Rising Voice: How to reach Millennials

 Dawn Vargo is in charge of Rising Voice, a new intiative from Focus on the Family to reach out to the Millennial generation. She came on the Matt Friedeman Show to discuss Millennials and their importance.

 

What is a Millennial? 

Millennial is the term we use for the up-and-coming generation.

What are you learning about the Millennials? 

We're really learning that the Millennial Generation is large for one thing. It's about the size of the Baby Boomer generation.

 

There's a lot of opinions among Millennials.

What is the key social issue most Millennials can agree on? 

I would have to say life.

 

It's an encouraging thing to see.

 

This is a generation that's grown up missing siblings, missing friends because of abortion.

 

I think that's an issue we can all really rally around and move forward with.

What's an issue where they're all over the board? 

The same-sex marrage issue.

 

We've got some criticism on, and a lot of discussion.

 

When it comes to the gay marriage issue, it's still really a mixed bag.

In the 2020 presidential election many of the voters will be Millennials...

It is enormous, so we want to think through how we reach Millennials.

 

In addition to that website, we have a Facebook.

 

We have a lot of great dialogue on that site.

 

We're partnering with TOMS shoes soon.

 

What we've seen with this Millennial generation is that they're really passionate about causes.

 

We're really being able to see where we need to act as Christians and where God would have us move.

Outside of social networking, what's the way to meet the millennial heart? 

Dialogue.

 

I think sitting down and having a conversation with a millennial.

 

They connect on a heart level.

 

There are some things that Millennials think about, and there are things Millennials do.

 

Sometimes. I think that can be true. I think that can be a characterization.

You guys are trying to have an agenda, right?

We do want to talk about those issues that we think are biblical.

 

We also want to challenge Millennials to engage in a wide variety of topics.

Will Millennials mature out of some of these positions? 

I think every generation matures to a certain extent. I'm newly married, and I see a difference in my perspectives.

 

I think in many ways Millennials will mature.

 

But we need to meet them where they are now.

 

So we're really looking at a generation that's not...following that typical American lifestyle.

 

I think it's absolutely essential to reach Millennials where they are now.