In this election in particular, there has been a significant growth in participation among younger voters. Youth democrats and republicans alike have expressed political views through social media, activism and in everyday life. Many students at Hill have also been a part of this political journey. 

The Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) is an organization that “[fights] for the immediate needs of workers and students while building our capacity to fight for more radical and structural changes.” They pride themselves in their over 70,000 members across college and high school campuses, and their student and staff led campaigns to aid topics such as poverty or fossil fuel diversion. The YDSA works through its hundreds of chapters across the United States to spread awareness and activism of their beliefs. 

6th former Gavin Guerrette is the president of the YDSC at Hill. The group meets regularly for discussions ranging from progressive social and economic policy to destigmatization of socialism on campus. Recently, Hill has become an official YDSA chapter, and this new initiation has a been step for the YDSC. 

“I think that the greater YDSA organization has given the Hill Chapter a foundation to discuss leftist thought,” says Guerrette. This formal change allowed for YDSA to provide Gavin and the members of the club information and education on what and how the YDSA operates, as well as how to further develop Hill’s own club as a chapter within this bigger organization. “As a club, we have also used the chapter organizing manual provided by the YDSA to draft our constitution and structure our chapter, used resolutions released by the greater YDSA as topics for our meetings, and even considered their stance in the election for our endorsement of presidential candidate Joe Biden,” said Guerrette. Now with the support of the YDSA, Hill’s young democratic socialists have a new source of political educational support.

As for the future of YSDC, Gavin says he “[hopes] to see far more in-person collaboration, whether for marches or protests in Philly in solidarity with labor and social justice movements or to attend YDSA general meetings as a club to have a greater influence on the policy and action taken by the organization.” The recent election has had a major influence on the political views of younger Americans. The link between the Young Democratic Socialists of Hill and of the country as a whole has provided collaboration and inspiration among the community of Hill and other students around the country.