(Note: This guide was written around the launch of the campaign, but much of the information here, especially information on reaching out to the media, is still very relevant.)

Despite evidence of growing youth involvement and activism, a large number of young people in our country remain disinterested and detached from our political processes and issues facing society today. National leaders, sociologists and political scientists are alarmed that we are becoming a “nation of spectators.” Many young people continue to fail to show up at the polls and are still tuning out when it comes to news on current events and pressing issues facing their communities. The strong and persistent perception is that most young people are apathetic and cynical.

The Raise Your Voice campaign was formed to counter these negative perceptions. The tagline for our effort – Student Action for Change – speaks to our core message, that change will result from the ideas and actions of today’s students. By taking part in the Raise Your Voice campaign, your school is joining more than 600 colleges and universities across the nation that are working to unleash the voices and power of college students. Collectively, we will address the campaign’s goals to:

• Inform and increase college students’ participation in public life on campuses across the country;

• Document the issues that are important to college students and student action to create change in communities; and

• Mobilize higher education to make civic engagement central to student learning.

To achieve these goals, a series of activities, coordinated by students, faculty and community partners, will be organized on college and university campuses during Raise Your Voice – A Week of Action, February 16 - 22, 2003. During this launch week, with your assistance, we will urge the press to cover the many ways in which students are actively involved in public life. Our plan is for students to start conversations, address issues, and to begin to identify solutions for the challenges facing our world today.

While the Raise Your Voice campaign is national in scope, its success rests at the local level. We can not overstate the importance of your support and work on behalf of this campaign. This resource guide has been designed to provide guidance on how to promote and facilitate successful events, as well as conduct outreach, as part of the campaign.