Civic engagement quick hits

September 4th, 2008 at 05:04pm Deen Freelon Permalink

Where’s the future of activism?

—from the Mother Jones 2008 Student Activism Survey

• 69 percent of students cited “donating money to a cause or charity”
• An equal proportion cited “using eco-friendly or ‘green’ business practices.”
• 68 percent cited “fair labor practices” (down slightly from top ranking last year)
• Also of note, almost half (49 percent) give brands a hint on what might sway them: social messages incorporated into advertising have an effect.

—from Alloy Media + Marketing’s recently release 8th annual College Explorer study

The Rock the Vote site within the Xbox Live network has downloadable Gamerpics, which can be added to an individual’s Xbox Live profile, in support of Barrack [sic] Obama or John McCain, the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees, respectively. There’s also voter registration information and Rock the Vote videos.

Banner ads on the Dashboard — the central hub of Xbox Live — will point people toward the Rock the Vote content. After downloading the “I registered” pic, members will get voter registration information via e-mail.

—Seattle Times story on Microsoft’s partnership with RocktheVote aimed at outreach to online gamers

“Hurricane Katrina: Tempest in Crescent City” is a comprehensive social networking website featuring an educational “game” experience where participants are encouraged to act in support of New Orleans residents. The site provides links to a variety of relief groups as well as information about New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina including multiple timelines, analysis of media coverage, and supporting articles for all information presented.

—Press release for Global Kids’ latest civic gaming project

In their first joint appearance since the party conventions, presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama will discuss service and civic engagement in the post-9/11, post-Katrina world during the primetime televised “ServiceNation Presidential Candidates Forum” on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 11, hosted by Columbia University in the City of New York, as part of the ServiceNation Summit.

—Columbia University press release on ServiceNation Summit

Entry Filed under: digital learning skills, participatory media, social networking