Generation Opportunity Encourages Young Americans to Call the
     White House and Demand an End to Policies That Stifle Job
                 Creation, Hiring, and Opportunity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Generation Opportunity,
one of the largest grassroots organizations connecting with Millennials
through advanced social media outreach and traditional,
boots-on-the-ground organizing, announces non-seasonally adjusted (NSA)
18-29 unemployment rate data for July:


  --  The youth unemployment rate for 18-29 year olds specifically for July
      2012 is 12.7 percent (NSA). Additional notes: the youth unemployment
      rate for 18-29 year old African-Americans for July 2012 is 22.3 percent
      (NSA); the youth unemployment rate for 18-29 year old Hispanics for July
      2012 is 14.0 percent (NSA); and the youth unemployment rate for 18--29
      year old women for July 2012 is 12.6 percent (NSA).





  --  The declining labor participation rate has created an additional 1.715
      million young adults that are not counted as "unemployed" by U.S.
      Department of Labor (BLS) because they are not in the labor force,
      meaning that those young people have given up looking for work due to
      the lack of jobs.





  --  If the labor force participation rate were factored into the 18-29 youth
      unemployment calculation, the actual 18-29-unemployment rate would rise
      to 16.7 percent (NSA).




Generation Opportunity President Paul T. Conway, former Chief of Staff
of the US Department of Labor and former Chief of Staff of the US
Office of Personnel Management (OPM), issued the following statement in
response to the July 2012 jobs numbers:

"Today's unemployment number is another indicator of the far greater,
more fundamentally devastating, and still under-reported story
impacting young Americans. For nearly three and half years, young
Americans have experienced historically high unemployment levels --
levels that are among the highest since the end of World War II -- that
tell the story of millions of delayed dreams and careers of the next
greatest generation.

"Instead of aggressively embracing policies that liberate businesses to
create more jobs, the President and his appointees have pursued an
agenda that suffocates economic opportunity under the weight of more
spending, higher debt, more regulations, and higher taxes. For young
Americans, the message from their government is clear -- we are not
responsible if our destructive policy decisions eliminate your plans
for full-time meaningful jobs in a career path of your choice. Even
worse, elected officials in Washington are proving themselves to be
coldly distant from the human costs of unemployment, the personal
stresses and frustrations that come from the uncertainty surrounding
unemployment.

"Millennials deserve better from their government, especially in light
of what they have already contributed to this country. They are the
generation that witnessed the 9/11 terror attacks on US soil, bravely
responded to fight two wars overseas, selflessly helped rebuild New
Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities after Hurricane Katrina, and
offered their personal support to those most impacted by the economic
collapse. Yet, each day they awake to an economic reality, which
includes record high unemployment and limited opportunities. Their
message to all candidates is clear -- we want to get on with our lives
and realize our dreams. However, if the solutions you offer equal less
jobs and more debt for our country, you will fail to win our enthusiasm
and our vote."

Generation Opportunity commissioned a poll with the polling company,
inc./WomanTrend (April 16 -- 22, 2011, +/- 4% margin of error) and a
highlighted result for all young Americans ages 18-29 appears below:


  --  77% of young people ages 18-29 either have or will delay a major life
      change or purchase due to economic factors:
  --  44% delay buying a home;
  --  28% delay saving for retirement;
  --  27% delay paying off student loans or other debt;
  --  27% delay going back to school/getting more education or training;
  --  26% delay changing jobs/cities;
  --  23% delay starting a family;
  --  18% delay getting married.





  --  Just 31% of 18 -- 29 year-olds approve of President Obama's handling of
      youth unemployment.




Generation Opportunity is encouraging its Facebook fans, as well as its
thousands of grassroots supporters across the nation, to call the White
House today at (202) 456-1414 and demand that the policies of the last
three and a half years, which have stifled job creation, be reversed in
favor of policies that free up Americans to create jobs, to hire, and
to restore the American tradition of access to opportunity for all.

To see our call to action, go to:
http://generationopportunity.org/callthewhitehouse

ABOUT GENERATION OPPORTUNITY

Generation Opportunity is a non-profit, non-partisan 501 (c)(4)
organization that seeks to engage everyone from young adults, to early
career professionals, college students, young mothers and fathers,
construction workers, current service men and women, veterans,
entrepreneurs, and all Americans who find themselves dissatisfied with
the status quo and willing to create a better tomorrow.

Generation Opportunity operates on a strategy that combines advanced
social media tactics with proven field tactics to reach Americans
18-29. The organization's social media platforms -- "Being American by
GO," "The Constitution by GO," "Gas Prices Are Too Damn High," and
"Keep Texas Awesome" on Facebook -- have amassed a total fan base of
more than 3.4 million. All four pages post links to relevant articles
and reports from sources ranging from the federal Government
Accountability Office (GAO), to The New York Times, The Washington
Post, The Brookings Institution, The Wall Street Journal, The
Huffington Post, and The Heritage Foundation.

Read about Generation Opportunity here; visit "Being American by GO" on
Facebook here, "The Constitution by GO" on Facebook here, "Gas Prices
Are Too Damn High" on Facebook here and "Keep Texas Awesome" on
Facebook here.

For our Spanish-language page -- Generación Oportunidad -- click
here.

CONTACT:Matthew Faraci202-997-1636EMAIL