Over at www.ohmygov.com, YACers have been hitting the comment boards big time urging Senator Obama to co-sponsor S. 960, the Academy bill on the Senate side.  Thank you ohmygov.com for being a “proud supporter” of the Academy!

Help us out by commenting here and also getting in touch with Obama’s Senate office.   Call his Senate office TODAY! 202-224-2854 and ask to speak to the aides who handle Homeland Security issues (our bill has been referred to that committee).  Tell them you heard the Wesleyan speech and know about the Academy and want his support.  And tell everyone you know in Illinois to call twice!

Yesterday, Senator Barack Obama delivered the commencement address at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.  He spoke in place of Senator Edward Kennedy who is recuperating after a seizure caused by a brain tumor several days ago.  Senator Obama focused his entire speech on Kennedy’s chosen theme of public service, a topic he continues to press on the presidential campaign trail as well.  (Kennedy is already a co-sponsor of the Academy bill - S. 960 -  and we are currently seeking Sen. Obama’s support!)

The NY Times noted that “symbolism of protégé and mentor permeated the address,” but it was the focus on service that caught my attention.  Obama has finally gotten comfortable telling his story to voters outside of Illinois, and it is a story of service.  In the address, he told the graduates about his desire to serve, even in the face of advice to go to law school and start his high-paying law career as soon as possible.  However, he did something different, he wrote letters.  He describes writing letters to “every [service] organization in the country I could think of.”  One finally yielded an offer, a church group in Chicago organizing the community struggling to deal with the hardships caused by the closing of steel mills.  Even though he knew no one in Chicago, and his mother and grandparents balked, he jumped right in.  It was through service that he found himself and was “embraced” by the community he had imagined.

Obama’s letter writing made me think of one thing only: the letters written by our YACers to their Senators and Congressmen and Congresswomen asking for their sponsorship of the Academy.   Not to mention all the letters written by volunteers and supporters at Letter Writing Parties!  These very letters are what making this dream a reality.  The power of this small act, this persistence, is creating the opportunity for future college students to attend the Academy to carry on the tradition and obligation of service to country.  Obama also said, “you have an obligation to yourself, because our individual salvation depends on collective salvation.”  The YACers who participate today are doing so not so they can attend the Academy as an individual, instead they are creating the opportunity for the collective of others to follow.

Together with support from the McCormick Tribune Foundation, the Academy commissioned a nationwide poll of 800 members of the “Millennial Generation”  sometimes known as Generation Y, or as I like to say, these kids today who have never been without a computer in their home since before they could walk.

Between April 3rd and April 8th, 2008, SocialSphere Strategies of Cambridge, Massachusetts, conducted a poll of college-bound high school students, college students, and college graduates with the goal of assessing Millennials’ attitudes toward public service and their opinions about the Public Service Academy. Chris and Shawn were thrilled to present the results of the poll at the National Summit in Washington, DC on April 22, 2008, and are now able to share the complete results with everyone.  Having this kind of scientific data as the foundation for this transformational idea only serves to heighten support for the Academy in Congress, amongst colleges and universities and the public at large.  

Some exciting highlights of the poll are:

• By a margin of more than 7:1, Millennials overwhelmingly support the creation of the Public Service Academy.
• Political affiliation did not affect young people’s perception of the Academy - 58% of Democrats and 56% of Republicans say that they would consider applying to the Academy.
• More than half (57%) of all Millennials indicate that they “likely” would consider applying to the U.S. Public Service Academy, with 19% saying that they “very likely” would consider applying. Those most likely to consider applying include: men (63%), Southerners (63%), African Americans (64%), Latinos (68%), and Asian Americans (70%).
• Millennial Generation believes:
  - Public service is good training for future employment, regardless of sector
  - Public service is an effective way to solve some of our nation’s problems
  - Political leaders are not doing enough to encourage public service

Please read more about the findings here and then go sign the petition if you have not already done it!