"Democracy" is one of the most important principles for a better world. In its truest sense, a democracy is a community in which all members have an equal say in the running of that community. Unfortunately in reality, democratic societies have fallen short of this ideal. Nevertheless, because of its very nature, once a democracy is established, its citizens can work together to make their society more and more democratic, if they choose to do so.

The Global Youth Democracy Campaign is an annual opportunity for youth to observe October 18 as the World Youth Day for Democracy. The campaign aims to raise awareness about the positive contributions youth are making to promote democracy around the world and to mobilize youth to participate in democracy-building discussions, debates, rallies and educational campaigns about the importance of democratic principles like human rights and civic participation.

In 1996 a coalition of groups in Toronto and Vancouver organized a Media Democracy Day to challenge the monopolization of media outlets by a few corporations. Previously, organizations had organized a Media Democracy Day in Britain on October 18, commemorating the 1922 establishment of the BBC (British Broadcasting Company). By 2002, Media Democracy Day was celebrated in cities throughout the world.

Currently there is an international campaign to urge the United Nations to declare October 18 as Global Democracy Day -- the official international day for democracy (GlobalDemocracyDay.net)

In the United States there is also a grassroots movement to have the first Tuesday in November - Election Day - declared a federal and state holiday. Many countries help promote democracy by making election day a holiday to make it easier for people to vote and to remind us about this important civil right and duty.