Berkman@10 >

may
14
2008

Civic Engagement and the Youth Vote in the 2008 Elections

The Berkman Center co-hosted a Forum event with the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics on May 14 at 6:00PM. The Forum focused on Youth, Politics, and Civic Engagement in the 2008 election year.

Watch the video here.

Speakers/panelists included:

• Jesse Dylan, HopeActChange.org and Director/Producer of the will.i.am "Yes We Can" video
• Wes Hill, co-Founder of HopeActChange.org 
• Ari Melber, The Nation Magazine 
• Jeff Frazee, National Youth Coordinator, Ron Paul 2008 
• John Palfrey, Executive Director of the Berkman Center (Moderator)

The Boston Globe turned their attention to some of the issues addressed in this forum in a feature on Scoop08, a national online newspaper run by students, founded by Alexander Heffner; Alex was a Berkman Luncheon Series guest this past semester.

About the Forum

The John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum is one of the world's premier arenas for political speech, discussion and debate. Located at the heart of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Forum regularly hosts heads of state; leaders in politics, government, business, labor and the media; academics; community organizers; and artists. In addition to speeches, debates and panel discussions on pressing issues, the Forum has sponsored television and radio programs, film screenings, and theatrical productions.

Perhaps the most unique and important feature of the Forum is the requirement that all speakers participate in a question and answer session with members of the audience, a practice that invariably results in lively exchanges. Forum events are open to Harvard students, faculty and staff, as well as the general public and the press. They are carried live via the Internet, and are often recorded for broadcast by C-SPAN, National Public Radio, and local cable television. You can watch video of past Forums online or order a copy by mail.

Since its founding in 1978, the Forum has hosted more than one-thousand events, seen by live audiences totaling more than 650,000 people and millions more via cable television, teleconferencing and the Internet.