Florida’s young people need more opportunities and we need to provide meaningful pathways to becoming involved in the civic life—public, private, local and statewide—of the Sunshine State. Most importantly, Millennials need to be “asked” -- explicitly invited to become active partners in shaping our civic future. In that spirit, here are four recommendations for leaders at the city, county and state level who want to spur that youth engagement:

1. Create more opportunities to get youth involved in local government.

2. Strengthen civic education in all of Florida’s colleges and Universities and expand programs that give students the experience and know-how to organize, to debate, and to engage with public issues.

3. Provide opportunities for non-college bound youth by expanding service learning and other experiential civic education programs in Title I high schools and by supporting programs that offer community-based opportunities for civic engagement.

4. Create a statewide plan to reduce Florida’s high school dropout rate, and increase the number of students who go on to college. Findings suggest that some increases in the civic engagement of Millennials might occur simply by encouraging people to talk to their neighbors.