Voorhees joins the largest teach-in model on global warming solutions in U.S. history

Denmark, S.C. - On Jan. 30 and 31, 2008, Voorhees will participate in Focus the Nation, an unprecedented teach-in model on global warming solutions, with more than 1,800 institutions across the nation. Focus the Nation has created a teach-in model centered on the three most essential pillars for today’s youth to embrace solutions to global warming: education, civic engagement and leadership.

“We are in a time where critical decisions need to be made on global warming, which means today’s leaders and the youth who will inherit the crisis need serious education on the issue,” said James “Gus” Speth, dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University. “Focus the Nation is our country’s foremost model to create that level of education and interaction with law makers.”

The teach-in will kick off on the evening of Jan. 30, 2008, with the 2% Solution, which is a national, interactive webcast produced by the National Wildlife Federation and aired by the Earth Day Network. Panelists will include Stanford University climate scientist Steve Schneider, Natural Capitalism, Inc. chief executive officer Hunter Lovins, and environmental justice leader and executive director of the Ella Baker
Center Van Jones.

The next day, Jan. 31, will include a range of global warming curricula presented by faculty and guest speakers before culminating with the “Green Democracy” round-table discussion between students and elected leaders on solutions to the crisis. Voorhees College will be inviting local, regional and national civic leaders to engage in the “Green Democracy” round-table discussion. In the event that members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives cannot make it back to their states for these discussions, Focus the Nation has partnered with SightSpeed, a company that will provide live, video conferencing technology between campuses and Congress.

The final piece of Focus the Nation’s teach-in model will be the “Choose your Future” vote. All students, faculty and community participants will be encouraged to vote on what they think are the top five solutions from a list of ten to 15 that will be available Jan. 21, 2008, at www.focusthenation.org. Vote results will be presented nationally in mid-February. All students who vote on the “Choose your Future” ballot will be eligible to win a $10,000 leadership scholarship for a project to be completed by end of August 2008.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this initiative. This is education at its finest,” said Valdrie Walker, acting president of Voorhees College. “It represents the enormous power that youth have when they use their education to create positive change in the world.”

Focus the Nation is an unprecedented educational initiative on global warming solutions for America occurring at more than 1,000 universities and colleges and in all 50 states on Jan. 31, 2008. As the largest teach-in in U.S. history, Focus the Nation is preparing millions of students to become leaders in the largest civilizational challenge any generation has faced. For more information, please visit www.focusthenation.org.Voorhees College is a private, coeducational institution affiliated with the Episcopal Church. From its founding in 1897, Voorhees has evolved into a leading four-year liberal arts college fully accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Voorhees is fully committed to its mission to meet the highest standards for educating the minds, hearts and spirits of young men and women. Additional information about Voorhees College can be found on the Web site at www.voorhees.edu.