Generation Opportunity Statement in Response to Today's White House Announcement of the Summer Jobs Plus Initiative

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Generation Opportunity President Paul T. Conway, former Chief of Staff of the US Department of Labor, responds to today's announcement by the White House of a Summer Jobs Plus initiative:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110805/DC48058LOGO )

"After all but ignoring the negative impact the poor economy has had on the lives and dreams of young Americans, the Obama Administration today announced a short-term effort to create temporary opportunities for young people through a mix of 'internships, mentoring relationships and job shadowing programs.' Ironically, after gluing the feet of the private sector to the floor through more regulations, higher taxes, and an anti-business/anti-job creation agenda, they are now asking employers to run full speed ahead and hire young workers. The reality is that the private sector would already be hiring and would have real, challenging, and satisfying jobs available for young people to launch them into their careers were it not for the extreme amount of government intervention in the private sector through job killing regulations and taxes.

"If Washington leaders want to show true empathy for those without jobs and have a real impact, they would stop pretending they have any expertise with job creation, admit their policies are the barriers to youth employment, and let private employers do what they do best."

Generation Opportunity commissioned a poll with the polling company, inc./WomanTrend (April 16 – 22, 2011, +/- 4% margin of error) and a highlighted result for all young Americans ages 18-29 appears below:

Delayed Dreams Resulting from a Poor Economy:

• 77% of young people ages 18-29 either have or will delay a major life change or purchase due to economic factors:

44% delay buying a home;
28% delay saving for retirement;
27% delay paying off student loans or other debt;
27% delay going back to school/getting more education or training;
26% delay changing jobs/cities;
23% delay starting a family;
18% delay getting married.

ABOUT GENERATION OPPORTUNITY

Generation Opportunity is a non-profit, non-partisan 501 (c)(4) organization that seeks to engage everyone from young adults, to early career professionals, college students, young mothers and fathers, construction workers, current service men and women, veterans, entrepreneurs and all Americans who find themselves dissatisfied with the status quo and willing to create a better tomorrow.  Generation Opportunity will continue to engage young Americans on issues that impact their lives and the nation as a whole and encourage them through both social media and grassroots organizing to become more civically engaged and make their voices heard.

Generation Opportunity operates on a strategy that combines advanced social media tactics with proven grassroots tactics to reach young Americans 18-29. The organization's social media platforms – "Being American" on Facebook and "The Constitution" on Facebook – have amassed a total fan base of more than 2 million. Both pages post links to relevant articles and reports from sources ranging from the federal General Accountability Office (GAO), to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Brookings Institution, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, and The Heritage Foundation.

Read about Generation Opportunity here; visit "Being American" on Facebook here, and "The Constitution" on Facebook here.

For our Spanish-language page – Generacion Oportunidad – click here.

CONTACT:
Matthew Faraci
202-997-1636
EMAIL

SOURCE Generation Opportunity