Within the framework of the project "I'm Going to Vote" supported by the Embassy of Canada in Ukraine and the International Renaissance Foundation, implemented by the Volyn Youth Rights Protection Association, a press conference was held on July 20 in Lutsk on the occasion of the opening of the information center "Why I'm Going to Vote" in the regional center. The Western Center of the Ukrainian Academy of Political Sciences acted as a partner in the implementation of the project. The press conference was attended by the project manager of "I'm Going to Vote" Petro Verzun, the project's PR manager Vira Lohotska, the executive director of the Volyn Youth Rights Protection Association Mykola Ivaniuk, and the General Director of the Western Center of the Ukrainian Academy of Political Sciences, professor, doctor of political sciences, academician of the UAPS Bohdan Yarosh. The center "Why I'm Going to Vote" will operate on the basis of the Volyn Youth Rights Protection Association and will provide consultations for young people regarding the explanation of Ukraine's electoral legislation, informing about the course of the electoral process, and the realization of the constitutional right to vote. According to Petro Verzun, young people avoid the electoral process, so the main task of the center will be to encourage young people to participate in the elections of the President of Ukraine, which will carry a rather propagandistic than educational character. As for oral information, materials about the elections will be regularly published in the newspaper for youth and public organizations "Initiative" and on the page of the Volyn public portal – www.iniciativa.com.ua, where an essay contest will be held concerning the role of elections in the lives of young people and will involve about 300 university students. The project "I'm Going to Vote" aims during the 2004 election campaign process to engage about 8 thousand students who will vote for the first time, and nearly 150 thousand young people of Lutsk and the Volyn region in active civic position and participation in the presidential elections. Within the framework of the project, it is envisaged to provide consultations, publish posters on the theme "I'm Going to Vote," prepare information materials (by the way, according to the organizers of the project themselves, about 80% of all information materials have already been prepared to date). It should be noted that 26 educational institutions will be involved in participation in this project, with whose administrations the relevant agreements have already been signed.