To the class of 2022 and all the millennials coming of age in these times of pandemic, economic and racial strife, environmental deterioration and the perpetuation of disinformation leading to the rise of authoritarianism, the world needs you, and it needs you right now.

It seems there are more threats to humanity than ever before, and they all need to be addressed simultaneously. It looks pretty bleak, but doom is not inevitable — yet. There is still time remaining, but the clock is running down.

That’s why humankind needs the millennials to step up. It needs your energy and enthusiasm to make positive impact.

The first step is to develop a positive attitude. Guess what?

You already have that inside you. Throughout history, it has always been the youngest adult generations which have brought positive change in promoting peace, improving society and opposing oppression in all its various forms. They have met challenges and overcome them by seeing them as opportunities to do good. They have shown remarkable resiliency to overcome and persistence to do what’s right.

Younger generations have always known what’s right, and they’ve always picked the right side. History has shown again and again they are the secret sauce of success for the human species.

So what can any young person, a recent high school graduate in rural Minnesota perhaps, do to contribute in addressing such globe-encompassing issues?

They start where every single young person who changes the world always has started — in their local community. In this country, where citizens still, at least for now, have the right to vote, that means registering to vote and –stress the and — getting involved in elections.

You might not realize it, but there is a nationwide effort underway to subvert democracy by suppressing voting in state and federal elections and rendering it meaningless. This is not some baseless conspiracy theory without evidence — it’s being done right out in the open with legalized political bribery, gerrymandering and voter suppression. You need only to go to honest legacy media sources to verify this.

Voting and getting active in elections are initial steps. Becoming involved in community organizing, growing a grass-roots movement to influence all the many issues out there in your local community and region, is the next step.

Community organizing at the grass-roots level is the engine to produce positive change, anthropologist Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Support those running for office who support your needs, interests and future, those who support affordable higher education, those who support career opportunities, those who support affordable health care for all, those who support environmental protection and addressing climate change, those who support safe food, water and affordable housing.

This is your opportunity to take immediate action for good. Get active in democratic process and community organizing. We need you to raise your voice. For our sake, and the sake of your future, we need you to get involved now.