AREA YOUTH AMONG FIRST IN STATE AND NATION TO PARTICIPATE IN DEMOCRACY PROGRAM 

Salt Lake City, Utah - The Salt Lake law firm, Richards Brandt Miller Nelson ("RBMN"), joins former Secretary of State Colin Powell, CBS newsman Bob Schieffer and other national dignitaries to bring to this area an award-winning democracy program to educate youth about the U.S. Constitution and encourage them to become active participants in the democratic process.

The program created by the Committee for Citizen Awareness ("CCA") and sponsored by RBMN, involves two major components.  The first is an educational DVD about the U.S. Constitution featuring Constitution scholar and daughter of President John Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy Scholssberg; Rep. Jim Matheson; and Matthew C. Barneck, an attorney at RBMN.  Through the sponsorship of RBMN, CCA recently distributed this award-winning DVD "We the People...The U.S. Constitution and You" at no cost to all high schools, community colleges and many public libraries in the 2nd Congressional District of Utah.

The second component is an interactive Web site with a youth opinion poll of the month, developed in consultation with George Gallup, Jr.  This poll gives participants a first-hand opportunity to actively engage in the legislative process and better understand their civic duties.

"At RBMN, we believe it is important for our nation's youth to know their constitutional rights and understand how our government works, so they can become actively involved," said Matthew Barneck, a partner at RBMN.  "That's why we are excited to bring this important program to our local area."

The "We the People...The U.S. Constitution and You" DVD is one among a series of award-winning civic education DVDs created by the Committee for Citizen Awareness.  National dignitaries including former Majority Leader Bob Dole and Vice President Joe Biden also appear in the video series.

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