WASHINGTON - (Business Wire) Young adults are finding it harder to get ahead in America. Compared to previous generations, today
’s 20-somethings earn less, carry more debt and pay more for everything from health care to housing. Demos, a national, non-partisan public policy organization, in partnership with Rock the Vote, Campus Progress, Common Cause, Young People For, Voto Latino, Black Youth Vote, The Student PIRGs & others announce a national conference:
“A Better Deal: Reclaiming Economic Security For a New Generation
”, May 8-9, 2008, at The Liaison Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
The conference will bring together politically-engaged young adults, including community organizers, young elected officials, policy advocates, get-out-the-vote volunteers and others in a collective effort to elevate this generation’s economic crisis onto the national agenda, to offer policy substance to sustain the rise in youth voting, and to forge partnerships for future reform efforts. Attendees will get the tools to connect politics to the personal financial struggles of young voters, and forge connections with others to build a movement for a better deal in their communities.
The conference will feature an array of speakers, including a keynote by Katrina vanden Heuvel, Editor and Publisher of "The Nation," and Andy Stern, President of Service Employees International Union. Others include Maria Teresa Peterson, Executive Director of Voto Latino, Heather Smith, Executive Director of Rock the Vote, and Tamara Draut, author of “Strapped: Why America’s 20- and 30-Somethings Can’t Get Ahead” and Director of the Economic Opportunity Program at Demos, as well as a number of experts and advocates from across the country. Panels will cover a range of topics: strategies for improving job quality; access to affordable higher education; housing, health and child care; student loan and credit card debt, and race, ethnicity and economic destiny.
Date: Thursday, May 8th, 6:30 – 8:30 PM, and Friday, May 9th, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location: The Liaison Capitol Hill, 415 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington, DC
Cost: This conference is FREE and limited travel scholarships are available.
Note: Young journalists and bloggers from all over the country are encouraged to attend.
For more information about the conference, please visit www.abetterdealconference.org and check for regular news updates at abetterdealblog.blogspot.com.
Resources, including Demos’ "Young Adult Economic Series" research and "The American Prospect’s" Special Issue, “Mobilizing Millennials,” are available for download at www.demos.org.
Members of the Press:
If you would like to attend this event, please contact Tim Rusch or Gennady Kolker at Demos: press@demos.org or (212) 633-1405.
Demos
Tim Rusch or Gennady Kolker, 212-633-1405
press@demos.org
