The 65th Annual National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) is taking place September 17, 2010 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Themed “BIG Citizenship: Citizens as Catalysts and Innovators,” the conference will explore the powerful role civic innovators are playing in fostering societies that are informed, engaged, giving and trusting.
This theme was inspired by the recognition that individuals everywhere are self-organizing to meet community needs, demanding transparency and accountability from government, and greater social responsibility from corporations.
Citizens are leading the way in creating change and solving community problems - not waiting for “leaders” or organizations to ask them. This “inverse power structure” is supported by several key civic activities including personal/informal forms of giving (such as providing food and shelter), the use of social media for civic organizing, and “buycotting” products and services from companies consumers feel align profit with social purpose.
Sixty-five percent of Baby Boomers and 71% of Age 65+ engaged in some type of informal helping behavior, such as giving food, money, or shelter to someone who needed it. Millennials, a generation sometimes known for its “Do It Yourself” tendencies, leads the way in the use of social media for civic purposes. These online engagement opportunities often provide cost-effective, quick and easy opportunities for self-organizing for causes.
Consumers are letting their wallets do the talking in conveying the importance of corporate citizenship; 75 percent of consumers say they are more likely to purchase products or services from a company after reading its responsibility agenda.
While these trends were key findings in the 2009 America’s Civic Health Index, NCoC also seeks to highlight past citizen-driven movements that have transformed communities and our nation. Not the least among these is the Women’s Suffrage Movement, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.
NCoC program highlights include:
- Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will participate in a keynote conversation
- TIME Magazine Managing Editor Rick Stengel will receive the “Citizen of the Year” award for the integral role he has played in elevating America’s dialogue on national and community service
- We will host a discussion on how institutions are supporting citizen-driven solutions, which will feature elected officials and representatives of our country’s leading corporations, foundations and media outlets, including:
- Karen Baker, Secretary of Service and Volunteerism
- Iris Chen, President and CEO of the I Have a Dream Foundation
- Alan Khazei, CEO of Be the Change, Inc.
- Stan Litow, President of the IBM Foundation
- Anne Roosevelt, Vice President of Global Corporate Citizenship of the Boeing Company
- Elliot Schrage, Vice President of Global Communications, Marketing and Public Policy of Facebook
- Rick Stengel, Managing Editor of TIME Magazine
- Erica Williams, Deputy Director of Progress 2050 at the Center for American Progress
- Judy Woodruff, Senior Correspondent of PBS NewsHour
- We will also discuss our “Civic Health Assessment,” produced for the first time in partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service, which highlights progress and challenges facing our country’s civic life
- For the third year, Chief Judge Royce Lamberth will perform a naturalization ceremony welcoming America’s newest citizens
Registration is available here. If you can’t join in person, the conference will be streamed online and will receive questions from Twitter - sign up for NCoC updates to learn more about how to participate virtually. The conference is made possible with the support of event sponsors the Case Foundation and Target. We hope you will join us for this exciting event.
About the National Conference on Citizenship:
NCoC was founded in 1946 and chartered by Congress in 1953. The organization works with more than 250 partner organizations to strengthen citizenship and increase civic participation in the United States. The National Conference on Citizenship is an annual event that focuses on the state of civic engagement in America, and brings together 400 civic leaders, educators, CEOs, and representatives from each of the three branches of government to address issues related to our nation’s civic health. More information is available at http://ncoc.net>
Guest blogger Kristen Cambell is the Director of Programs and New Media at the National Conference on Citizenship.
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