Common Cause partners with Mobilize.org on major youth initiative

Common Cause, the national civic engagement organization, announces its partnership in a major youth initiative aimed at reinvigorating American democracy with increased civic engagement. Common Cause will support Mobilize.org (formerly Mobilizing America’s Youth) in kicking off a year of national events, regional forums, and online dialogues aimed at getting more young people to the polls.

Mobilize.org’s Democracy 2.0 campaign is a year-long campaign to change the face of American democracy with its citizen-centered, technology-driven campaign focused on the Millennial Generation. It kicks off in December with a “Party for the Presidency,” a three-day gathering in Hollywood, California that will bring together 436 youth leaders, one from each Congressional district and the District of Columbia, to discuss the meaning of Democracy 2.0, share best practices in youth policy making and organizing, and create action plans that these youth, known as Democracy 2.0 ambassadors, will take back to their local communities to implement in 2008.

“This movement is what Common Cause is all about,” said Bob Edgar, president of Common Cause. “The exciting thing about the Millennial Generation is that they are motivated and want to become the next generation of leaders.”

Chiuba Obele, a 16-year old high school student from Boston, reflected on the importance of youth civic engagement in his own life: “Civic engagement is a virtue that spans generations. I just think it’s going to be of critical importance for my generation. Civic engagement is our calling, and will set the tone for what we do and what our children will remember us by.”

The Party for the Presidency comes on the heels of Mobilize.org’s successful Democracy 2.0 Summit, where 50 youth leaders from across the country converged in Washington D.C. to create the “Democracy 2.0 Declaration,” a document designed to call attention to the ways that our democratic process and institutions are properly serving – and failing to serve – the interests of young Americans. Democracy 2.0 is designed to address the civic participation needs and interests of the Millennial Generation, targeting the 16-30 year old age group.

For further information on the Democracy 2.0 campaign and the Party for the Presidency, please visit Mobilize.org’s website at http://www.mobilize.org. Contact Ian Storrar, Director of Youth and Volunteer Programs for more information about Common Cause’s role in the youth civic engagement movement at 202.736.5755. You can also download the Party for the Presidency application form at www.commoncause.org/mobilize.

Note: Media are invited to attend the Party for the Presidency. The event will take place at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, California, December 29-31.