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The "New Media" such as Youtube, Facebook, and Myspace today are changing the political scene for young Americans. The technology today allows people to be more involved with politics, as seen during the 2008 election. Now people can watch debates on YouTube or ask questions at town hall meetings with icams connected to your computer, or even "friend" a presidential candidate on Facebook or Myspace. Technology today is promoting political awareness especially with the youth of America, and will make for interesting turnout in the 2008 election. This article explains how technology is being used to promote political awareness in a new way that has never been used before during a presidential election.

The University of Illinois said Monday that it would allow employees to display political bumper stickers, wear political buttons and attend political rallies on campus, reversing an earlier interpretation of state ethics law that has drawn sharp criticism.

Published in the British Journal of Educational Studies, this article reviews an Australian national project on youth participation in democracy. The article explores the abstinence of political behaviors such as voting and participating in political engagement. This article can be used to compare the youth in Australia's democracy and the youth involvement in America's democracy.

Washington Commentary states that the lowest percentage of young adults (18-29 years of age) participated in the national elections for 2000. Several reasons influence the decisions of these young adults: parental focus and attitude, below proficient levels of understanding, and comprehension in history, social studies, and civics classes, and lack of practice or experience in political engagement. Although the article is informational, the content does not lead itself to the particular point of interest.

An eye-opening article written by Loeb depicts the political uproar over the youth vote. Stunning statistics show a 60% to 38% difference in Democratic over Republican candidates. The main obstacle that the Democrats are speaking about is the financial barriers affecting the affordability of higher education. Loeb also depicts a general sense that the Republican administration has cut Federal Financial Aid from the budget. This article can be helpful to bring awareness to the position of our youth facing political opposition over the financial barriers of higher education and how the Democrats are capturing the youth vote by making student financial aid a priority.

A good anecdotal description of political activism on local college campuses, but lacking in concrete facts.

Founded in 1996, "Rock the Vote" was launched to boost political participation by using pop musicians, comedians, and other means of popular culture using a three stage strategy, Rock the Vote aimed to raise profile and funds, push voter registration and finally urge those who were registered to vote to use their vote. The article can be helpful to readers by presenting specific details of how "Rock the Vote" gets youth voters involved.

A film on OhioLINK. Could be useful for students analyzing the rhetoric of politics. As Maya Angelou points out in The Power of Speech, "If the words and delivery are powerful, they echo down the centuries." To emphasize the point, Angelou and other writers and orators examine the moving oratory of 14th-century tax protester John Ball, 19th-century slave Sojourner Truth, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Each speaker's technique is examined within the context of why the speech is being delivered, and to whom. Examples of how great orators throughout history have used their skills for good and evil drive home the immense power of the spoken word. A BBC Production. (30 minutes)

A film on OhioLINK. Could be useful for students analyzing the rhetoric of politics. As Maya Angelou points out in The Power of Speech, "If the words and delivery are powerful, they echo down the centuries." To emphasize the point, Angelou and other writers and orators examine the moving oratory of 14th-century tax protester John Ball, 19th-century slave Sojourner Truth, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Each speaker's technique is examined within the context of why the speech is being delivered, and to whom. Examples of how great orators throughout history have used their skills for good and evil drive home the immense power of the spoken word. A BBC Production. (30 minutes)

An article about how high school students, most too young to vote, are getting involved in the political process.

This article calls for young Americans to get involved in politics and make their voices heard. Presidential candidates are promising everything to everyone but will likely fall short of that and some group will not get what they want. To ensure that young Americans get what they need, they should demand that the new president follows through with the promises he made. With Barack Obama promising Social Security reform and lowering the cost and making college more available to the youth of America. "Ask not what you can do for Barack Obama, ask what Barack Obama can do for you" challenges young Americans to demand that there needs be met by their president.

More than three-fourths of young women, those ages 18-29 and known as Generation Y, want incoming President Barack Obama to make civil rights and racial justice top priorities of his administration, a survey says.

A study found that women still lag far behind men in top political and decision-making roles, though their access to education and health care is nearly equal.

Parents and students in a growing number of schools can track fluctuations in a grade-point average from the nearest computer in real time, a ritual that can become as addictive as watching political polls or a stock-market index.

College students could have an enormous impact on the November election, but some may have trouble casting a ballot. Watchdog groups warn that college students are already facing problems registering to vote and could see major obstacles on election day. Includes two links to resources for young voters at the end of the article.

So just which book "about F.D.R.'s first 100 days" was President-elect Barack Obama talking about when he appeared on "60 Minutes" on Sunday?

An anecdotal look at this year's young-voter turnout.