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Media

Contact: David B. Smith
dsmith@ncoc.net
202-729-8038 office

Title	Date
Civic Health Index Finds America in the Midst of Civic ForeclosureStudy Finds that God, Friends and Facebook are Important Factors for Fostering Civic Engagement	August 27, 2009
President Obama Signs the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America ActNCoC to play a leading role in studying and measuring the value of service to the nationWith the signing today by President Obama of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, America takes another step toward more fully supporting both the capacity and the willingness of its citizens to serve.	April 21, 2009

News

In addition to having a new look on our website, NCOC will be adding new programs and services in the near future. Please check back to see announcements of our new initiatives and how they benefit us all in the civic engagement field.

Title	Date	Type
Quality of candidates turned off votersThe Miami Herald	September 1, 2010
Social innovation: Let’s hear those ideasThe EconomistEconomist article discusses how America and Britain governments hope that a partnership with “social entrepreneurs” can solve some of society’s most intractable problems	August 13, 2010
Web Users Increasingly Rely on Social Media to Seek Help in a DisasterNew Red Cross survey shows 74 percent expect response agencies to answer social media calls for help within an hourA new American Red Cross survey shows many web users would turn to social media to seek help for themselves or others during emergencies—and they expect first responders to be listening-- 74 percent expected help to come less than an hour after their tweet or Facebook post.	August 9, 2010
Companies donate employees’ time, service instead of cashUSA TodayThe Chronicle of Philanthropy and USA TODAY surveyed the largest corporations in the USA to find out how much money they give to charity and to which causes. More than 100 companies answered the survey, and The Chronicle analyzed tax data for other companies for a total of 162.	August 9, 2010
Study local, think globalSydney Morning Herald	August 5, 2010
Obama to award 13 citizens for their good deedsAssociated PressPresident Barack Obama on Wednesday was to recognize him and 12 other people with the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second highest honor that can be conferred on an American civilian.	August 4, 2010
With a quick swipe, retailers are making it easier for charitable donationsThe Kansas City StarMore and more, retailers are making it easy for you to support your favorite causes — and theirs — by asking for contributions at the cash register. Charities find it an effective way to raise money, and retailers use it partly to burnish their image.	July 26, 2010
Food bank worker finds happiness in giving backWSBT.comJerry Griffin said he ended up homeless after a destructive life of drugs and alcohol. Now, sober and employed, he continues to give back by donating money to local organizations and motivating others to do good for their community.	July 22, 2010
Social Networking Affects Brains Like Falling in Love Fast CompanyNeuroeconomist Paul Zak has discovered, for the first time, that social networking triggers the release of the generosity-trust chemical in our brains. And that should be a wake-up call for every company.	July 14, 2010
Compassion Across BordersThe Huffington PostAs President Obama made clear in his first major policy speech to the international community in Cairo, Egypt, the world must unleash its collective imagination through social innovators, entrepreneurs and citizen diplomats to contribute to global development, respond to natural disasters, and initiate interfaith action to tackle preventable diseases like malaria. The moment is now.	July 13, 2010

Releases

Title	Date	Type
Honoring the Memory of Senator ByrdMourning the Loss of a Civic PioneerToday the nation mourns as America's longest–serving senator, Democrat Robert Byrd, passed away at the age of 92. Senator Byrd was a tireless champion for civic causes and the importance of civic education.	June 28, 2010
NCoC.net Gets a Facelift!New website features allow NCoC.net to recommend content you may find interesting based on your interests and website activity.	June 14, 2010
David B. Smith selected as 2010 American Express NGen FellowWe are pleased to report that the Executive Director of the National Conference on Citizenship, David B. Smith, has been selected a 2010 American Express NGen Fellow, an award given to only twelve non-profit leaders across America under the age of 40.	June 3, 2010
Rick Stengel is 2010 Citizen of the YearIt is with great pleasure the National Conference on Citizenship announces Rick Stengel will be honored as the 2010 Citizen of the Year at our Annual Conference on September 17 in Washington DC.	May 19, 2010
New Features for NCoC.netThe National Conference on Citizenship works hard to make NCoC.net a valuable resource for our visitors, and we are excited to announce a set of new features to enhance your ability to find and share civic information from our website. As we continue to build and grow, will soon be able to recommend information you may find valuable based on your interests. We know that our ideas aren’t the only ones, so please take our quick survey and help us server you better. Image from 2009 NCoC by Nick Troiano	March 15, 2010
Notice of Federal Funds Available Agency Announces $50 Million Available for Organizations to Invest in Effective Nonprofits Working in Low-Income CommunitiesThe Corporation for National and Community Service released a Notice of Federal Funds Availability (NOFA) for the newly-created Social Innovation Fund (SIF). Applications are due by April 8, 2010, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The SIF, authorized by the 2009 Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, is specifically designed to: Promote public and private investments in effective nonprofit community organizations to help them replicate and expand to serve more low-income communities; create new knowledge about how to solve critical social challenges; and develop the grantmaking infrastructure necessary to support the work of social innovation in communities across the country.	February 16, 2010
California Suffering ‘Civic Recession’Report finds downturn affecting volunteerism and trust	November 24, 2009
New Report Reveals Disappointment and Disengagement Among Illinois Citizens A new report shows that Illinois citizens are disappointed, frustrated and disillusioned by recent political scandals and the pressures of the recession. The report, co-sponsored and funded by the Chicago-based McCormick Foundation and the McCormick Freedom Project, reveals a badly fractured civic culture, with Illinois ranking 40th in the nation. The study also found that young people in Illinois are significantly less engaged than those in other states.	November 18, 2009
All Volunteer Force: Civic Lives of Our Newest Generation of Veterans	November 11, 2009
THE 2009 OHIO CIVIC HEALTH INDEX REPORT: Civic Engagement in Hard Economic TimesOhio's Civic Health Index Report was released at the 2009 Ohio Civic Health Symposium held at the Statehouse in Columbus and shows 80% of Ohioans surveyed say they have cut back on time spent volunteering, participating in groups, and performing other civic activities in their communities during the past year while the economy was shrinking.	November 10, 2009

Op-Eds

Title	Date	Type
Kennedy dream lives on in our volunteer spiritJohn Bridgeland	August 28, 2009
There’s No Stimulus Like Serviceby John Bridgeland and Alan Khazei“Democrats in Washington say the nation needs more jobs. Republicans say the economic stimulus isn’t working fast enough.” In a Politico op-ed, NCoC advisors John Bridgeland and Alan Khazei present a simple, low-cost, bipartisan solution to both complaints: fully funding the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act to allow for expansion of national and community service programs. Because the bottom line is, America needs economic recovery, and meaningful public engagement could be the solution to pulling us out of these tough times.	July 17, 2009
July 4th is Your Call to DutyA special Independence Day column from former Congressman Lee Hamilton, “July 4th Is Your Call to Duty.”	July 2, 2009
Take the Citizen’s OathOne way to stand with [President Obama] is by reciting a simple oath of our own. It's called the ''Citizen's Oath,'' and it was authored by former Pennsylvania Sen. Harris Wofford and other prominent Americans convened by the National Conference on Citizenship. The Citizens Oath reminds us of our responsibilities as Americans by asking us to consider our civic duties, even as our new president considers his:	January 28, 2009
An American PledgeTake the Citizen’s OathThe inauguration of our 44th President generated the kind of excitement normally reserved in Januarys for the National Football League playoffs. What both events have in common is that we start out by looking in; we don't typically participate. And when "in" comes to the Inaugural, we must do more than look in.	January 28, 2009
Harry C. Boyte: The peculiar attack on community organizingThe Republicans meeting in St. Paul heaped scorn on "community organizers" with snappy sound bites. But attacking community organizing for partisan advantage could prove a mistake.	October 31, 2008
Cure civic malaise: VoteFlorida's civic health is in sad shape. We're 47th in the nation, according to rankings just released by the National Conference on Citizenship and the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship. Floridians don't volunteer enough, don't work together much to solve community problems and don't vote in high numbers.	October 28, 2008
Education is the key to state’s civic healthEducation is the key to state's civic health Florida's Civic Health Index, a new feature of America's Civic Health Index — the definitive statistical report on civics in the United States — ranks Florida 47th in civic health and near the bottom on such key indicators of our civic life as voter turnout (32nd), volunteering (47th), participation in public meetings (49th) and working with others to solve community problems (40th). The miserable state of our civic health puts Florida on the critical list.	October 25, 2008
Bill Berlow: A sense of place improves civic healthAfter living in South Florida for 45 years, my late mother still didn't really think of herself as a Floridian. She even dreamed, as a senior citizen, of moving to New York City. Part of the reason, I suspect, was that on some level Mom still felt like a migrant.	October 24, 2008
Democracy withers if civics not taughtBy Bob Graham, Special to the TimesAfter a speech on education I gave as a state senator in 1974, I was approached by Sue Riley, a teacher skeptical of politicians who lacked classroom experience. How could we know what was best for students if it had been decades since we last stepped foot in a classroom?	October 22, 2008

Publications

Title	Date	Type
An Evolving RelationshipExecutive Branch Approaches to Civic Engagement and PhilanthropyA new white paper from Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement outlines Executive Branch approaches to civic engagement and Philanthropy. “An Evolving Relationship” provides a broad overview of Executive Branch approaches to civic engagement, participation, and service over the past two decades. It also describes how philanthropy has worked with the federal government on these issues over the same time frame.	May 17, 2010
Disrupting Philanthropy: Technology and the Future of the Social Sectorby Lucy Bernholz, Edward Skloot, and Barry VarelaThis monograph by Lucy Bernholz, Edward Skloot, and Barry Varela explores the immediate and longer-term implications of networked digital technologies for philanthropy.	May 11, 2010
Creating Spaces for ChangeWorking Toward a “Story of Now” in Civic EngagementCreating Spaces for Change: Working Toward a "Story of Now" in Civic Engagement, a new report from the Deliberative Democracy Consortium and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is an attempt to describe the areas of convergence in civic engagement philosophies, and the remaining differences, so that the people who advocate, support, or practice civic engagement might better understand one another and decide how to work together more effectively.	April 23, 2010
Annual Report 2009NCoC Year in ReviewNCoC is proud to announce the release of our 2009 Annual Report. Last year brought us many successes, thanks in large part to our many partner organizations that allowed us to expand the scope of our programs. Among the highlights of our report are a recap of our Annual Conference, our expanded Civic Health Index reports, and our plans for 2010. Thank you to our partner organizations for your invaluable contribution to the success of NCoC. We are excited for what 2010 holds, and look forward to working closely with you and your colleagues to continue building an active and engaged citizenry.	February 1, 2010
An Inequitable Invitation to CitizenshipNon-College-Bound Youth and Civic EngagementThere has been considerable effort to engage college-bound students in public life, but much less attention has been paid to the 50% of youth that are not on the secondary education track. Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE) recently released its report which examines the gap in public and civic involvement between college-bound youth and non-college-bound youth.	December 8, 2009
Paths to 21st Century Competencies Through Civic Education ClassroomsThere is an expectation that students will have mastered an essential skill set by the completion of their education. In an economy that is globally connected and rapidly changing, the required skills are also evolving beyond the basics of mathematics and literacy. The “Paths to 21st Century Competencies Through Civic Education Classrooms” report from the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools illustrates how those students that experienced civic education were better equipped with these essential 21st century competencies than their counterparts who were not exposed to civic education programs. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army	December 1, 2009
All Volunteer ForceCivic Lives of Our Newest Generation of Veterans“All Volunteer Force: From Military to Civilian Service,” a report written by Civic Enterprises, and underwritten by Target and the Case Foundation, finds that the overwhelming majority of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan want to serve again on the home front, and those who have opportunities to serve again have better transitions than those who do not . However, they feel disconnected from the communities to which they return home. This first ever nationally representative survey focused on their transitions home and civic lives highlights that only 13 percent of veterans strongly agree their transitions are going well.	November 11, 2009
Funding and Fostering Local DemocracyWhat Philanthropy Should Know about the Emerging Field of Deliberation and Democratic GovernanceAs the philanthropic community grapples with the question of how to support innovative and effective forms of democratic governance, PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement) has released a guide that provides a detailed description of how local civic engagement has grown and developed over the past decade. The guide describes some of the most influential models and processes, as well as the possibilities, and limitations, of various approaches to working with the public.	May 19, 2009
The Quiet Crisis in the Nonprofit SectorA March 2009 report, found that even as Americans struggle through the current recession, the nation’s nonprofit organizations are facing a triple whammy: the evaporation of wealth has decimated charitable donations; the state and local budget crunch is costing nonprofits their foremost paying clients; and the human need for nonprofit help is skyrocketing as nonprofit resources shrink. Last week’s signing of the Serve America Act was a leap forward in overcoming the “Quiet Crisis,” but there is still work to be done. What suggestions would you offer for recovery in the nonprofit sector and in what ways do you think civic engagement and public participation can step up to meet our society’s most pressing needs in this challenging time?	April 28, 2009
Engaged for Success	Apr 1st, 2008

Video and Downloads

Title	Date	Type
Serve America Act: One Year LaterIndividuals recognize Edward M. Kennedy legacyLast April, President Obama signed a large piece of federal legislation to support service and civic engagement initiatives, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. The Act received truly bi-partisan support and is meant to support programs and initiatives that help communities better harness the civic power of their citizens in order to solve social problems. To celebrate the anniversary of the Act’s passing, our friends at Service Nation asked individuals everywhere to submit videos about what the late Senators service meant to them.	April 26, 2010
Engaging Citizen 2.0Two panels at the afternoon session of the 2009 National Conference on Citizenship explored “Why Social Media is Important for Civic Engagement?” and “How Can Organizations Best Utilize Social Media?”	October 2, 2009
Presentation of the HOOAH AwardThe inaugural HOOAH Award, commissioned by the Major George A. Smith Memorial Fund, was presented to Lt. Eric Greitens at the 2009 National Conference on Citizenship	October 2, 2009
Conversation with Associate Justice Antonin Scalia2009 National Conference on CitizenshipThe keynote address of the 2009 National Conference on Citizenship was a one-on-one conversation with Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Antonin Scalia.	October 2, 2009
Social Innovation in Civic LifeA 2009 NCoC PanelThis panel at the 2009 National Conference on Citizenship explored the role of social innovation in civic life.	September 25, 2009
Civic Health in Hard TimesA 2009 NCoC PanelThis panel at the 2009 National Conference on Citizenship explored the impact of the economic crisis on the civic health of the states, using the 2009 America’s Civic Health Index findings.	September 25, 2009
2009 NCoC in ReviewThe 2009 National Conference on Citizenship was held September 9 in the Library of Congress. Perhaps the most notable difference between the 2009 event and year's past was the proliferation of social media, or Web 2.0 technologies, that allowed the conference discussions to go beyond the walls of the Library of Congress to engage hundreds of individuals across the country. Thanks to a team of dedicated volunteers who staffed our social media stations, our conference more than doubled its attendance by allowing online participation.	September 14, 2009
The Internet: Civic Polarizer or Unifier?There's an old saying, ”Great minds think alike.” Or is that just what we tell ourselves when we find people who think as we do? Sean Parker, William Galston and Joe Trippi conclude their dynamic discussion on civic engagement and the Internet. This time they answer the question: Is the Internet a divider or a “uniter?”	November 26, 2008
Gatekeepers and New MediaDuring the 2008 National Conference on Citizenship, panelists Bill Galston of the Brookings Institution and Sean Parker, Founding President of Facebook, agreed to disagree on the subject of gatekeepers in media. Bill Galston surmised that perhaps, decades ago, newspaper editors may have provided an environment for elevated discourse by deciding what news should or shouldn’t be fodder for public consumption? Were Americans better off several decades ago not knowing all the peccadilloes of their political leaders? Is more information equivalent to better information? Do we need to resurrect the gatekeeper in a high tech information society where every citizen with a cell phone, pocket video camera or other device has the potential for breaking news?	November 20, 2008
Can Facebook Replace Face-to-Face? The 2008 National Conference on Citizenship raised this provocative question with Sean Parker, Founding President of Facebook and Bill Galston of the Brookings Institute. Parker and Galston discussed, and sometimes debated, the impact of the internet on political and civic involvement. Political advisor and internet innovator, Joe Trippi moderated the discussion that delved into the impact of social networks and other online experiences on civic and political involvement. Can Facebook replace face-to-face? Is that even the right question?	November 14, 2008

Blogs

Title	Date	Type
What Can YOU Do? An Update on the Situation in LouisianaBy Stephen Jordan and Gerald McSwiggan, BCLCA guest post by the Business Civic Leadership Center at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, explores opportunities to help with Gulf Coast recovery after the BP oil spill.	August 25, 2010
Transforming high expectations into great impact: Corporate America is getting itEvan Hochberg on the Case Foundation blogEvan Hochberg guest blogs at the Case Foundation about the results of Deloitte’s 2010 Volunteer IMPACT Survey.	May 5, 2010
Bolstering the Economy by Serving the Common GoodHuffington Post By John Bridgeland and Alan KhazeiJohn Bridgeland and Alah Khazei in the Huffington Post on the role of national service to bridge the employment gap and invest in our people at low cost to the taxpayer.	April 21, 2010
Supporting a Nation of Social Inventorsby John BridgelandIn a piece originally appearing on the Huffington Post, NCoC Advisory Board Chairman John Bridgeland discusses the importance of moving government from status quo funder to catalytic partner of social invention. Bridgeland suggests the Administration could catalyze civic invention through development of social innovation offices in government agencies, bipartisan agenda support, and signature summits, among other actions.	March 22, 2010
What nonprofits need to know about social mediaSmartBlog on Social MediaIndividuals who attended the “Engaging Citizen 2.0” discussions co-hosted by NCoC, PACE, and the Case Foundation at the 2009 Annual Conference might find helpful this interview with Beth Kanter on SmartBlogs about what nonprofits should know about social media use.	March 15, 2010
Blame Their Parents, Not Usby Morley Winograd and Michael D. HaisWhat most distinguishes Millennials from other generations is the type of community activities in which they are involved.	February 4, 2010
New Hope in Africa to End MalariaJohn Bridgeland in Huffington Post	December 11, 2009
How joblessness hurts us allUSA TodayA December 2009 USA Today op-ed by Thomas Sander and Robert Putnam, two members of the Civic Indicators Working Group	December 10, 2009
State’s Civic Health on Life SupportHuffington PostA Huffington Post blog by Shawn Healy of the McCormick Freedom Project on the Illinois Civic Health Index	November 19, 2009
America’s Civic Health Index 2009: Hard TimesServiceNationA ServiceNation blog post on the 2009 Civic Health Index	August 31, 2009

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