The Convention is a time for Democrats from across America to unite for a common goal -- electing a Democrat as president in the fall. The Convention also serves as an opportunity for Barack Obama to present himself to the country and explain his vision for the future of our nation. Click here to learn more about the message that Barack Obama will convey at this year’s Convention.

The 2008 Convention isn’t about party insiders and elected officials. It’s about opening up the process to involve as many Americans as possible. It’s about the real people of our country who are facing so many challenges each and every day. And who better to discuss these concerns on stage at the Convention than Americans from across our country. This year, Americans from all walks of life will join party leaders and elected officials to discuss the real issue they struggle with everyday, such as rising energy costs and our faltering economy. Click here to learn about the people chosen to address the nation.

With less than a week to go, preparations for the 2008 Democratic National Convention are moving ahead at full steam. Construction crews are nearing completion on many projects, from the media pavilions in the parking lots to the suites being renovated for television networks. You’ll have to wait until Friday for a look inside the Pepsi Center, but the stage has been built and the final details are being put in place. Read more about the final preparations here.

Highlighting the rise of the Democratic Party in the west, this year’s Convention will feature many prominent leaders from the Rocky Mountain region -- including Denver’s own Mayor John Hickenlooper and Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. Mayor Hickenlooper will speak on the first night, welcoming the nation -- and the world -- to Denver. Governor Ritter will make an appearance on Thursday night, speaking in front of over 75,000 people at INVESCO Field at Mile High. Read more about their participation in the Convention here.

As part of America’s Town Hall, yesterday the Convention team hit the streets in eight cities across the country to find out what questions voters want answered at this year’s Convention. Each night, party leaders and national experts will answer your questions live from the Convention floor. Read more about two of the “open calls” in Columbus and Detroit.You also can submit text or video questions at www.DemConvention.com/townhall.

Kicking off a week-long Convention programming roll-out, yesterday the DNCC and Obama for America announced this year’s headline speakers. Michelle Obama will lead off on Monday night, followed by Senator Hillary Clinton on Tuesday and Barack Obama’s vice presidential nominee on Wednesday. Read more about the headline speakers here.

In a show of hometown support, several newspapers highlighted their local DNCC YouTube contest finalist, urging readers to vote at www.youtube.com/demconvention. The Temple Daily Telegram featured Cathrin Winsor’s entry. In the video, Cathrin focuses on a young boy to emphasize issues important to young people -- "the failing economy, foreclosures and the war (in Iraq)." The Iowa City Press-Citizen featured Rich Peters’ submission. In his video, Rich argues that “Millions of us have stood up across America with a unified voice demanding one thing: change. I'm a Democrat because like so many of you, I love America. I want my county back.”

After two hours of discussion, the group gathered at Stacey Crease’s home near City Park decided that the Democratic Party’s platform should include a focus on education. And this year, the Democratic Party is listening. With 1,400 such meetings taking place across the country, Stacey and her group took part in the party’s effort to open up the Convention process by inviting people to meet locally and submit their ideas to the national platform drafting committee.  People across the country participated in this massive effort -- read more about the platform meetings here.

With 50,000 people converging upon Denver at the end of August, the Convention team has enlisted some help. Training is underway to prepare the more than 10,000 volunteers to welcome visitors to the Mile High City. Focusing on enthusiasm and accuracy in the current trainings, volunteers will be assigned specific roles in the coming weeks -- click here to learn more.

In a profile of DNCC CEO Leah Daughtry, the New York Times revealed that Leah’s deep conviction in her faith runs parallel to her passion for the success of the Democratic Party. Leah, who spends many Sundays as a Pentecostal preacher, has made it her mission to incorporate people of faith into the Democratic Party. Having been tasked with orchestrating the Convention in August, Leah is responsible for making sure that “everything runs right…that the millions watching the convention on TV are captivated and inspired by the four-day-long show.” But for Leah, leading the Convention as well as expanding the reach of the Democratic Party “is, as she sees it, her way of fulfilling a generations-old family covenant with God.”

Teaming up to lead Convention delegates in several community service projects, yesterday Michelle Obama and Colorado First Lady Jeannie Ritter were announced as the Co-Chairs of Delegate Service Day, to be held on August 27, 2008. The goal of this endeavor is to “get delegates out into the community working on service projects such as cleaning up parks, reading to children and working with programs that help military families.” Click here to learn more about Delegate Service Day.

Touring the Pepsi Center yesterday, the Denver Post had a first-hand look at the transformation currently taking place inside the sports complex. Seats have been removed, a server room is being built, special racks line the hallways to support miles of cables, and the Avalanche hockey locker room has been transformed. Even with all of this activity, the Post reported “[the DNCC’s] construction and technology partners said Monday they are ahead of schedule in making upgrades to the Pepsi Center.”

Wish you could head to the Convention, travel and accommodations paid? With the DNCC’s YouTube contest -- announced today -- now you can! Just submit a short video here explaining why you are a Democrat in 2008, and YouTube users will vote on a winner once five finalists are selected. DemConWatch reports that this contest “comes with a kicker. The winner not only gets to go to the convention but they also get to travel with the Obama campaign for a day as a member of the press.”

As the center of attention for Convention-goers, the stage is a key focal point as construction begins in the Pepsi Center. What makes this stage so special? Continuing with DNCC’s greening efforts, the Rocky Mountain News reported that the stage will be built by “entertainment design company PRG, which was given a mandate to rent used materials, including sustainable woods, and to recycle all materials when the stage is torn down.” Read more details about the construction of the stage here.