Flip the Script: Taking Our Media Images Back!

OurTime. Your Choice. Make Your MARK!

OurTime 2008 is the Anchorage Urban League Young Professionals (AUL-YPs) civic engagement project. Considering that 2008 is an election year, the purpose of OurTime 2008 is almost self-explanatory. Led by AUL-YPs President Liz Posey, we desire to increase the number of registered voters within Anchorage's ethnically diverse communities and inspire them to make a conscious contribution to the governance of their families, schools, neighborhoods, city and historic state.

Toward this end, AUL-YPs have partnered with the Hip-Hop Association, the GlobalBloc movement, Anchorage League of Women Voters and the Alaska Womens Political Caucus to conduct three political literacy seminars and two voter registration drives.

On January 26, The Art of Political Activism was held at the UAA Student Union. It taught participants how to read politics (the ability to understand short & long term issues, political systems and how they connect to everyday life) and how to write politics(the ability to engage political systems and influence outcomes).

On March 22, We Are Hip Hop: Remixing the Art of Social Change was held at the UAA Rasmuson Hall. Participants learned how to organize their friends and families into a social network around a political issues and utilize web-based tools to communicate.

Lastly, on May 10, Flip the Script: Taking Our Media Images Back was held at the UAA Rasmuson Hall where participants learned media literacy and how to formulate and execute a social media campaign.

In addition to the seminars, AUL-YPs are also spearheading a voter registration drive led by Street Team Coordinator Shayla Compton. Under her leadership, within two weeks, over 350 people became newly registered voters.

Despite such high quality activity, OurTime 2008 still needs to effectively communicate the Owner State concept to Anchorage's ethnically diverse communities. We are still navigating the matrix of apathy limiting the exercise of political power within the Fairview, Mountain View and Muldoon neighborhoods. The Hmong, Samoan, Lao, African American and Hispanic communities have yet to organize their voices. A tremendous amount of work is still necessary!

The Anchorage Urban League Young Professionals are reaching out. We invite members of Anchorage's ethnically diverse communities to step forward and join us in forging a new vision of Alaska Statehood: A state that works for everyone. It is Our Time to exert influence over all the institutions that impact our lives. Two more seminars are left before the general election. Join us NOW!

Save the Date: July 26th and September 27th.

Contact us at ourtime@ourtime2008.com for more information or call 276-0390. www.ourtime2008.com