family matters
1
ELECTION 2008
election. This year the vote date is
October 30. Help your teen make a
thoughtful choice by discussing the
pros and cons of different candi-
dates or by sending him to Web sites
such as
VoteSrnart.org
or
GlassBooth
.org,
which gauges your feelings
about issues such as immigration
and the Iraq war, then tells you
which presidential candidate most
closely aligns with your views.
HOLD A MOVIE NIGHT
Grab the popcorn and settle in with
a great political film, like the Jimmy
Stewart classic Mr.
Smith Goes to
Washington
or the more recent
Kevin Kline heartwarmcr
Dave;
both make good fodder for a
discussion about political ethics
and one person’s ability to make a
difference. For an even more on-
point look at teen political participa-
tion, screen
18 in ’08.
The 35-minute
documentary, directed by 19-year-
old David Burstein, features footage
of a bipartisan array of political
figures, including senators Chuck
Hagel and Joe Lieberman talking
about how politics affects teens and
why they must get involved. Go to
18in08.com
to order a copy or
arrange a screening in your area.
REGISTER VOTERS
After realizing that most of the
students at her Castle Rock,
Colorado, high school weren’t as
interested in politics as she was,
senior Sara Fitouri worked with
school district officials to organize a
voter registration drive during study
hall. In one day, she helped register
200 17- and 18-year-olds. “A lot of
students think their vote doesn’t
count,” says Fitouri, who is 18. “But
if I can get
2 0 0
other people to vote,
that’s powerful.” Guidelines for
continued on page 258
2 5 4 OCTOBER2008 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
O b a m a s h a r e t h e i r r e c o l l e c t i o n s o f
h o w v o u t h f u l e x p e r i e n c e s e n c o u r a g e d
t h e m t o b e c o m e p o l i t i c a l l y a c t i v e .
I w a s in co lle g e ,
'as o n e issue th a t
m o v e d m e fo r th e fir s t
tim e in m y life to b e co m e
p o litic a lly a c tiv e a n d to p la y
a le a d e rs h ip ro le in m y
c o m m u n ity . T h e issue w a s
a p a rth e id , a n d I b e ca m e
d e e p ly in v o lv e d in th e
m o v e m e n t to h e lp b rin g
a b o u t ch a n g e in S o u th
A fric a . T h e e x p e rie n c e
s h o w e d m e th a t w e d o n o t
h a ve to a c c e p t th e w o r ld as
i t is, th a t w e ca n re m a k e
th e w o r ld as i t s h o u ld be.
T h a t b e lie f s till d riv e s m e
to d a y, a n d i t ’s a n id e a I ’ve
tr ie d to in s till in m y
d a u g h te rs a n d a ll t h i y o u n g '
p e o p le I m e e t,
o b a m a
I w a s \b o m in to a tra d itio n
o f se rvice . M y a n ce sto rs
w e re n o t p o litic ia n s , b u t
th e y w e re le a d e rs, a n d w h ile
th e y m a y h ave d is lik e d
so m e o f th e n ic k s o fte n
a sso cia te d w ith p o litic s , th e y
re c o g n iz e d a n d a d m ire d
le a d e rs h ip w h e n th e y sa w i t
A s a c h ild th e y ta u g h t m e to
re s p e c t i t as w e ll e ve n i f
th e y e x p e c te d m e to ke e p
m y d is ta n c e fro m it. W h e n
I le ft th e m ilita ry , h o w e v e r,
b e c o m in g a p o litic a l le a d e r
d id n o t se em lik e so g re a t a
s tre tc h to m e.
M y tim e as
a n e le c te d o ffic ia l has
a lw a y s se em ed
n a tu ra l e x te n s io i
fo rm e r ca re er,
m c c a i n "
PHOTOS: OBAMA FOR AMERICA; JOHN MCCAIN
2008
