Constitutional Convention: Building Democracy 2.0

We Want YOU to Upgrade OUR Democracy!

Join Mobilize.org, along with Declare Yourself, the National Constitution Center, Change.org, the National Conference on Citizenship, and Why Tuesday?,” for

CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION: BUILDING DEMOCRACY 2.0
January 9-11, 2009 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Constitutional Convention: Building Democracy 2.0 gives YOU the opportunity to sustain the election momentum YOU created in the 2008 election to ensure that the civic and political dialogue around major issues affecting YOU continues and results in action that causes systemic and lasting positive change.

Get the opportunity to use interactive keypad voting technology and other technology-savvy methods to engage in interactive dialogue about the election, Democracy 2.0, and building your influence.

Compete for funding over the three-day summit, and receive up to $10,000 in grants.

Visit the Convention website at http://www.democracyupgrade.com for more details.

Download the Participant Packet at http://tiny.cc/0ydwC.

For further information, contact the Summit Team at democracyupgrade@mobilize.org.

Ideas for Change in America

Mobilize.org has joined in with Change.org on this effort to include citizen-generated solutions to the new presidential administration.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Changeorg-MySpace-Join-Forces-Launch/story.aspx?guid={D9EAC19E-3C98-49F3-B018-D94515B549EC}

Gen-We Video

Generation WE: The Movement Begins... from Generation We on Vimeo.

Youth Vote Impacts '08 Election

Politico's David Kuhn writes in a piece entitled, "Obama has historic youth mandate" that the President-elect's "34 point margin of victory with voters under 30 was the largest in a generation, [and] cut across lines of class, color and education." He calls it the "most impressive youth mandate in modern American history." Kunh notes that the youth made up 18% of the electorate (one point higher than 2004) and had 52%-53% turnout among registered voters (about four points higher than 2004). Click here for more analysis from CIRCLE. 

Patrick Ruffini, a renowned Republican online organizer, wrote in a recent blog post entitled the "The Straight-Ticket Youth Vote," that not only did young people favor Barack Obama 2:1, but they also voted for Democratic Congressional candidates in the same margin. The story, he says, is not how many new voters there are, but the staggering 25 point margin they swung in Democrats' favor by. 

The claim Ruffini makes that is most surprising, however, is that had young people voted in the same numbers and manner as they did in 2004, Obama would have won the election only  by 2 points, and more surprisingly, would have lost 73 electoral votes. While that would not have changed the outcome of the presidential race, it certainly would have made it substantially tighter. In congressional and state races throughout the country, it is almost a certainty the youth decided the outcome of some. Ruffini writes, "Obama has reshaped the electorate" partially through new voter registration but more-so by "gobbling up" most existing young voters. 

To me, these and many other articles seem to beg three large questions: if this "historic" election only brought 53% of young people out to the polls, what will it take to increase that number (which, in my opinion, is still embarrassingly low for a thriving democracy)? Is the 25 point margin favoring the Democrats in this election the result of the last eight years and present circumstances, or is it part of a larger political realignment? Perhaps most importantly in practical terms - now that most of America has recognized the enormous "mandate" Obama has from young people, how should he act on it? 

Feel free to sound off in the comments section. 

Independent Sector..Rocks..

I’ve had a long, exciting 72 hours and I’d like to thank my new friends at Independent Sector (www.independentsector.org), especially Andrea, Jamie, Megan and Erica for an amazing first conference. I spent the past three days in Philadelphia at the Our Hopes, Our Voices, Our Future Conference and learned more than I have in a LONG time. I had the pleasure to sitting on a panel with Ben from NAACP and Janet from La Raza and I am in awe of all that they’ve accomplished, and continue to work towards.

I could blog about it, but I couldn’t write about it as well at Katya from Network For Good did – so please read her blogs from the conference here: http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/. And in an attempt for blatant self-promotion, she wrote about me, so check it out and comment...

Thanks Katya, the Independent Sector Team and all the other amazing people I’ve meet this weekend... If your organization isn’t a member of IS yet – you should be... If for no other reason than to see Diana Aviv dance her heart out.

Veterans Day 2008

“Based on the Great Legacy that We Have Inherited…”

…So reads the first paragraph of the Mobilize.org Democracy 2.0 Declaration. And on this Veterans Day, an annual federal observance since 1954, when Armistice Day was broadened to include a commemoration of all US veterans who have served in military conflicts, there is no better way to talk about the high level of civic participation and engagement that have come to define the unique position that the Millennial Generation finds itself in, than to look to our forefathers and to their heroic offerings in advance of the essential causes which strengthen our inherited democracy.

In May 2005, the World War II Memorial was dedicated in Washington as a long overdue tribute to the men and women who served in the greatest mobilization of land and sea forces, as a domestic population and homeland economy, in history. At the ceremony, NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, whose national bestseller named this generation rightly, and simply, The Greatest, provided insight into the all-consuming national wartime effort.

“Men, women, young and old, everyone had a role. Farm boys who had never been in an airplane were soon flying new bombers with four engines. Surgical nurses were in mash units on front lines operating while they were being shelled. Teenagers were wearing sergeant stripes and fighting from North Africa to Rome. Guys from the city streets were in close quarter combat in dense jungles. Women were building ships and whatever were needed and driving trucks. Kids went without gum and new toys and in too many cases they went the rest of their lives without fathers they never knew,” he said.

Hearing again of the stories of the World War II Generation, reflective of themes which are deeply rooted in American ideals of neighbor-helping-neighbor, unity and selfless sacrifice and service to country and community over individual interests, we hear a calling as great as all others, we see what it is that we are striving again to achieve and we feel a purpose propelling us towards great action.

Our generation’s task is to preserve this inspiring microcosm of the American spirit.

Working with local organizations, schools, veterans groups and community leaders throughout the country, the Veterans History Project run through the Library of Congress, seeks to preserve the stories and thoughts of American veterans in a single national collection. The ongoing project, begun in 2000, currently has over 50,000 stories on a searchable online database, many in digitized multimedia form.

In Connecticut, an effort to document and write biographies on each veteran killed during the Vietnam War resulted in the publication of a book, “612,” representing one entry for each life lost. This research project was conducted through students inside a small town middle school, completely outside of their structured educational curriculum. Yet, through their work on the project, these students experienced firsthand the raw emotion of family members still grieving for their loved ones nearly thirty years after the conflict ended. They heard stories of bravery and sacrifice and gained a new appreciation and understanding for an era in American history in which this nation suffered through one of its most painful periods, marked by cultural division and strong sentiments regarding America’s military involvement in Vietnam. Eight years after the first idea for the project, the town dedicated a permanent memorial listing each name of the 612, the only place in the state where all of the fallen heroes are memorialized together. On Veterans Day and throughout the year, citizens throughout this country join together to remember and honor a sacrifice which extends beyond the confines of any history textbook.

As Millennials look to transition and transform demonstrated passionate concern for their country into action, through a new Administration that many believe will represent their voice over those of special interests, the 11th day of the 11th month provides appropriate moment to pause and reflect on a sacrifice that transcends personal beliefs and places America’s constitutional roots of justice, tranquility and general welfare above all others.

Through this recollection, we discover the American Democracy that Millennials have declared their commitment to act upon, for as each succeeding generation has taught us, Democracy is an unfinished project.

GOOD Sheet--The First Hundred Days

GOOD Magazine has been releasing these handy little facts sheets, available online and at Starbucks. This is their newest one.

http://awesome.goodmagazine.com/goodsheet/goodsheet009First100Days.html