Are you a politician who feels the urge to emerge from the communication swamp in which you have been stuck for fifty years? Are you a sterilised creative professional who wants to adopt a politician and make him/her grow in the green pastures of crossmedia communications?

More Than Zero – Cantieri Digitali launches More Than Politics, a contest for young creative professionals and for Italian politicians who will run for the next local and European elections, which consists in a recruiting initiative in cooperation with Rolling Stone Magazine, Zero Edizioni and C6TV.


ARE YOU A YOUNG CREATIVE PROFESSIONAL? JOIN IN…        


More Than Politics is an initiative in progress born on the 27th of February that will culminate with More Than Zero’s next event on the 18th of June. The aim is to build a network of researchers, creative professionals and communicators who can stimulate and introduce innovative forms of crossmedia political communication.
You will be able to learn more about the More Than Politics Contest through More Than Zero’s website and through other websites linked to the initiative.


More Than Politics Lab:

10th of April 2009:
The first group of creative professionals got together to come up with an original and effective claim for European elections candidate Daniela Castelli and her new party Newropeans, the first trans-European party born on the Web, which had to collect 150,000 signatures to run for the elections.

The group (Cristian Ubbiali, Mauro Mercatanti, Michele Vigorita, Cinzia Rossello, Massimo Cottura, Paolo Zancarli, Roberto Palmieri), came up in a very short time with a series of interesting and innovative proposals.

Among the group’s claims, Daniela Castelli and the Newropeans chose the following:

“Send us home.- Newropeans were born to change Europe with you. Leave your signature to send them to the European Parliament.” www.150000.eu

Who is Daniela Castelli?
A multi-tasking woman, a former model and Canale 5 presenter, today she is a professional journalist and... a speed race driver! She is a candidate for the next European elections. Her latest challenge? To take her party “Newropeans” to the European Parliament by reaching the necessary number of signatures.

17th of April 2009:
These are the first politicians who took part in the More Than Politics initiative. They are ready to “ adopt a creative professional” for them or for their party’s candidates, or simply to challenge young creative professionals on political communication on the Web 2.0.

Luigi Vimercati
DS Senator and a member of the Constituent Assembly. In the second Prodi Government he was Undersecretary for Communications and dealt mainly with the development of the radio and television system and with the electronic communications sector, focusing especially on the issue of technological innovation. He initiated the website democraticiamilano.it. (http://www.luigivimercati.it/)

Antonio Palmieri
PDL MP. He is currently in charge of electoral communications and the Internet at a national level; he created the website www.forzaitalia.it, which he manages since 1995. He has worked for RTI, Poste Italiane, Radio Rai and he is founder and director of communications agency Promedia (1988-1991). (http://www.antoniopalmieri.it/)

Bruno Dapei
Leader of Forza Italia, Provincial Council of Milan. He was President of the Municipal Council and Deputy Mayor of Trezzano sul Naviglio.
(http://it-it.facebook.com/people/BrunoDap/1170845146)
 
More Than Politics Manifesto.
 
1. To claim that young people are not interested in politics is a cliché. If politics is nothing but a lot of talk and a badge to get the big numbers during the elections, obviously they are not going to buy it. If, on the other hand, it is all about living and sharing dreams, hopes, emotions, and about changing the world together, then many of them are ready to roll up their sleeves.

2. Doing politics means taking responsibility. Who candidates are is more important than what they do. Their reputation and their credibility come before their party and electoral programme.

3. In order to build reputation, credibility and trust, nothing is more powerful than the Web and social networks, as Obama’s example has taught us: they are an incredibly powerful tool to gain consensus in a political campaign, especially among young people. Beware, however! The Web does not forget and, much like the Lie Detector Game, sgama those who lie.