Introduction to iPromise

“What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all...

This is the price and promise of citizenship.”

-President Barack Obama, Inaugural Address, January 20, 2009

President Obama requested in his inaugural address that those who voted for him, and those who did not, remain active and engaged citizens, to inform themselves and make commitments that will forward this country into the next phase of democracy. iPromise answers his request.

Timed to match the one-year anniversary of President Obama's inauguration, iPromise is an online video campaign that encourages people to commit to fulfilling one action in the calendar year that will affect our society. Specific areas of interest: health, education, digital divide, economy, affordable housing, rural areas, criminal justice, community policing, energy, democracy.

Using innovative tech-organizing methods, it forwards personal accountability in the nation. The intention is to have everyday people redirect the expectations they have for elected officials, to gain a sense of shared responsibility.

If you would like to submit an iPromise video, click here.

For ideas on "promised action" check out ACCOUNTABLE: Making America as Good as Its Promise by Tavis Smiley.

View iPromise videos here.