CYA's Summer 2009 Newsletter is now available for viewing on the web. Courtesy of Scribd, a social publishing community.

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CYA held a successful fundraising reception in Chicago on September 23, 2009. Mike, Yoni, and Martin met some truly generous people (from both parties!) who care about our issue. The weather was made-to-measure and the turnout was fantastic. While folks mingled I.O.U.S.A., the documentary, was playing, and then Yoni and Mike made some remarks to the assembled group. Thank you to everyone who attended the event and contributed! And, thank you to everyone we missed, but still donated. Events like this excite us because it proves entitlements reform and fiscal responsibility can be a cross-generational, cooperative, bipartisan enterprise. A special CYA thanks to Thomas and Ellen Tully for allowing us the use of their beautiful home, and to Thomas Tully, Mike Keiser, and John Cooney for co-hosting the event.

From September 16 through September 18 Yoni and I traveled out to his native Colorado. We had been asked by the Concord Coalition to help them with student outreach for “Paying for America: A Fiscal Policy Summit.” Paying for America is sponsored by the Concord Coalition and presented by the University of Denver. We had a great meeting with Richard Caldwell, Director of the Institute for Public Policy Studies at DU. He is working with Jeff Thiebert, the National Field Director of the Concord Coalition and many others to plan the event. After meeting with Richard and students at DU, CU, and CC, Yoni and I are optimistic about student turnout from the region. The list of speakers Jeff has put together is really topnotch. All the heavy hitters on our issue will be featured. It will be in the Cable Center at DU, and on the whole this is going to be a great event. Paying for America is October 22. For more information, or to register, checkout the official event website at www.payingforamerica.org.

This summer, CYA's Mike Tully and Yoni Gruskin traveled to the nation's capital to speak at the Impact Academy summit, hosted by America's Promise Alliance and the Peterson Foundation. Mike and Yoni introduced a screening of the 30-minute version of I.O.U.S.A. Following the film, the two CYA board members took questions for over an hour from an audience that included high school students from all parts of the country. The audience showed great concern over the future of America's finances, and expressed great enthusiasm for holding politicians accountable for creating a sustainable future. Impact Academy was a positive and encouraging step towards CYA's goal of educating America's youth about the national debt and the consequences it will have for our generation.

To see pictures fromt the event, Click here.

Yoni and I attended the second Youth Entitlements Summit (http://www.age-usa.org/) in Washington, D.C., on June 15 & 16. YES is, according to their website, “a non-ideological coalition of youth organizations and individual activists dedicated to giving youth a voice in the urgent restructuring of our federal health and retirement policies. Our goal is to find common ground in the search for pragmatic, generationally fair reforms.”

The first day of the event featured panel discussions by distinguished persons with an expertise in generational entitlements issues. Former Secretary of State George P. Shultz and Honorable James R Jones, Former Congressman and Chairman of the House Budget Committee, served as co-chairs of the event. Speakers included David Walker, President & CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and Former Comptroller General of the United States; Hon. Bill Thomas, Former Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee (R-CA); Isabel Sawhill, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution; Jagadeesh Gokhale, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute; and many others.

Yoni joined me for the second day, which was held at a hotel near the Capitol. The second day had more of a workshop feel as we explored ways of using the internet effectively, how to use visual media, mobilize volunteers, and other strategies for non-profits. Maya Enista, the CEO of Mobilize.org, Jeff Thiebert, the National Field Director of the Concord Coalition, and Matt Stempeck, the Internet and New Media Director of YouStreet were just three of the speakers. The attendees also had time to put our heads together and think of some new strategies. CYA's eLEMONate the DEBT project got some great input from other people that were present as Yoni explained the idea to them.

On the whole, YES was a great chance for me to get re-energized about this issue, see Yoni, and spend some time with other young people that run nonprofits and care about our issue: fiscal sustainability.