Raise Your Voice in your state

OKLAHOMA Campaign Activities

Oklahoma’s local initiative is called VOICE - Vocal Oklahomans in Civic Engagement. Students on over 20 Oklahoma campuses are working together to increase civic participation among their peers. Activities include issue based campus dialogues, voter registration drives, political forums, National Month of Action, and much more. Students can apply for mini-grants for most VOICE sponsored activities.

2004-2005:

See 2005 Month of Action events in Oklahoma

2003-2004:

Statewide Voter Registration Contest, October 1 & 2, 2003- Over this two day period, Oklahoma campuses will register students to vote and compete for the chance to have a popular Oklahoma band perform on their campus. The winning campus will be selected based on the percentage of voters registered based on total campus enrollment. Don’t miss this opportunity to increase the number of student voters on your campus and claim the title of 2003-2004 VOICE Voter Registration Champion. For more information visit www.okvoice.org.

VOICE Civic Engagement General Fund- Students, student groups, and faculty/student collaborations are invited to submit applications for grants of up to $300 to support civic activities on Oklahoma campuses. Applications are available through Oklahoma Campus Compact.

Campus Dialogues, November 2003- Issue based dialogues will take place on Oklahoma campuses during the month of November. Grants are available to support dialogue. Requests for Proposals will go out in September and are due October 13, 2003.

Public Policy Institute, November 7 & 8, 2003- Scholarships are available for students interested in learning more about public deliberation. Participants will learn to develop public understanding and knowledge about important issues, to convene forums for deliberative dialogue, to moderate and record forums, to connect with officeholders, and to stimulate public action.

Month of Action, February 15- March 20, 2003- Grants are available to support civic activities during Month of Action. See 2004 Month of Action events in Oklahoma.

Statewide Dialogue, April 2004 (exact date still to be determined) - Stay tuned for more information on next year’s statewide National Issues Forum.

2002-2003:

• 20 Campuses participated in VOICE during the 2002-03 school year.
• 9,748 Students and administrators engaged in some form of civic activity.
• 13 Campuses participated in a total of 18 campus dialogues.
• 24 Students from 8 different campuses participated in a National Issues Forum entitled “Governing America: Our Choices, Our Challenge.”
• 8 Campuses participated in a Campus Mapping Project, with one completing a nationally sponsored in-depth mapping project.
• 80+ Students, administrators, and state legislators participated in a VOICE Capitol Luncheon. -- Students presented a public issue statement, which has since been presented to the Council on Student Affairs, Council on Instruction, and Council of Presidents.

See 2003 Week of Action events in Oklahoma.

Materials:

• Read the Oklahoma Governor's Office Declaration proclaiming February 16-22, 2003 Civic Engagement Week, A Week of Action

• Read the Oklahoma Students’ Civic Engagement Resolution

Photos:

Press:

For more information, contact: