The Hot Sheet

Essay Contest for 16-24 year olds

Enter an essay contest for youth advocates co-sponsored by Advocates for
Youth, Feminist Majority Foundation, SIECUS, and the Sierra Club!

Win a trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in the fourth annual
One Voice: Reproductive Health and Population Summit

There is a direct connection between our health and the health of the
planet. Today, more than one billion adolescents- the largest number
ever- are entering their reproductive years. At the same time, we face
an increasing lack of access to reproductive health information and
services and pressing global challenges like water scarcity, global
warming, and poverty. The choices this generation makes will have an
impact on our world for years to come.

We invite advocates ages 16-24 to tell us in an essay of no more than
500 words about the potential roles youth can play in advocating for a
more just and sustainable world, where all people have access to sexual
and reproductive health services and a healthy environment. Tell us how
you would use your experience from the One Voice Summit
to create a year-long action plan that will make a
difference on these issues in your school and/or community.

To qualify, contestants must be between the ages of 16 and 24, currently
reside in the United States, and demonstrate a passion to work on issues
of sexual and reproductive health and rights and the environment. One
reference is also required.

The organizers will fly the winning contestants to Washington, D.C. for
the One Voice Summit taking place February 6- 9, 2009. Accommodations
and meals will also be covered.

CONTEST DEADLINE IS MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2008 at 5pm EST.

For more information about the One Voice Summit or essay contest, please
e-mail submissions@advocatesforyouth.org.

To submit your contest entry, please email the following completed form and the text of your essay to: submissions@advocatesforyouth.org

Tags: civic, engagement, essay contest, reproductive rights, Youth, youth activism

Passion, but without anger

http://kdka.com/local/North.Fayette.School.2.861673.html

This story, while disturbing, shows very clearly what the League has
known all along: the youth of the United States, and of Pennsylvania,
are not apathetic about politics, as they are so often portrayed. What
they are is frustrated and angry, and they don’t know how to express
that constructively.

Luckily, that is why we are here, and it is because of stories like
this that we get out every day to teach young people that there is a
way that they can change their country peacefully but forcefully, with
passion but without anger, constructing new centers of power rather
than willy-nilly tearing down old ones.

It is all there in our tagline: engage, educate and empower for the
future of Pennsylvania.

Mac Booker

Tags: apathy, Civic engagement, Education, politics, schools, violence, Youth

Interviewed at the polls!

PA League of Young Voters own Dylan Lampe was interviewed by WTAE while he waited in line to vote on Chatham’s campus.

Meanwhile, volunteer Francine Porter was out interviewing voters about their voting experience and thoughts on the election.

Videos like these are being uploaded by the League as well as many other groups and individuals all across the county as part of the Video Your Vote project.

Tags: election day, election protection, stories, videoyourvote, voters

Everyone knows our Voter Guides rock

Ashley DiParlo at WTAE interviewed our own Carly Dobbins-Bucklad about the League of Young Voters special DIY voter guide website, theballot.org — where you can see all the League non-partisan voter guides (including PA’s!) with information on all of the down-ballot candidates and referendums, as well as upload your own voter guide.

People and organizations can submit guides all over the country, so if you’ve got a friend in another state, pass theballot.org on!

Tags: ballot.org, candidates, DIY, election, election information, League of Young Voters, national, non-partisan, online, Pennsylvania, state representative, vote, voter guides, wtae, Youth

New polling place camera ban will not help election protection

No cell phones, no cameras, a new ban in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties is keeping all cameras out because they will “distract” first-time voters.

This will make election protection efforts, like VideoYourVote, a lot more difficult.

Terry Griffin, Western PA Field Organizer, and Liz Rincon, Executive State Director for the PA League spoke on the drawbacks of this ban…see the news story here

The PA League and the PAVoice Election Protection coalition will still be participating in VideoYourVote, by going to polls to ask voters about their voting experiences.  And don’t forget to call 866-OUR-VOTE if you see a problem at the polls to report it right away!

Tags: 2008, allegheny, camera ban, election coverage, election protection, pbs, poll problems, presidential election, videoyourvote, voter rights, westmoreland

It’s an E-Day GOTV Swarm

Our office was completely packed for E-Day orientation this week, as dozens of eager volunteers came in to get trained and scheduled to get out the vote on Tuesday.

They ranged in age from 17 years old to over 50.  We gave them all a t-shirt and the list of canvasser rules and rights, and got them scheduled for either a whole-day or half-day shift.

IF YOU MISSED THE ORIENTATION… Saturday, Nov. 1st at 1pm in our office you can still  get trained and scheduled to push those voters out the door!  Call 412-362-7927 with questions.

Tags: election day, orientation, training, volunteers

Election Results Party-time!

On a historic day like this one, don’t you want to be with your friends and countrymen?

Tags: e-day, election results, non-partisan, non-profit, Party, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, presidential election, progressive movement, Shadow Lounge, young voters, Youth Vote

I pledge to vote because…

Dylan Lampe, headed to the post office.

1,150 people pledged to vote, for whatever reason was most important to them.

Today, we mailed all of those voter pledges back to the voters, so they will have a reminder arrive in their hands just days before election day.

Tags: election reminder, postcards, vote, voter pledge, young voters

Election Day TRAINING

You want to help get out the vote.  Come to one of our super-duper election day orientations:  get prepped, scheduled, and the day’s agenda in an hour.  Plus, we’ll feed you punch and pie!

TUESDAY, Oct 28th, 7pm-8pm
League Office, 6101 Penn Avenue Suite 302, East Liberty

WEDNESDAY, Oct 29th, 7pm-8pm
United Steelworkers Office, 1945 Lincoln Highway, North Versailles

(We’re serious!  Punch & Pie!)

Tags: election training, get out the vote, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Youth Vote

“Unlock the Vote” Poster Contest Winner announced!

Tags: allegheny county, download, election, Pennsylvania, poster contest, unlock the vote, vote for the future of PA, voter rights, Youth