Chicago

Bumped. Ian Storrar, COO of Mobilize.org, invites you to apply for a grant summit in Chicago. - Karlo

On Friday I attended a reception with Majority Leader Hoyer’s staff at the Capitol, along with many of my friends and colleagues in the youth empowerment movement. In July, Majority Leaders Hoyer keynoted at the 80 Million Strong For Young American Jobs summit where over 100 Millennials engaged with him on some of the most pressing issues of our day. On Thursday, I attended a hearing of the House Education and Labor Committee (see Karlo Marcelo’s coverage on FM). My fellow Co-Chair of 80 Million Strong, Matthew Segal, testified about the huge disparity in unemployment across generations that leaves the Millennial Generation ill-equipped to tackle the economic and personal financial barriers of the near and long-term future.

Let’s turn to Chicago, not to dissect the 2016 Olympics but because this November 18th to 20th Mobilize.org will be holding another summit for young leaders in our generation to tackle economic problems. Democracy 2.0: Exploring the Millennial Generation’s Return on Investment (ROI) will bring together 150 people, many of whom were in DC this July, to discuss the barriers to our collective financial health and then compete for Democracy 2.0 Awards ($25,000 is available) to implement their ideas at the grassroots and netroots levels. The issues we will address range from healthcare and medicare/-aid to personal financial education and taxes.

The Peter G. Peterson Foundation sponsors Exploring Millennial ROI so, for selected summit participants who need it, travel expenses will be paid. We’re also excited to have an intergenerational partner in AARPs Lifetuner. The application form for the Summit is open until October 17th and anyone interested in competing for an Award should fill out a separate form with their proposal outline. I’m always happy to talk with anyone who’s interested and/or has questions (202 736 5703) or email ian@mobilize.org.

This is the year for dealing with these issues and pushing bold, innovative ideas. Demos is holding A Better Deal in Washington, DC I two weeks. You should go, I am. From there, let’s go to Chicago and cement our commitment to making change happen through collaborative approaches to our tough fiscal times.

The Young Democrats of America have two major events coming up in the next few months.

The 2009 YDA Spring National Conference will take place from June 12th to 14th at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston, TX.

Those interested in attending can register for the conference online and download the conference schedule.

The conference will feature the All Hands On Deck Fundraising Seminar: a 3 hour training session on fundraising strategies to help chapter leaders raise money to build their organizations and to send delegations to the National Convention in Chicago. I will be running the online fundraising component of the seminar.

Another highlight of the conference will be the Presidential Farewell Roast of David Hardt. The previous Presidential Farewell Roast for Chris Gallaway was extremely successful two years ago in Omaha and I'm excited to be on the panel of roasters again. The amount of money roasters raise for YDA will determine the amount of time they get on stage, so if you want to add another 30 seconds to my time you can make a $15 contribution at my page. (You'll also get to see a picture of me dug up online from Boy Band Night back in college).

If any organizations are interested in sponsorship opportunities for the conference check out the sponsorship packet.

The 2009 YDA National Convention will be held in Chicago, IL from August 5th through 9th. The convention will feature the election of national officers, trainings, great speakers, a major community service initiative, and the opportunity to meet Young Democrats from across the country. The Convention is being held at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place.

The Convention website is now live at ydachicago2009.com and online registration is open.

You can stay connected by following the convention account on Twitter (@ydachicago2009) or by joining the Facebook group.

I hope to see many of you at one or both of these events.