More than 100 students will gather at Fresno State at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, for a nationally streamed film and discussion focusing on the short documentary “Up to Us” and the stake for young Americans today and how the Nov. 6 vote directly affects their future.
The free event is planned for Fresno State’s Table Mountain Rancheria Reading Room on the third floor of the Henry Madden Library.
It will be streamed at www.ownthevote.us/uptous. Virtual and live guests can follow the event and submit questions for panelists on Twitter at #uptousfresno. Guests can register for the event at www.uptousfresno.eventbrite.com.
The 20-minute “Up to Us” film is a follow-up to the 2008 documentary “18 in ’08” and was shot during the summer in New York, Atlanta and at the Democratic and Republican party national nominating conventions.
The film follows Atlanta native Kyle Murphey, 23, who served as an AmeriCorps member at Habitat for Humanity, and Brandon West, a 27 year-old master of public administration graduate, who is underemployed (for 18 months), but is seeking work in public service. Both display the resilience and idealism of the millennial generation and a desire to have an impact on the world.
The film also includes interviews with journalist Jonathan Alter, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), political analyst Margaret Hoover, and entertainer Will.i.am.
“Our generation wants to push and dream for something big,” said Matthew Segal, co-founder for OurTime.org, a voter-registration effort. “Few policies make more sense than allowing idealistic young Americans to serve their country via nursing, teaching, disaster relief, park restoration and infrastructure repair. Not only do these jobs all solve community problems and provide training, they integrate rich and poor social classes in the name of public service and greater civility.”
Fresno State Associated Students Inc. President Arthur Montejano will welcome participants. Immediately following the film, MTV’s “Catfish” host Nev Schulman will moderate a live discussion between the audience and Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin, Sean Kiernan, Fresno State’s ASI vice president for external affairs, Segal and Mary Jane Skjellerup, senior director of programs at the Youth Leadership Institute.
“Up to Us” was co-produced by OurTime.org and Own the Vote, an initiative from Comcast and NBC Universal to engage and educate young voters about the political process. Own the Vote has partnered with ElectNext, Rock the Vote and the National Constitution Center to help create awareness about and encourage voter registration and election participation.
For more information, contact Sarah Pruner Gunlund of the Jeffrey Scott Agency at sgunlund@jsaweb.com or 559.268.9741.
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