The fake medical condition “mannequinism” has struck the youth of America. The condition, which begins in the mind when a person becomes disengaged from issues in the community, causes the body to become hollow and lifeless. Fight Mannequinism, a national campaign to increase youth involvement, helps diagnose, prevent and treat civic disengagement.

The Fight Mannequinism campaign uses the image of a mannequin to describe the effects that lack of involvement has on individuals and communities. According to FightMannequinism.org, 57 percent of people aged 15-25 are disengaged from civic life. The Fight Mannequinism campaign hopes to change this percentage by showing young people that getting involved is important and simple.

“The most important thing is that people understand what being engaged means,” said Caitlin Davis, spokesperson for Fight Mannequinism. “Reading a newspaper and talking to friends is enough. You don’t need to be the president of a club or do something big; little things are just as important.”

In March 2005, the Federal Voting Assistance Program and the Advertising Council created the Fight Mannequinism campaign to get young adults involved in their communities. The non-partisan and non-issue based campaign targets 18-24 year-olds through advertisements and an interactive website (www.FightMannequinism.org). Fight Mannequinism stems from the earlier Register and Vote in 2004 campaign.

“Voting is the most basic way to become a good citizen,” said Amy Sponsler, director of the Office of Volunteer Programs at the University of Illinois, “and 18 to 24-year-olds are notorious for not voting.”

After the presidential election, the Register and Vote campaign changed its name to Fight Mannequinism, focusing on involvement outside of voting. The campaign wants young adults to care about issues and causes, and to actively participate in them. Ideas of ways to become involved include registering to vote, volunteering for a non-profit organization, putting up fliers, and writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper or a government official.

Staying informed on issues also helps keep youth engaged. According to FightMannequinism.org, only 24 percent of youth aged 15-24 claim to follow government and public affairs ‘very often,’ compared with 45 percent for the general population. The campaign encourages young people to read the newspaper, watch news programs, and talk about issues with friends.

“We are the future, and as soon as we know it, we’re going to be the people running for president and running the companies,” Davis said. “We need to start becoming educated about the issues.”

Youth who volunteer are twice as likely to volunteer as an adult than those who do not. Fight Mannequinism wants to get people involved while they are young so they will continue to be civically engaged throughout their lifetime.

“The younger you start [volunteering], the more it becomes something you do, something you enjoy,” Sponsler said.

In Champaign-Urbana, more than 100 agencies offer volunteer opportunities. Activities are available for all interests, and many of them can be found at cuvolunteer.org or by contacting the Office of Volunteer Programs. The Fight Mannequinism website also provides several suggestions for involvement and links to community service websites.

“It’s easy to do these things,” Davis said. “It’s not something you need to spend all of your time on.”