Harvard's Institute Of Politics Leading National Effort To Foster Youth Political Engagement

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly fifty undergraduates from across the country will travel to Harvard University this week to participate in an intensive training and conference, led by Harvard's Institute of Politics (IOP), featuring top political practitioners on bipartisan advocacy and campus political engagement. 

Participating schools are members of Harvard Institute of Politics' "National Campaign for Political and Civic Engagement," a consortium of twenty-five colleges and universities aiming to engage and encourage the next generation to improve our communities through bipartisan politics and public service.  National Campaign schools work on their own campus and collaboratively in three key areas: establishing an ongoing relationship with electoral politics; focusing on career development in public service; and ensuring a foundation in civic education. 

On Sept. 27-28, the IOP will host four dozen National Campaign school students for a conference entitled: "Bipartisan Advocacy: Finding Common Ground." Students will arrive with a working plan to tackle a policy issue in their communities and on their campuses nationwide.  Conference speakers include leading professionals with expertise in campaign and issue advocacy, federal and state government, communications, negotiation and team-building.  Students will use skills gleaned from conference experts to implement their advocacy plan in their campus communities. 

"The IOP is honored to host dozens of students from across the country who share our belief that politics and public service are a force for good to improve our communities," said Harvard IOP Director Maggie Williams.  "The IOP's National Campaign conference and training will help foster political engagement both here at Harvard and at Campaign schools throughout the nation."

Several of the conference's Saturday, Sept. 27 discussions will be livestreamed on the Institute's website at http://bit.ly/IOPNC2014. Follow us on social media at #NAC4Change.

Saturday, September 27
"Bipartisan Advocacy: Finding Common Ground"
Harvard's Institute of Politics

Livestreamed roundtable discussions

12:30 p.m.                             
Fostering Bipartisanship: A conversation with representatives from three organizations dedicated to fixing partisanship in Washington.  How do they do it, is it working, and how you can help?
A panel discussion with: Dan Glickman, Bipartisan Policy Center Senior Fellow;  former Harvard IOP Director and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture; Steven Olikara, Founder, Millennial Action Project; Mark McKinnon, Co-Founder, NoLabels; Fall 2012 Harvard IOP Resident Fellow; Sam Gilman, Co-founder and CEO, Common Sense Action; moderated by: Farah Stockman, Columnist, The Boston Globe

3:30 p.m.           
Millennials in Action: A discussion with young people who have created movements in their communities and motivated their peers into action.
A panel discussion moderated by: Kristen Soltis Anderson, Republican strategist and co-founder of Echelon Insights, an opinion research firm; columnist at The Daily Beast; former vice president, the Winston Group, a GOP polling firm

More information about Harvard Institute of Politics' National Campaign for Political and Civic Engagement:

In addition to taking action to spur student political involvement on their respective campuses, the National Campaign consortium works during the academic year to –

• Issue specific recommendations for government, media, campaigns, and educational institutions to promote political and civic engagement;
• Collect and make available key research; and
• Create new training opportunities for organizations and individuals seeking to promote youth engagement and participation. 

The National Campaign's twenty-five consortium schools are: Allegheny College, Arizona State University, Birmingham Southern College, Elon University, Franklin & Marshall College, Harvard University, Louisiana State University, Ohio State University, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Saint Anselm College, Simpson College, Tennessee State University, Tufts University, University of Chicago, University of Florida, University of Kansas, University of Louisville, University of Oklahoma, University of Rochester, University of Southern California, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, University of Texas, University of Utah, University of Virginia, and Vanderbilt University.

Harvard University's Institute of Politics (IOP), located at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, was established in 1966 as a memorial to President Kennedy.  The IOP's mission is to unite and engage students, particularly undergraduates, with academics, politicians, activists, and policymakers on a non-partisan basis to inspire them to consider careers in politics and public service.  The Institute strives to promote greater understanding and cooperation between the academic world and the world of politics and public affairs.  More information is available online at www.iop.harvard.edu/.   

SOURCE Harvard University's Institute of Politics