proposal to utilize antitrust action against major tech companies as part of her 2020 presidential campaign. As election season rolls into motion, it is becoming increasingly clear that the #BreakupBigTech movement will make a mark on the national conversation. Smart, free market advocates are needed to counter these populist urges, presenting an opportunity for Young Voices’ tech fellows.Consumer FreedomOne of the defining characteristics of the past half-century has been the explosion of consumer freedom in the marketplace. The advent of the internet has advanced this freedom even further. Online retailers like Amazon and sharing economy services like Uber have made most goods and services more affordable than ever before. “Most” is the operative word. While consumer freedom has increased on net, politicians and bureaucrats are always eager to interfere in the individual choice of consumers. Be it with sky-high sin taxes on alcohol and tobacco, scaremongering over new products like e-vapor, or even prohibitions of old conveniences like plastic straws, the nanny state cannot sleep without suffocating consumers with red tape. Young Voices' Consumer Freedom Fellows will make the case for human autonomy and individual choice.Foreign PolicyPresident Donald Trump was elected in part due to his promise to enact a more restrained foreign policy. Yet, two years into his administration, the military industrial complex has succeeded with maintaining an extended US presence around the globe as the War on Terror nears two-decades. Meanwhile, proponents of endless conflict are again beating the war drums for an array of countries like Iran and North Korea. Young Voices seeks to empower voices to challenge this third rail of American politics, calling for a more harmonious and thus prosperous world.EducationThe United States is one of the most prosperous nations in the world, yet it is consistently in middle of the pack among developed countries in student achievement. Despite the endless choice that Americans are afforded on any consumer good, education remains one vital service where poor parents in many parts of the country have no alternative but to send their child to a government school assigned purely on their zip code. Young Voices seeks to change that by making the case for school choice, diving into state-specific policy battles across the country.
