"We The People," those famous words that served as an integral piece of democracy and freedom in the United States, seem to have been forgotten. What does it mean to be a citizen in our country? Why are our families and communities disintegrating? What has happened to "love your neighbor?"

Further, we may question, why does any of this matter? Why is community important? And why care about being a "citizen" in the United States. It isn't like our vote counts for anything anyway, right?

Our goal isn't to get you out to vote. It isn't to support one candidate or another. Our goal is to get you to think about what it means to be a citizen in this country and to think about what role you would like to play. We've seen the power that citizens can have if they choose to take it, and we want you to take it.

The "We The People: Take Back Our Citizenship" campaign is a gateway grassroots campaign. We are acting as a gateway to new ways to explore your citizenship and your role in this great democracy. If you are interested in reclaiming your power and changing your life, please visit the sites below.

The November 5th Coalition
http://novemberfifth.org/

"In today's elections, most candidates present themselves as superheroes who will solve our problems if we elect them and denounce their opponents as potential disasters. Voters often pretend to believe this, treating elections as a consumer choice about who can deliver the goods. For the future of our country, this distortion has to change.

The November 5th Coalition aims to turn the 2008 election into a deliberation and debate about how we can collectively mobilize the energies and talents of the whole society to address our challenges. We believe the campaign can be a watershed, when citizens reclaim standing as partners of a government that is truly 'of the people, by the people, and for the people.' We are named for the day after the election, when a new chapter in our civic work begins, a partnership between voters and elected officials."

S.C.O.P.E.: Student Committee on Public Engagement
http://www.porchmovement.com/

The Student Committee on Public Engagement is a student-created, student-lead movement at the University of Minnesota. The goal of S.C.O.P.E is to create a culture of community on campus. S.C.O.P.E. has been recognized as an integral part of the University of Minnesota's campaign for Public Engagement and has also generated several S.C.O.P.E. chapters around the country.

Public Achievement
http://www.publicachievement.org/

"Young people today have few opportunities to really be involved in shaping the world around them. In Public Achievement, they do.

People of all ages work with others, meet challenges and solve problems. Learning from each other the meaning of citizenship and democracy. Ordinary people do extraordinary things."