Dear Mr. President… Messages to the next President and Vice President

More than 140 million votes were cast in the 2024 election including millions of young people and first-time voters. Young voters (18-29) as a whole supported Vice President Kamala Harris over Donald Trump, but young men preferred Trump to Harris by a wide margin of 14%. After winning the election, Trump will become the first president in over 100 years to serve nonconsecutive terms.

If you could send a message directly to Donald Trump and JD Vance about what matters to you and what you want them to know as they take office, what would you say? Here’s your chance to make your voice heard.

DEADLINE: SRL is collecting stories now, so submit your video as soon as you can. Submissions will close December 13th, 2024, 11:59pm ET

Create a video message addressed directly to President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance -- or both -- about the change you hope they make in office, and the issues you want them to address. You can also find other young people in your community and record their messages.

STEP 1: THINK about what you want to say on camera or instruct your subject to do the same. Think of a specific story with unique details that shows why you feel the way you do. Practice what you want to say using the following sentence starters as a guide:

• Dear Mr. President or Mr. Vice President, my name is XXX, I’m from NAME OF YOUR SCHOOL in CITY, STATE.
• I want you to know...
• I care about… [tell a story, explain why]
• This is important to me because… [use details, explain why]
• My hope for my community/my country is…
• I hope you…
• Please make sure to…
• My advice for you is…

STEP 2: RECORD your message using the production guidelines below. You can also record b-roll to accompany your message, but it is not required.

• SET-UP: Use your phone or camera to record either yourself or a peer. If you’re using a phone, check out our VIDEO DIARY LEVEL-UP for helpful set-up tips. No matter how you are recording, make sure to have a good background, great lighting and clean audio.
• SRL prefers horizontal video for this project. Make sure to compose your shots a little wider for potential cropping for social video.
• ON-CAMERA IDENTIFICATION: For the record, please say and spell your full name (first and last) on camera and identify yourself with grade level, school name, city and state. For example, “I’m an 11th grade student at Canyon High School in Santa Clarita, California”
• EXAMPLE OF DESIRED COMPOSITION: Talk naturally, looking directly at the camera lens the entire time. Avoid using scripted responses.

Instead of recording a message to the President-elect, record a message to your local representative, senator, or other elected officials using the same guidelines.

Submit here - select the "Rapid Response" checkbox.

Signed Media Release Forms are required for anyone who appears on camera. Use this link.