NEWS RELEASE

June 15, 2008

Contact:           Nolan A. Marshall III                           Morgan Williams

                        President                                                         Steering Committee Chair

                        Young Leadership Council                  Engage NOLA

                        (504) 338-3823                                    (202) 486-2776

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TEAM UP TO CREATE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT COALITION

New generation plans on making an impact on 2010 elections and important issues facing the city.

NEW ORLEANS, La. – With demographic data showing voters under 45 could be the majority in the next election, a coalition of existing young professional groups in New Orleans has formed EngageNOLA, a new civic coalition that will focus on advocating for issues that are most important to young professionals and holding public officials accountable.

“Engage NOLA represents the first time New Orleans’ young professional organizations have worked together, bringing together all our diversity and perspectives, to advocate for the issues that will make New Orleans a great city not just for young professionals, but for native, new, and future New Orleanians,” says Nolan Marshall III, President of the Young Leadership Council. “With over 78,000 registered voters under the age of 34, we have real potential to be responsible for shaping the future of New Orleans”

Engage NOLA’s partners include Common Good, Humid Beings, LatiNola, NOLA Yurp, Puentes New Orleans Inc., Urban League of Greater New Orleans Young Professionals, the Young Leadership Council, and 504ward. Collectively they represent a wealth of experience in organizing and community projects, and the potential to contact and mobilize thousands of New Orleans young professionals through emails and social media sites like Facebook and the increasingly popular Twitter. 

EngageNOLA is focused on providing opportunities for local young professionals to help shape civic dialogue in advance of the upcoming 2010 Mayoral and City Council elections.

“We will sponsor educational forums to allow young professionals to give voice to important local policy issues and provide opportunities to convey those priorities to local leaders,” says Morgan Williams, Chair of the EngageNOLA steering committee. 

“Young professionals will be able to complete a brief policy survey, get involved in activities, and stay informed about local issues through our website, www.EngageNOLA.org.”

EngageNOLA is a coalition of young professional organizations supported by Common Good and including LatiNola, NOLA Yurp, Puentes New Orleans, Inc., Urban League of Greater New Orleans Young Professionals, Young Leadership Council, and 504ward; working together through a diverse steering committee of over thirty individuals representing private, public and non-profit sectors.  EngageNOLA initiatives are designed to create opportunities for local young professionals to collaborate directly with other civil society leaders to implement forward thinking visions for the region.  Through education and action initiatives, EngageNOLA works to connect young professionals to the local policy landscape, and establish a politically educated, networked, and involved generation.

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