Mission

Day On Democracy strives to increase political learning and participation on college campuses in a nonpartisan, celebratory manner through community engagement activities and participation celebrations, the latter of which are facilitated in part by the cancellation of classes at institutions of higher education on Election Day.

Vision

Day On Democracy will foster a culture of democracy appreciation and civic participation on college campuses, strengthening ties between institutions of higher education and the communities in which they exist. Beyond that, it will encourage college students to become lifelong civic agents and advance a positive, hopeful vision of politics.

History

We got our start in 2018 as an idea in the mind of Marina Castro-Meirelles, a University of Mary Washington (UMW) undergraduate student with a passion for civic engagement. With six students and a few faculty advisors, Marina laid the framework for implementation of the program at UMW. In Spring 2019, with overwhelming support, UMW's Faculty Council approved the Day On Democracy program.

UMW hosted its inaugural Day On Democracy in the fall of 2020. To learn more about the initiative at UMW, visit umwdayondemocracy.org.

You can also take a look at the original proposal below.