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CAMPAIGN BACKGROUND SHEET:
Students on more than 600 colleges and universities across the country are coming
together to implement the Raise Your Voice campaign —a national effort to increase student involvement in public life.
National leaders,sociologists,and political scientists are alarmed that we are becoming a “nation of spectators.” Many point to low voter turnout and claim that young people are tuning out when it comes to news on current events and pressing issues facing communities.The strong and perception is that most young people are apathetic and cynical.
This is a campaign to refute these misperceptions and to build on the successes of college students on campuses across the nation.
Campaign Goals
The Raise Your Voice campaign is an effort to unleash the voices and power of college students to begin conversations,address issues,and create solutions for the challenges facing our democracy.The campaign is a student-led initiative to encourage students to take action —from volunteering to voting.It ’s a campaign with a clear message for students: Change starts with you. Act now to create the world you want to live in tomorrow.
Students are working to meet the following objectives:
• Inform and increase fellow students ’ participation in public life;;
• Document the issues that are important to students;and
• Mobilize higher education to make civic engagement central to student learning.
Who’s sponsoring the campaign?
The campaign is sponsored by Campus Compact —a national coalition of college and university presidents committed to the civic purposes of higher education —with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts.
What’s happening as part of the campaign?
A series of activities,coordinated by students,faculty and community partners,will be organized on during Raise Your Voice —A Week of Action, February 16 -22, 2003. See the attached document for specific details on local campus activities.
How can you find out more information?
Visit www.actionforchange.org or call the person listed on the attached document.
