Taylor Bates, a recent high school graduate from Williston, Vermont, knew the competition to be a delegate to the Democratic National Convention would be tough. With nearly 200 people competing for 23 delegate and four alternate spots in the Vermont delegation, Taylor had to be creative with his platform.

That’s when the idea came: He could campaign on the platform to offset carbon emissions for every Vermont delegate, as part of the DNCC’s “Green Delegate Challenge.”

It was a tough sell at first. Vermont Democrats were skeptical: How could an 18-year old raise more than $200 to offset the carbon emissions for all of the 27 delegates and alternates? With a little help from his skills as a champion in extemporaneous speaking, Bates managed to convince his fellow state Dems to elect him to be an Obama at-large delegate – the youngest member of the Vermont delegation.

Thanks to Bates’ determination, Vermont also became the second state in the U.S. to offset the carbon emissions created from the full delegation’s travel to the Convention.

So, how will he raise the money?

“I want to have a community auction for friends and family with Democrat and Convention memorabilia and maybe even an autograph or two from a famous party leader,” said Bates. “Senator Obama’s signature sure would be nice.”

We're often asked what's planned for young people around our Convention in Denver. From the Party's Youth Council meetings at the Colorado Convention Center to the College Democrats of America Convention in Denver the weekend before our opening gavel to opportunities for our Write to Lead youth essay contest winners, we have a lot in store for young people from Denver and across the country.

But in a twist, one enthusiastic 16-year-old spoke for his peers and asked DNCC CEO Leah Daughtry at a recent community forum: "what can we do for you?" Her response: Get in the way. Change, after all, doesn't happen on the sidelines. Watch the video below for the full exchange.

Students at Summit High School in the snowy, mountain town of Frisco, Colorado received a special visit today from Lieutenant Governor Barbara O’Brien -- the first stop in a statewide swing to promote student participation in “Write to Lead,” a unique opportunity for Colorado youth to become involved in the 2008 Democratic National Convention experience.

We’ve posted a few times on the Write to Lead essay contest for Colorado youth, and it looks like you’ve been reading… and writing!  The essays have already started coming in, and it’s great to see the big ideas that Colorado students have about leadership and the future of our country.  The Boulder Daily Camera recently wrote an article on Patrick Garrett, a Boulder High School junior who penned the very first Write to Lead entry. Take a look at the Camera’s article here.

The deadline for Write to Lead is April 18, so if you haven’t started writing yet, check out the Write to Lead page at DemConvention.com here and watch our video from the launch of the contest here.  Finalists will have the opportunity to serve as ambassadors to state delegations from across the country, and two Presidential Winners will attend the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver – so don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Everyone we meet in Denver is so excited for the Democratic National Convention to come to town. For the younger people in the community, the Convention brings the chance to become involved in the democratic process, even for those too young to vote.

Such an opportunity became available yesterday, when the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) joined with Post-News Educational Services and Qwest Communications at East High School in Denver to unveil the “Write to Lead” youth essay contest and delegation ambassador program. Representatives from each of the partner organizations were joined by Sara Lass and Marlene Smith – two 11th grade student government leaders from East – for the big unveil.