Summit Location:

Central Piedmont Community College
Central Campus
1201 Elizabeth Ave
Charlotte, NC 28204

Hotel Accommodations:

Blake Hotel
555 South McDowell Street
Charlotte, NC 28204
(704) 372-4100

Participant Arrival Day: Friday, October 22, 2010

10:00 – 4:00 PM: Summit Registration and Same Day Voter Registration

1:00 – 4:00 PM: Participant Service Project (Optional)

5:00 – 7:00 PM: Personal Leadership Workshop

7:00 – 8:00 PM: Dinner

8:00 PM: Entertainment

10:00 PM: Shuttles depart CPCC back to Blake Hotel

Summit Day 1: Saturday, October 23, 2010

7:15 AM:  Walking shuttles begin at Blake Hotel to CPCC

8:00 – 8:20 AM: Breakfast

8:30 – 8:40 AM: Welcome/Overview of Day

8:45 – 9:15 AM:  Opening Keynote

9:20 AM: Process Introduction and Mobilize.org Staff Welcome

9:30 – 10:35 AM: Small Group Discussions

10:35 AM: Break

10:40 – 11:50 AM: Small Group Discussions 2

12:00 PM: Lunch

12:30 – 1:00 PM: Lunch Keynote

1:10 PM: Large Group Discussion/Reporting and Voting

2:40 PM: Break

2:45 PM: Democracy 2.0 Award Summit Process Introduction/ Overview of Workshops

3:00 – 4:00 PM: Workshops/Expert Sessions I – Personal and Professional Development

4:10 – 5:10 PM: Workshops II – Turning Your Occupation into Opportunity

5:30 PM: Walking Shuttles Back to Blake Hotel

6:30 PM: Final Democracy 2.0 Presentations Due

6:30 PM: Dinner and Keynote

8:00 PM: Closing Announcements and Wrap Up

Democracy 2.0 Competition Day: Sunday, October 24, 2010

7:15 AM: Walking shuttles depart Blake Hotel

8:00 AM: Breakfast

9:00 AM – Summit Voting Kickoff and Keynote

9:30 AM– Summit Presentations and Voting Begin

12:00 – 12:15 PM: Expert Feedback

12:15 PM: Break

12:30 PM: Lunch and Democracy 2.0 winners announced

1:30 PM: Personal Commitments to Action

2:00 PM: Closing Comments, Feedback, and Evaluations

2:30 PM: Walking shuttles back to Blake Hotel

In November 2009,  with support from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and in association with Lifetuner and AARP, 100 Millennials gathered in Chicago, IL, for the Millennial Return on Investment (MROI) Democracy 2.0 Summit. There, young leaders explored financial issues facing America and the Millennial Generation’s role in addressing them.

Nicola Moore and Eric Heis, founders of Gaming For Our Future, were two MROI participants who were also selected to compete in the Democracy 2.0 Award Competition. Through large and small group discussions around Americas financial crisis and its impact on Millennials, Nicola and Eric provided their unique perspective on solutions that Millennials can use to begin addressing our nation’s financial crisis. To do this, their organization, Gaming for our Future created U.O.Me. – an interactive game that helps players see how personal financial and policy decisions can affect the national debt.

The game was not created to trivialize the deficit, but to make solutions to reducing this seemingly insurmountable deficit number (over $62 trillion) seem feasible by placing our everyday choices within the context of the bigger national financial picture. Nicola and Eric’s goal with U.O.Me is to reach new audiences with nonpartisan policy education and through a game simulation, allow players to make policy decisions and personal sacrifices to pay down the national debt – which is estimated at around $201,000 per person.

Gaming Our Future was one of the five Democracy 2.0 Award winners at MROI, and with their award, the team set out to develop and market U.O.Me. The two stopped by the Mobilize.org offices this summer to talk about their project and about the Games for Change competition, which at the time they were preparing to attend. We are proud to announce that Games for Our Future pitched their game at the 7th annual Games for Change National Festival against 3 other games in development and won the “Most Likely to Succeed” award. Chosen by a panel of 8 game experts from the most impressive development firms in the gaming community, the team was awarded free expert consulting, support that will surely help their game take off.

Mobilize.org is proud of Gaming our Future, as Nicola and Erica’s success represents the potential of the 25 amazing Democracy 2.0 Awardees Mobilize.org has awarded and continues to support. Nicola and Eric began their project with a grant that emerged from proposing their game to their peers at last year’s Democracy 2.0: Millennial Return on our Investment Summit, but they are not done. They still require additional funding to finish their game. Please show your support by visiting the Gaming for Our Future KickStarter page to find out how you can help Nicola and Eric reach their $10,000 goal to launch U.O.Me. Then, make sure you check back next month for our next Awardee Spotlight.

Visit the Gaming For Our Future on Facebook.
Recent Headlines: National Debt Game Takes Prize Games for Change

I hope this website, and this blog in particular, will be an opportunity for us to share our stories with each other and weave together the narrative of a powerful generation who will revolutionize our democracy, our society and our world. I’d like to start by telling you my story and sharing with you the story of Democracy 2.0.

I am the daughter of Romanian immigrants. Almost 30 years ago, shortly after my parents had married, my mother had a dream of a young girl playing on a playground, dressed in bright purple pants and wearing pigtails. She woke up from her dream, sobbing, with the realization that her children, if born in Romania in the early 1980’s, would not have the opportunity to wear those bright purple pants. She shook my father awake and said, “We must go to America.” And to America they went. They began to build their life in New York City, in the democracy that they believed would give their daughter the opportunity to wear purple pants, speak freely, practice a religion of her choice and get involved in the political process. I grew up with a deep appreciation of the opportunities that I had here, as an American citizen, and a realization for how different my life might be, had my mom not had that dream. With that, I felt that my involvement was always, as the Romanian saying goes, ‘written on my forehead’. I wanted to share my story and work in a democracy that, whether good or bad, cared about my thoughts, ideas for improving it and had built in mechanisms for citizen involvement and input.

The struggle that my parents went through to give me these opportunities is my main source of inspiration but I recognize that the democracy that welcomed her was built with the blood, sweat and tears of so many leaders who had a vision for what a fair and just world should look like, and the hope and perseverance to live their lives in a way that would make it so. I am often asked what I want to do ‘when I grow up’, as if I’m still playing in a playground – just one that’s more expensive to maintain, and that has me on the merry-go-round for 10 hours a day. If I can continue to do this work, to share my story and to encourage other people to find the power of their voice within their communities, I will count myself as lucky and fulfilled and hopefully, having made an important contribution to building a movement.

On a professional level, I am most defined by our work with Democracy 2.0. Since October 4, 2007 I’ve been working to build Democracy 2.0, a concept that began as a campaign for the network of Mobilize.org and has turned into a movement that empowers Millennials to build the democracy that we want to inherit. It is the work that I am most proud of, and paradoxically, it is the work that I have had the least to contribute to. I view my abilities as a leader through the lens of what I am able to encourage and inspire other people to build, create, solve and dream.

Almost two years ago, 1,181 Millennials responded to a survey that asked them the following; what’s working and what’s not working within our democracy and what are the unique characteristics that define us as a generation, and which ones are essential in creating the change that we want to see? 47 of the respondents were randomly selected to come to DC for a day long Summit, utilizing interactive keypad voting technology to ensure transparency, accountability and voice, and they were asked to sift through the results, theme them and create a document that spoke to our collective vision. It was a long day, beginning at 8 AM in a room in the Rayburn Building and by 6 PM, I was well aware of the potential for abusing the time of my participants and I stood up in front of the room and said “Thank you so much for all of your hard work. My staff can take your thoughts and go from here.” The answer I was met with was a resounding “we aren’t done yet”, so we invited the participants back to our crammed office space, ordered them pizza and then the Mobilize.org staff sat in our offices, responding to emails and playing solitaire. At 4 minutes past midnight, a participant came to my office and said “We’re ready for you” and I gathered my staff and we walked into the conference room. The remaining participants took turns, each reading a line from what they called the Democracy 2.0 Declaration. Whether it’s because of how tired we were, or how much pizza I ate, I cried as I listened to these people I had just met that morning, describe the intangible thing that I had been working for for so many years – building Democracy 2.0. Three years later, we have a growing network of Millennials who are committed to building that reality they dared to dream, and it’s my privilege to work for and with them, every day.

Follow Maya on Twitter @Menista.

Sitting in the hub of a Pentagon City Starbucks on June 15, 2010, amongst the die-hard coffee addicts needing their early evening fix, I sat down with two Washington, DC locals: William McNulty and Drew Lewis.

Both members of Team Rubicon, a non-profit organization that looks to bridge the critical gap between large natural disasters and conventional aid response, these two men uttered the simplest yet powerful and inspiring words I have heard to date: Think Big: Start Small: Act Now.

These six simple words have embodied the power of every great idea.

For Jake Wood, founder of Team Rubicon, his big idea came from watching the local news of Hurricane Katrina and her ravaging aftermath with the knowledge that his schooling as a United States solider could have come in hand in handy. On January 12, 2010 when Haiti was hit with a destructive earthquake, Wood took initiative by simply posting a Facebook status stating “Haiti, who’s in?” After a couple days, Wood quickly gained a small team of Army veteran recruits who made the trek to Port-au-Prince to begin helping civilians before international organizations were even able to touch down.

This was the simple start of Team Rubicon.

For Dave Smith, a senior at University of California Berkeley eight years ago, his start began when he received a letter from administration that tuition would increase. Dave realized this would end his college education. Already living in an overcrowded apartment and working two jobs, Smith set out to stop the increase by gathering his supporters of the cause. Starting with only a couple of close friends, Dave managed to gather 110 students to go and talk to their state congressmen and women. From the conversations that took place on March 11, 2002 and that would later be known as Cal Lobby Day, the tuition spike was stopped and Mobilize.org was born. By dreaming big, starting small, and acting, Dave single handedly started a movement to change the way millennials engage in democratic action.

Both the stories of Jake Wood and Dave Smith embody my perception of how powerful these six simple words really are: Think Big: Start Small: Act Now.

It is my perspective that the Millennial Generation has the most potential to utilize the power of these words. We are the generation of Blackberries, iPhones and Droids. Through the internet we have the ability to access libraries of books through LexisNexis and Google Books. Our friends are a click away on social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn. We are the generation of collaboration.

Personally, I still have not found the mission that fuels me to take action. I am graduating college in less than a year and I do not have a decisive passion yet. I care about the world, society and the progression of life, but I still am searching. And frankly that is OK. Not everyone finds their driving force before they leave high school or college. The one thing I do know however is that when that time does come, I’ll have the tools to do it. I’ll have the technology. I’ll have the mindset and I’ll be more than ready.

Think Big. Start Small. Act Now.

Follow Nick on Twitter @njallsop.

Mobilize.org is currently seeking an experienced and dynamic Democracy 2.0 Summit Manager to work with the Vice President of Programs to manage the investments (financial capital, social capital and human capital) of Mobilize.org. During a Democracy 2.0 Summit, Mobilize.org convenes Millennials to discuss issues important to them on their campuses and in their communities, provides space for them to work collaboratively to propose solutions and hosts a competition during which Millennial compete for funding to support the implementation their solutions.  These funded solutions are then supported by Mobilize.org and our partner organizations, providing networking opportunities, best practices templates and skill-building opportunities, aimed at increasing the impact of the funded projects. The Summit Program Manager will be the key point of contact between funded projects and the resources available.

The position will report to the VP of Programs and create and execute the support programs (financial and leadership) offered to Democracy 2.0 awardees, measure and evaluate our ongoing work, share the stories and successes of Mobilize.org (and our funded projects) as well as provide support as needed on Summit execution.

Salary: DOE ($32,000 +) and comprehensive health benefits

Duties of the Democracy 2.0 Summit Manager:

Programming for D2.0 Summit

• Data Management + Participant Outreach
• Summit Competition Criteria + Participant Information
• Event Planning (Logistical Support, etc.)

Awardees Support Plan: Work with VP of Programs to execute comprehensive Awardee Support Plan.

• Plan and execute post-Summit follow up for participants and awardees. F.org support.
• Act as the contact for Summit participants and conduct all post-Summit follow-up and evaluations.
• Work with the Director of Communications to prepare messaging pieces around Democracy 2.0 Awardees.
• Build Democracy 2.0 Summit Awardees Support Calendar
• Work with Director of Development to create and manage fundraising and sustainability resources for awardees.

Qualifications:

• At least 1 year Program Management experience in a high-growth, entrepreneurial environment.
• Ability to create sustainable, long-term plans as well as execute those plans on a daily basis.
• Demonstrated passion for the mission, vision and values of Mobilize.org.
• Experience working in high-pressure situations; including ability to manage multiple tasks and travel fairly often.
• Ability to think strategically while executing tactically within a resource-constrained environment.
• Strong writing skills and experience communicating online, and offline, with Millennials.
• Ability to make decisions independently combined with an ability to work collaboratively.
• Familiarity with social networking, online tools as well as database management.
• Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail combined with an ability to take initiative and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.

Application Information:

To apply, please submit a thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the requirements of this position, as well as a resume and 2 references and a brief writing sample via email to Maya Enista, Chief Executive Officer, maya@mobilize.org. The application deadline is Monday, August 20t^h, 2010 at 5 PM EST. Applicants are encouraged to thoroughly review the Mobilize.org website.

The U.S. Public Service Academy will be the civilian counterpart to the military service academies, a flagship institution designed to build a “more perfect union” by developing leaders of skill and character dedicated to service in the public sector.

Its co-founders, Chris Myers Asch and Shawn Raymond, met in 1994 when they joined Teach for America and were sent to teach school in Sunflower County, Mississippi. After their stint in the classroom, they co-founded the Sunflower County Freedom Project, an intensive academic enrichment and leadership development program for middle and high school students. Asch ran the Freedom Project for seven years before leaving in the summer of 2006 to pursue the Academy full-time. Raymond served as chairman of the Freedom Project’s board while pursuing a legal career in Houston.

In early 2006, Chris Myers Asch and Shawn Raymond sent proposals outlining the Academy to anyone they thought might be interested. For many months, they paid for everything themselves and to this day, the two have been volunteering to turn their vision of the U.S. Public Service Academy into reality. With the help of dozens of volunteers and some donated office space, they are going to make it happen.

I am one of those volunteers, and last week I helped organize The Academy’s Summer  Youth Leadership Conference where more than 40 supporters of The US Public Service Academy (US PSA) from across the country arrived in DC on Wednesday, July 14 to engage in straight-up democratic action. But this group wasn’t just heading to the Hill to rattle off a quick presentation and to hop back on their bus. This group of young people connected with civic leaders, spoke with folks committed to lifelong service, and networked with each other.

The conference began with a presentation by former U.S. Representative Tom Davis (R-VA) followed by an afternoon of Lobbying 101.  Former Representative Davis is now President and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership, an organization working to promote thoughtful leadership in the GOP, and “to partner with individuals, organizations and institutions that share centrist values.” Congressman Davis served seven years in the U.S. House and shared his views on engaging with government.

Academy co-founders Shawn Raymond and Chris Myers Asch, briefed participants on the Public Serve Academy and its legislative position, and coached participants on how to make effective presentations and engage with congress and congressional staffers, and learned how to practice their presentation skills in preparation for the day they spent at the Capitol.

Thursday was dedicated to spreading the message about the USPSA to Senators and Representatives. Participants were invited to Congressman Jim Moran’s (D-VA) office for a Q&A session on the USPSA and the current political climate.  Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA), first elected in 1990 and currently carrying out his tenth term.

After a panel discussion on social media as it relates to advocacy with Chris Golden (myimpact.org); Whitney Soenksen (AmeriCorps Alums); Ernesto Gluecksmann (http://www.infamia.com/), Mobilize.org’s Vice President for Programs, Decker Ngongang, led the group in a conversation about how Millennials can engage with our government to find solutions to challenges facing the next generation and our nation. Steve Loflin, Founder and Executive Director for the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, closed night by discussing ways to strengthen higher education.

Friday the conference wrapped up with engaging presentations – from learning about national service opportunities to discussing the future of service with President and CEO of Youth Service America, Steve Culbertson, and with participants meeting a career congressional staffer.

USPSA attendees got much more than just a quick trip to DC. The conference was both an advocacy and learning event where youth engaged their elected officials on an issue that they believe in and were able to take away ideas, knowledge, and new connections that will make their communities and our country better.

Amy Throndsen is an AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps Alum (2004-05), a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (China 2006-08), and is leading the effort to organize the The Academy’s Summer Youth Leadership Conference as its 2010 chair.  For more information about the Academy or the US Public Service Academy’s Summer Youth Leadership Conference, please email Amy at throndsen@uspublicserviceacademy.org.

Mobilize.org is currently seeking a Program Associate to support the Mobilize.org Vice President of Programs, who manages all programs, outreach and external-facing partnerships by directing and coordinating program staff activities consistent with established goals, objectives, and policies. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Programs, the Program Associate will assist with the execution of the Mobilize.org Democracy 2.0 program. This will include but not be limited to planning Democracy 2.0 summits, providing assistance with Mobilize.org Democracy 2.0 awardees and their projects and doing research on upcoming Mobilize.org activities and opportunities.

The ideal candidate will be a proactive, driven individual with warm character and exceptional integrity. He or she must be an individual who thrives as part of a highly motivated, committed team, and will have a passion for producing effective communications. Other qualifications include:Proficient communicator both verbal and written

• Proven multi-tasker that is results oriented
• Has previous work experience
• Excellent organizational, project management and time-management skills
• Self-motivated, resourceful, and detail- and deadline-oriented
• Proactive, entrepreneurial style with the ability to take initiative, recognize opportunities, develop and implement focused plans for executing on those opportunities
• Strong team player, with willingness to be hands-on and do whatever it takes to support the success of Mobilize.org

Application Information:

To apply, please submit a thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the requirements of this position, as well as a resume and 2 – 3 writing samples to careers@mobilize.org. The application deadline is August 1, 2010. The Development Associate position will be available on September 7, 2010 and last a minimum of 10 weeks.

I may have unknowingly helped Professor McEwan, who happens to be the founder of Make Waves, an agency that helps non-profits develop comprehensive marketing strategies.  She was discussing with Heidi and Michael the possibility of creating an awareness campaign for the MDGs:  Millennium Development Goals.

The Millennium Development Goals were agreed upon by world leaders in September 2000.  As a new global initiative, countries agreed to reduce extreme global poverty by 2015, by focusing on eight objectives:  Universal Education, Ending Poverty and Hunger, Gender Equality, Child Health, Maternal Health, Combating HIV/AIDs, Environmental Sustainability and Global Partnership.  Over 173 million people have stood up for the MDGs, including the president of the Dominican Republic, who has actually made the goals a part of his country’s formal policy objectives.  But have you ever even heard of the MDGs?

Even pro athletes, such as Marion Barber of the Dallas Cowboys and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals, each of whom has started his own philanthropic organization, are speaking out in support of the MDGs.  Jack Brewer of Minnesota Viking fame has been asked to serve on the MDG Awards Committee Athletes Board of Advisors.  Founder of the Jack Brewer Foundation, his organization offers educational opportunities and economic development in partnership with underprivileged people around the world.  MDGs are to be reached collectively, but social movements begin when a small group of active, thoughtful individuals stand up for what is right.

So what might we do to help reach the UN’s Millennium Development Goals?  First, according to Professor McEwan, we have to share the idea of the MDGs.  Word of mouth has a level of credibility.  As MDGs are a people’s movement, we need a bottom-up campaign. We need an awareness campaign; hence, a social media campaign.  It is up the Millennials - us, to spread this movement.

Find your passion.  Take action at standagainstpoverty.org.  Research the underlying factors of poverty at care.org, or learn about issues on good.is.  Discover volunteer opportunities on idealist.org, allforgood.org, or handsonnetwork.org.  Maybe next year, the MDG Awards Committee might recognize viral Millennials, spreading the word, taking action, one link at a time.

For more information, visit the United Nations Millennial Development Goals website and join the Millennium Development Goals Awards on Facebook.

Melissa Holmes is a graduate student and the University Student Senate representative at Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy. You can follow her on Twitter @Melissalhomes and follow Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy @leaders4change.