NEW YORK, N.Y. March 20, 2008 - Project Pericles will be hosting the inaugural Debating for Democracy (D4D) Conference on April 3 and 4, 2008 in New York City. D4D is a Project Pericles initiative in which students at 22 colleges and universities research, advocate, and defend their opinions on significant current issues of public policy. The conference will be sponsored by the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation and hosted by TIAA-CREF. 

From 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 3, the conference will host the “D4D Legislative Hearings”. This unique event will provide student leaders a forum to articulate their solutions to some of today’s most important public policy issues by presenting original legislative solutions to a “legislative committee.”  A number of distinguished current and former elected officials have agreed to serve as legislators for the event, including: former U.S. Senators Nancy Kassebaum Baker and Harris Wofford; New York State Senator Bill Perkins; and New York City Councilman Eric Gioia. The event will be moderated by former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey, President of the New School. 

The six students who will be participating in the legislative hearing were selected by a panel of experts from a pool of 41 proposals from 21 colleges and universities based on the originality and substance of their proposals. At the event, each of the students will have twenty minutes to discuss their proposals with the legislators. At the conclusion of the event, the legislators will select the best proposal. Project Pericles will provide a $4,000 award to the D4D chapter at the college that submitted this proposal. In consultation with Project Pericles, the D4D chapter can use this money to fund advocacy and education activities including lobbying trips and workshops. The six colleges and students who will be participating in the legislative hearing are: 

Allegheny College – Auctioning for a Better Future (Student Presenter: Christy Mcshea) 

Berea College – Coal-to-liquid and Coal-to-gas: Repeal of the Federal Funding for CTL/CTG Production (Student Presenter: Beth Coleman) 

Hampshire College – The Military Selective Service Act: An Unfair Bargain for Upward Mobility (Student Presenter: Raul Matta) 

Hendrix College – Relieving Child Hunger Through Food Stamp Reform (Student Presenter: Taylor Adams) 

Macalester College – A Distributed and Community-Based Electrical Grid: Building the Energy, Economy, and Democracy for Tomorrow (Student Presenter: Kai Bosworth) 

New England College – Establishing a Consumer Privacy Registry (Student Presenter: John Doucette) 

“Too frequently, young people feel that they don’t have access to forums where they can exercise one of the key components of our democracy: the ability to discuss important public policy issues with elected officials,” said Eugene M. Lang, the founder of Project Pericles. “By creating a forum where Periclean students can actively participate in the democratic process, we hope to encourage students to become active citizens in their community and country.”  

In describing his involvement in D4D, one of the students who will be participating in the legislative hearing said, "Participating in D4D and preparing my legislative proposal has introduced me to how complex it is to identify the factors that contribute to problems. I have learned that knowledge of such complexity is the best tool in addressing how to tackle the problems that affect our society today. In researching for my project, I discovered that there are many different ways to address issues in society and how each can work together by sharing information and resources. Through participating in D4D, I have acquired a better grasp on the policy making process which has expanded my civic engagement ability." 

In addition to the legislative event, the D4D conference will have workshops on civic engagement and social entrepreneurship led by some of the top leaders in these fields and a day long forum entitled “Our Democracy After 2008: A D4D Forum on Three Key Policy Areas”. During this forum, students will have conversations with leading scholars and practitioners on important public policy issues facing the next President and Congress. A complete agenda for this event is attached. 

About Project Pericles 

Project Pericles is a not-for-profit organization, founded by education philanthropist Eugene M. Lang, that encourages and facilitates commitments by colleges and universities to include education for social responsibility and participatory citizenship as an essential part of their educational programs, in the classroom, on the campus, and in the community. The following colleges and universities are currently involved in Project Pericles:  

Allegheny College, Bates College, Berea College, Bethune-Cookman University, Chatham University, Dillard University, Elon University, Hampshire College, Hendrix College, Macalester College, New England College, The New School, Occidental College, Pace University, Pitzer College * Rhodes College * * St. Mary's College of Maryland, Spelman College, Swarthmore College, Ursinus College, Wagner College, Widener University,