99problems.org

Amid the craziness of the inauguration this week, the League of Young Voters Education Fund launched 99Problems.org, a website seeking to join the fight against systemic problems that face our youth.

From the site:

The premise of 99Problems.org is simple.

During the first hundred days of Obama’s administration, users will be encouraged to submit creative video testimonials outlining the biggest problems facing their communities.

Site administrators will sift through the submissions and post the day’s most engaging videos to the site’s front page.

Videos will be selected based on their creativity and resonance. Site administrators encourage people to make their videos less than 90 seconds.

What I like about this site is its emphasis on solving problems, and the responsibility that's necessary to do this. I've written before about the pragmatism I value in Obama, and this effort is a reflection of that: no ideology or drama, but instead, a common sense view of the problem and an example of how young people are solving it. "Service" can help in problem-solving, but it should be accompanied by an emphasis on public policy to determine how to disrupt the systemic aspect of the problem; thankfully, 99Problems does this by posting "action" videos of those who have already taken steps to combat the issue. The best part of the site, in my opinion, is its focus on those non-college youth who aren't on the receiving end of many resources and attention that the government, political parties, and/or media gives to college students. The LYVEF has a long history of advocating for that forgotten group of people, and 99Problems is a fantastic tool to continue their work.

Here is the first video, illustrating the program well: