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Young, Progressive Elected Officials to Convene in Washington

Contact:
Miranda Blue or Drew Courtney
People For the American Way Foundation
Phone number:

Over 200 Local, State and Federal Elected Officials under age 35 will meet with Members of Congress, White House

Over 200 young, progressive elected officials will gather this week in Washington at the fifth annual convening of People For the American Way Foundation’s Young Elected Officials Network.

The participants, elected officials at the local, state and federal levels, are all under the age of 35. They will meet with Members of Congress and White House officials, and will discuss their experiences serving as young elected leaders, and their successes and challenges in implementing progressive policies in their communities. They will also participate in three days of issues workshops ranging from discussions about health care implementation in the states to discussions on re-thinking the public education system.

The Young Elected Officials (YEO) Network was founded in 2006 to unite and support young progressive leaders dedicated to building communities that reflect values of freedom, fairness and opportunity, with the goal of producing an enduring pipeline of well-prepared national and world class leaders. The network now includes over 550 progressive local, state and federal officials from all 50 states. Most are at the start of their political careers; 89 percent are interested in running for higher office in the future.

A 2004 study by the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University found that while only 4.8 percent of elected officials in the country are under the age of 35, those elected at a young age tend to rise to the top of the country’s leadership—63% of 20th and 21st century presidents held their first elected office before the age of 35, as did 57% of U.S. Senators and 49% of U.S. Representatives serving at the time.

A full schedule of events open to the press is below. For press credentials, please RSVP to Miranda Blue or Drew Courtney at (202) 467-4999.

Young Elected Officials Network
2010 National Convening
May 13-16, 2010

Thursday, May 13 

7:30 AM                        Conference Registration Opens 

12:00 PM – 4:00 PM      Pre-Conference Tracks

Track 1– Women’s Caucus

Track 2– FLLA 2.0

Track 3– Local Policy in Action

Track 4– In the District- Self guided tours 

5:30 PM                        Buses Depart to YEO Gala 

6:30 PM                        5th Anniversary Opening Gala

Cocktail Reception- 6:30pm; Dinner- 7:30pm

Friday, May 14 

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM        Opening Plenary – “Courageous Leadership”

Keynote Speaker: Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia

9:45 AM – 11:00 AM      Issues Workshop Series 1

State Level YEOs

Issue A – Foreclosure & Anti-Predatory Lending

Issue B – The High Cost of Crime and Incarceration: Rethinking the Criminal Justice System 

Local Level YEOs

Issue A – Local Economic Development: Building Sustainable Communities

Issue B – Juvenile Justice

School Board YEOs

Issue A – Innovative Programs and Savings for School Districts

12:20 PM – 1:20 PM      Lunch Plenary – “Drug Reform Policy”

Keynote Speaker: Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director, Drug Policy Alliance Network 

1:30 PM – 2:45 PM        Issues Workshop Series 2- Lost in Translation: National Initiatives at Home

Issue A – National Popular Vote

Issue B – Human Rights and Equality

Issue C – Immigration Reform

Issue D – Corporate Personhood? A Discussion of Citizens United and Corporate Speech Rights

Issue E – Economic Democracy

Saturday, May 15

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM        Breakfast 

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM      Opening Plenary – “From Cradle to College: Keys to Providing a Complete and Equitable Education for All Students”

Panelists:  Dr. John Jackson, President, Schott Foundation for Public Education;
Robert Shireman, Deputy Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

10:15 AM – 11:30 AM    Issues Workshop Series 3

Topic A – Job Creation Strategies for Elected Officials

Topic B – Education Equity: The P-16 Alignment and Community Investment

Topic C – Revenue Restructuring and Reform

Topic D – Energy and Environment: Climate Change, Renewable Energy Initiatives, and Sustainable Green Policy

Topic E – Redistricting for Fair Representation

11:45 AM – 1:00 PM      Issues Workshop Series 3 (Repeated)

Topic A – Job Creation Strategies for State and Local Elected Officials

Topic B – Education Equity: The P-16 Alignment and Community Investment

Topic C – Revenue Restructuring and Reform

Topic D – Energy and Environment: Climate Change and Renewable Energy Initiatives, and Sustainable Green Policy

Topic E – Redistricting for Fair Representation

1:15 PM – 2:30 PM        Lunch Plenary- Regional Lunches

YEOs will be split into the four regions: Northeast, South, West, Midwest 

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM        Open Spaces

Progressive Partner Organizational Fair

Sunday, May 16

9:00 AM – 9:45 AM        Networking Breakfast 

9:45 AM – 11:00 AM      General Plenary- “Health Care Implementation: The Way Forward in the States”

Panelists:  Maya Wiley, Center for Social Inclusion;
Ann Kempski, SEIU 

11:15 AM – 12:45 PM    Breakout Series: State of the Union

Panels of young electeds will present and discuss the challenges and successes they are facing at their respective levels of government

State of the States

  • Rep. David Schapira (AZ), Sen. Phil Bartlett (ME), Rep. Tishaura Jones (MO), Scott Kawasaki (AK)

State of the Cities

  • Mayor Heather Hudson (MI), Mayor Sean Becker (MT), Mayor Ryan Coonerty (CA), Karen Liot Hill (NH)

State of the Schools

  • School Board President Jane Kim (CA); School Board President Airick Leonard West (MO); Former School Board President Carmelo Garcia (NJ); School Board President Janet Chen (CA)

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM        Closing Plenary Lunch

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM        YEO Open Spaces (optional)

YEOs will have the space to meet in their caucuses or task forces as needed

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