With opening remarks and the Kickoff speech completed, the Target 2020 Summit is now officially underway! After the opening remarks, Summit Participants got down to business and started tackling some tough issues.

Mobilize.org facilitated a fascinating discussion about the challenges faced by Millennial Community College Students.  The release of the Miami Millennial Civic Health Index report, by the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship, was followed by a panel discussion, and then from the audience and online.

Source: http://images.politico.com/global/news/110608_bob_graham_shinkle_328.jpg

Senator Bob Graham unveiled the report’s findings and moderated the discussion.  Senator Graham is well respected for his public service to Florida, having served for 12 years in the Florida State Legislature, two terms as Governor, and three terms in the U.S. Senate.  Since retiring from elected office, he has committed himself to civic engagement, overseeing the Board of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida, and authoring a book about civic engagement.

Panelists discussing the report’s findings include Alberto Carvalho, the Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and Dr. Lenore Rodicio, the Executive Director of the Miami Dade College (MDC3) Student Success and Completion Initiatives.

In the Miami Millennial Civic Health Index, the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship discovered that, unfortunately, Miami Millennials are among the least civically engaged in the nation. These findings were based on metrics of electoral engagement (e.g. voting), non-electoral political engagement (contacting an elected official or boycotting a company), group engagement (religious, sports, neighborhood organizations), and community engagement (volunteering, working with neighbors).

“While the report’s findings are unsettling, we do know that there are steps we can take to change course for Florida’s future.  Education – especially our educational institutions – will play a vital role in closing the gap between South Florida and the rest of the country”, said Senator Graham. ” I hope that our panelists, and the young leaders at this Summit, will help us conceive of innovative, sustainable solutions to increase civic education and engagement in our schools.  That starts at the K-12 level, and continues through college.”

The report recommends increasing civic education at lower grade levels, but notes that, given racial, ethnic, and socio-economic diversity in South Florida, it is critical to increase engagement among non-college bound youth as well.

During the panel it was brought up that early grade school education could be the key to not just community service, but service learning.

“Service learning ties back to reflection. We’ve lost a lot of that in society. We live in a society that is constantly stimulated. We’ve lost that time. That’s the power of service learning. It puts you into the community. It gives you time to listen to what the people in the community are telling you. If you listen and you understand what the problem is, that’s when you can find solutions”

One participant noted the double effect of service learning: it can both prepare students for future careers and make a difference in their communities.

Dr. Rodicio stressed how important this very issue is for Miami Dade College, stating “What we’re asking at MDC is,  how do we turn education into something that not only helps you but your community?”

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho discussed some of his ideas pertaining to the lack of service learning in schools, telling participants that the education system  “failed to evolve alongside you. You have evolved. And the systems along side you have not.”

Superintendent Carvalho acknowledged the leadership abilities of our participants and encouraged them to pursue their project ideas as a strategy to improve student success.

While the findings of the Miami Millennial Civic Health Index may seem daunting, if we come together to increase civic education in schools and engage South Floridians within and outside of educational systems, there is great promise for leveraging the region’s diversity and closing its civic engagement gaps.

Stay tuned! Tonight at 6:30 pm Eastern Time  is our Keynote Address, by the Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Dr. Martha Kanter! Dr. Kanter, an Obama appointee, is the first ever Under Secretary whose background was in community colleges. Her remarks promise to be extremely important to this Summit and its participants.

Tell your friends! You can post to Facebook, and use the hashtag #T2020 to get into the discussion and share your own ideas.  Your tweets and Facebook Status updates will enter you into our Live Webcast Contest!