FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011 CONTACT: Amy Steele, Luna Media Group amy@lunamediagroup.

com or 208-301-0846 (cell) Organization for Young Americans Responds to Portrayal of Dispirited Millennial Generation in New York Times As Young People Rise Against Great Adversity, Reporter Perpetuates Stereotypes of Apathetic Youth WASHINGTON, D.C. Yesterday, as Congress held a forum on new voting legislation preventing thousands of students from showing up at the polls next November and as the NYPD evicted dozens of young Occupy Wall Street protestors in Zuccotti Park, the New York Times published a story on the lack of enthusiasm among young Americans as the 2012 election nears. The New York Times piece written by Adam Nagourney, Students Lose Zeal for Aiding Obama Again, pegs young people as a dispirited group that wont bring the same level of engagement as they did in 08. Matthew Segal, President and co-founder of OURTIME.org a national non-profit standing up for Americans under 30 recognizes the disconnect between yesterdays news and the Times report. A year from the election, Nagourney chooses to further the narrative of speculation on an Obama re-election instead of focusing on the manifestation of young peoples displays of engagement on Wall Street and across the country, Segal says. On the same day I testified before Congress on state laws disenfranchising thousands of voters, the best the New York Times can do is question our enthusiasm? Yesterdays House Judiciary Committee Forum addressed recent voting requirements, including a new Texas law that recognizes concealed weapons permits as a valid forms of voter identification while refusing to acknowledge university student IDs at the polls. Segal testified at the forum on behalf of his generation, saying, With thousands of young Americans spearheading Occupy Wall Street protests every day, it would be very unwise to label our generation as an apathetic one. Yet, it is a sad testament to our electoral process that so many of the protesters involved tell us they find camping out to be an easier and more productive form of political engagement than the process of casting a ballot. View Segals entire testimony here. Over the past few months, OURTIME.org has been outspoken on Americas economic issues: demanding universities immediately cease the practice of allowing Wall Street recruiters preferred access to students in exchange for financial contribution with a Say No To Wall Street petition; polling its members on their support of the Buffett Rule,

supporting the boycott of political contributions with Starbucks CEO Howard Schultzs Upward Spiral Campaign; and launching a petition in August entitled Vacations Over! calling on Congress to CANCEL their vacation, head back to Washington, and get to work on behalf of their constituents. OUR TIME is a national organization founded and run by young Americans, leveraging pop culture, business partnerships, and online organizing to drive civic engagement through economic empowerment. To follow OUR TIME on Facebook go to: http://www.facebook.com/OurTimeOrg. Or to follow OUR TIME on Twitter, go to: www.Twitter.com/OurTimeOrg. ###