58 BCBusiness april 2014
Brittney Kerr
Senior Consultant, Earnscliffe
Strategy Group; Political Volunteer
Age: 27
A
t just 27, Brittney Kerr is firmly
entrenched in municipal and federal pol-
itics. As if her day job weren't enough—
as a government-relations consultant
representing everyone from non-profits to
Fortune 500 companies—Kerr's volunteer
positions include sitting on the executive
board of Vision Vancouver and serving as
B.C. chair of the federal Liberal party's policy
committee. Her goal: change the way young
British Columbians view politics.
What do you say to young people who identify
with the Occupy Wall street movement, who
say our political system is the problem?
Those grassroots, organic activist move-
ments are really important too. They
provide another channel for people,
particularly young people, to get
involved, and also provide a balance to
the institutional organizations.
But young people often don't even know
where to begin to get involved in politics.
If you're not sure about how to get involved
or where or when, if you just show up that's
the most important thing. I work on strategic
political advice, but I also do phone banking
and stuffing envelopes and door knocking.
Politics can seem intimidating to those who
aren't immersed in current events. How do
you overcome that?
You don't have to know everything about poli-
tics; you don't have to even know a lot about
the news. But my hope is that every young
person will at least feel comfortable enough to
get out and vote on election day. –D.J.
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