Democracy 2.0
Mobilize.org took the input of 1,828 members of our generation into developing Democracy 2.0.
On March 11, 2002, Mobilize.org embarked on a journey to form its theory of change: Democracy 2.0. Although the organization began with its own definition of Democracy 2.0, "Young people not only contributing to, but also building the democracy they want to inherit," it was the input of thousands of members of the Millennial Generation that shaped the vision of Democracy 2.0 and created a theory of change through the eyes of a millennial.
Democracy 2.0: Millennial-Generated Change to American Governance was developed by members of the Millennial Generation in an effort to reflect the six years of Mobilize.org's civic engagement work, focusing on the last eight months of research and experience in the field with fellow members of our generation.
The root of Democracy 2.0 is found at the level of the individual millennial identifying problems at the local, state and national levels. Once problems are identified, one must engage in conversations, searching for innovative solutions to the problems they have identified. Mobilize.org seeks to empower the individual past the deliberation stage, enabling members of the Millennial Generation to implement their own solutions. Through the success of Millennial-generated initiatives, the goal of Democracy 2.0 is to institutionalize Millennial-generated solutions as a staple of American governance at all levels.
Democracy 2.0 emerged as a rationale for Mobilize.org at its inception. Mobilize.org Founder David Smith, along with other founding members, felt that much of the partisan bickering, dirty campaigning, and lack of outreach to young people from campaigns and elected officials demonstrated that decision makers in government were not setting themselves up to make the best decisions for the Millennial Generation.
The idea was not a new one. Mobilize.org had been refining this model since its founding, along with a host of other organizations in the dialogue and deliberation field. While the "Citizen at the Center" report directed attention to this movement and gave these organizations common language, Democracy 2.0 gave the Millennial Generation language that resonated with its members and a model upon which they could build.
From the use of technology to enable conversation to the sponsorship of Millennial-generated projects to address issues such as the environment, civic engagement, and campaign finance reform, Mobilize.org has had the unique opportunity to see its theory of change in action.
Much has been said and written about the Millennial Generation. Now, it is our turn to share what democracy could like in the twenty-first century.
For further information, please visit Mobilize.org's website at http://www.mobilize.org or contact Mobilize.org's Chief Communications Officer, Christina Gagnier, at 510.717.3022.
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