Steny Hoyer, Tom Daschle to Speak at 80 Million Strong National Summit

As you know, Future Majority is on the Steering Committee of 80 Million Strong. Our National Summit is taking place next Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington, DC. We've got a great group of young leaders coming to DC to bring their ideas and perspectives to bear on the growing youth unemployment crisis (including FM's Sarah Burris). After the Summit, we will be sponsoring a grant summit in Chicago, IL (October, most likely), to fund some of the top legislative ideas and advocacy campaigns that arise from the July 14 and 15 Summit - Karlo

Young Leaders Gaining Support, Creating Ideas for 21st Century Jobs

Washington, D.C. – 80 Million Strong for Young American Jobs, a coalition of 28 national youth organizations, will convene a summit of over 150 young people representing more than 30 states in Washington, D.C. on July 14 &15 in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.

Summit participants will develop legislative proposals in reaction to the disproportionate effects of the recession on young Americans.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Steny Hoyer, Majority Leader, U.S. Congress
• Tom Daschle, Former Majority Leader, U.S. Senate
• James Clyburn, Majority Whip, U.S. Congress
• Jared Bernstein, Senior Economic Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden
• Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality

Young Americans have been hit hardest by the economic downturn and face an unemployment rate of 17.8%, almost 9 points higher than the national average. College graduates are entering one of the worst job markets in decades with an average $27, 000 dollars of student loan debt and little to no income with which to make payments.

80 Million Strong members will address this crisis head-on at the summit, where diverse young people from across the country will discuss the precarious financial health of our generation, propose solutions and package these recommendations into federal legislation. Our goal is to support and inspire entrepreneurship, widen the path from volunteerism to careers in public service, and commit a new generation to a new economy defined by higher education, good health, robust security, and sustainable living. We will leverage our coalition's influential and growing voting bloc to move jobs legislation through Congress, which will serve as a rallying point for us to engage in advocacy and increase civic participation at the grassroots and national level.

For more information please visit our website at http://80millionstrong.org/.

Summit Information:
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 – Conference
Capitol Visitor Center, Rm. 215 A&B
8:30am to 7:00pm

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 – Advocacy Day
Capitol Hill
9:00am to 12:00pm

80 Million Strong Contact Information:

Matthew Segal, Executive Director, Student Association for Voter Empowerment (SAVE), National Co-Chair, 80 Million Strong

847-502-5012