Published: April 01, 2009

Social Networking to Marshal the Youth Vote

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April 7 online discussion with Rock the Vote director Heather Smith

Very significant elections are coming up in South Africa on April 22, and for the first time in the country's history, there is relatively strong opposition to the governing party. So each party has to campaign hard, and they're reaching out to young voters using Facebook, YouTube and other online media. Join us for a global webchat on April 7, at 9 a.m. EDT (13:00 GMT), that will give young political leaders in South Africa and around the world an opportunity to discuss tools and tips for online campaigning with Heather Smith, a consultant and expert on youth voting.

Heather Smith is the executive director of Rock the Vote, an organization whose mission is to use new technologies and popular culture to engage young people in the political process. Before Rock the Vote, Smith founded and directed Young Voter Strategies, a nonpartisan project that provided the public, parties, candidates, consultants and nonprofits with data and research on the youth vote as well as best practices to effectively mobilize young people.

If you would like to participate in this webchat, please go to http://statedept.connectsolutions.com/culture/. No registration is needed. Simply choose "Enter as a Guest," type in your preferred screen name and join the discussion. We accept questions and comments in advance of, and at any time during, the program.

The transcript of this webchat will be available on America.gov's webchat page ( http://www.america.gov/multimedia/askamerica.html ), where information about upcoming webchats is also available.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)