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As the Republicans get ready to kick off their convention, the uncertainty about Hurricane Gustav is like a cloud looming over the Twin Cities. People are expressing concern for the safety of the folks in the Gulf Coast, and they’re wondering out loud whether the day’s events should go on. While it has a much different feel than the celebratory atmosphere of the Democratic convention’s kick off, the profound feeling of commitment to service and concern for our fellow citizens is clear. America Forward and some of our coalition organizations, including Be The Change Inc. and Points of Light Institute, have been working with the RNC on the service events they have planned throughout the convention week. There’s a chance those service events may be ramped up to help with rapid response to the hurricane, if necessary. Although we hope that doesn’t have to happen, I have no doubt that all of the people in Minneapolis/St Paul—residents and delegates alike—would rally to Senator McCain’s call to service.

While at the Democratic National Convention last week, I had a chance to wander through The Big Tent, the gathering place for bloggers set up by the folks at Google, Digg, and other organizations. As I watched the bloggers at their desks, heads down, earbuds in, diligently reporting the day’s news and gossip, it occurred to me just how the blogosphere has changed the media landscape. No longer must we rely on the newspaper editor or the national TV stations to determine what news we have access to. With the advent of blogs and other technologies that facilitate mass communication without massive financial resources, the information economy has become far more democratic—with the substance coming from the bottom up and the best material having the greatest influence.

Amid all the pageantry, excitement and confetti of the Democratic National Convention, it’s easy to overlook the fact that, in addition to nominating the party’s candidates for President and Vice President, the purpose of the Convention is also to adopt the party’s platform. But as the pomp and circumstance has subsided in Denver, Democrats emerge with a complete party platform – and America Forward is proud to report that the platform highlights the work of social entrepreneurs and pledges support for their innovative, results-driven ideas!

Educators have been working for years to convince low-income Hispanic kids to stay in school; but lately Jose-Pablo Fernandez of CCA Alliance, Inc. has realized that sometimes, it helps to get their parents there first. In 2005, “educational attainment among Hispanics [was] lower than other ethnic groups. In Houston, for example, 20 percent of U.S.-born Hispanics and 52 percent of Hispanic immigrants [had] less than a high school education,” and with the Hispanic population approaching 14 percent of the US, it is essential to keep children in the classroom and learning.

Volunteers at the DNC Delegate Service Day

Michelle Obama meets with America Forward Organizations

As highlighted last week on NPR, NewSchools Venture Fund and its portfolio ventures are creating great results in some of America’s worst school districts. They’re taking a truly comprehensive approach to helping troubled districts out of their rut; to them, results are all-important. It’s not a matter of ideology, unless that ideology is to “transform public education so that all children – especially those underserved – have the opportunity to succeed.” So they support programs both within and without the established system, depending on proven effectiveness, and doggedly work to scale up the successes.

The themes of America Forward are present throughout this convention! Starting on day one, many of the events and speakers have amplified the America Forward message—from innovative mayors Booker and Fenty discussing working with education entrepreneurs in their cities, to panel moderator Jonathan Alter talking about investing in the best solutions and scaling what works. Leading social entrepreneur Jon Schnur (CEO and Co-Founder of New Leaders for New Schools) served on a convention panel about the need for new solutions to persistent problems. America Forward member organization City Year and social entrepreneur Alan Khazei were in the video tribute to Senator Ted Kennedy, which highlighted the Senator's commitment to service. And Michelle Obama's inspirational video tribute and speech highlighted the impact America Forward organization Public Allies had on her personal life. It's so exciting to see the traction around our messages and ideas!