Update

hey all...things r going great...i had to take a short break there for a while so that I could complete my college apps and scholarship apps (i applied to Furman and I used my project for application for the Hollingsworth Scholarship). things went great with the voter registration...i wont tell you my exact total yet but i will tell you that we registered more people than we thought we would... i was able to go to some of the local high schools and get some of their seniors registered (and in some cases, a few sophomores and juniors!!). I am hoping to continue passing out information during the next couple of months. i am thinking of getting the birth dates of the students in the area from their schools and seeing if i can mail the information to them on their birthdays. i was approached by a group who wanted to know if i would be willing to set up at a battle of the bands that they will be hosting. this would be a great opportunity to get some of the local youth informed and registered!! just wanted to give yall an update seeing as how the other eplers are doing the same! hope things are great with you all!

change in timeline

Change in timeline!!!!
I will be going to downtown Charleston on the 30th of this month and hopefully the 7th of next. the 7th is the deadling for applications so i am hoping that i can register last minute people that day and then drop the forms off on my way home!
wish me luck!

BUDGET, TIMELINE, GOAL

BUDGET:
Website.......................................$240
Posters........................................$50
Printed Materials......................$150
Buttons.......................................$190
Stickers......................................$50
Banner.......................................$40
Misc/Permits............................$50
Getting people
involved and
voting.........................................PRICELESS!!!
TOTAL.....................................$770



TIMELINE:
August
1)Conact the sponsors/volunteers
2)Get an idea of what I am going to do...AHHH!!!

September
1)Rally volunteers at school (i.g. Interact Club, Young Republican Club, Beta Club?)
2)Contact the City of Charleston Recreation Dept. and get permit
3)Contact the press about my project: get them to the events!
*News 4, Post and Courier, Summerville Journal Scene
4)Sept. 23 and 30?--go to downtown Charleston and get people registered
5)Speak with school officials at area HS about coming out and presenting

October
1)First week of Oct. go to the HS and get registered and informed
2)OCTOBER 7--LAST DAY TO GET FORMS IN!!!

November
1)November 7, 2006-Voting Day
*See about getting polls at HS

November-February
1)Go to HSs and continue informing about the voting process and politics.

March
1)Complete notebook about project.
2)Go to Furman!


GOAL:
REGISTER 500 EIGHTEEN AND NINETEEN YEAR OLDS BEFORE THE NOVEMBER ELECTION!!!
INFORM AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE ABOUT THE VOTING and POLITICAL PROCESSES!!!

8-30

today i met with my liason for the first time...i gave him the basic outline of my project, where i am right now, what i plan to do...the whole lay down....

he is going to check with the school to see the easiest way for us to deal with the money...he also made some pretty cool suggestions that i am definitely looking into...

so i am pretty sure that the concert rally is going to fall through, HOWEVER, i think that in place of this I will look into setting up a couple booths on Saturdays in downtown Charleston (Marion Square) during the farmer's market...it is literally right in the middle of everything, the park draws people in, and lots of people are drawn to the farmer's market, even if its just to walk through...i think that with this just a block away from the college and with numerous HS schools being nearby, not to mention the general population of the Chas. area, i could have some real success before Nov. I am trying to line up a couple meetings with the area HS to see how I can get involved and meet with their students...each month my school has an assembly so I am going to try to steal like five minutes to speak about my project, why its important to vote, and get some people registered...I have partnered with MTV's Rock the Vote and they have some "commercials" that I think would be effective to open with...

are yall going to keep giving us deadlines? when should we upload our timelines, budgets, goals?

ttyl

i am going to be meeting with my liason and with our community service coordinator at school this week to brainstorm and get some more ideas and try to finalize my timeline and budget...

quick question...i feel really bad but I think that I might need the extra $200 dollars...i got my website sponsored by a local company but no one else seems to be willing to help...i'll show yall this when i get my budget finished up and published on the blog for yall to see....

until then...

sorry...in all of my happiness i forgot to tell you what my URL is...

www.youthencouragingsuffrage.com

make comments if you see anything that needs changed...

WOOHOO!!! I just finished publishing my website...i have spent like 20 hours on that thing but it is finally finished!!! I am very happy and proud...i am sending my child, my creation off into the world at last!!! *tear*

sooo...although i full of joy right now I know it will not last becasue of my next steps...any ideas on the entry below?

I'll be back

Stumbling Block

OK...so i am trying to get things started really rolling but i have been unable to find a way to make contact with some people...soooo, I wanted to invite Darius Rucker or Edwin McCain to our voter registration rally because they are both involved with charities and both live locally in the lowcountry...I spoke with Dr. Lavery because he said that his son was best friends with Edwin McCain and that Edwin's dad was their family physician. I asked him if he would mind helping me get in contact with Edwin, he agreed, and that was it...i havent been able to get him to give me additional info...I am kinda worried because I wanted to have that rally as the main event as far as getting people registered for this coming election and it seems like everything has come to a stand still and I have like five-six weeks left until you can no longer register...

can yall help me with this? any ideas?

thanks....

I and II

I. Project Vision

The YES campaign is designed to register 18 and 19 year olds to vote while educating them on the voting process and the views of each political party.

II. Importance of Project

After meeting with various leaders in my community, Senator Joel Lourie, and the staff of ETV-SC, I realized that a major need in my community as well as in the state of South Carolina as a whole was increased voter turnout.
Upon researching voter registration and voter statistics, I found that only a small percentage of 18 year olds are registered to vote. It is important that this age group is represented and engaged in the political process, as they are our future leaders. As a group they would have a huge impact on the way that our government works. To have an equal democracy, everyone must exercise their right to vote. My program encourages eligible youth to register and in doing so, inform them of the United States political process and the importance of voting.
In the 2004 presidential election, 34 million people reported that they were not registered to vote. Of these people, 15 million reported that they were not interested and 6 million missed the registration deadline. An astounding 1 million people aged 18- to 24-years old reported that they either missed the registration deadline or did not know where or how to register to vote. These statistics clearly show that there is a need for programs encouraging youth to vote while providing them with information needed to produce educated and well-founded decisions.
During the 2004 election, in South Carolina there were 3,128,000 people eligible to vote (that is, they were aged 18 and older). However, only 2,047,368 of those people actually registered with only 1,116,936 of those registered actually voted. They say that the power is in the people’s hands, but what you don’t know is that it is only in the hands of about 35% of the people. In Dorchester County, there are about 28,000 people aged 18 to 21 years old. Of these numbers, only 3,542 were registered to vote in 2005 with only 1,905 actually making it to the polls.
Because of these shocking numbers, I felt the need to create a program designed to reach the nearly 24,000 18 to 21 year olds in my community. Focusing even more on the 18 and 19 year olds who are new to the experience and concept of local, state, and national voting. By reaching these voters young, we can create a foundation for them to politically grow and continue their voting experiences!