Barack Obama will join John McCain to discuss in depth their views on service and civic engagement in the post-9/11 world during a primetime forum on the evening of September 11 in New York City.

The forum is being staged by ServiceNation, a dynamic new coalition of 110 organizations that has a collective reach of some 100 million Americans and is dedicated to strengthening our democracy and solving problems through civic engagement and service. It will be the opening event of the bipartisan, September 11-12, ServiceNation Summit, which will launch a one year grassroots campaign to expand voluntary community and national service opportunities for all Americans; use proven service strategies to tackle some of America’s most chronic social challenges; and call on all Americans to make service a bedrock ideal in our democracy.  ServeNext is proud to be a part of the ServiceNation Steering Committee.

At the Forum, called “A Nation Of Service,” Senators McCain and Obama will appear on stage separately to discuss their respective visions for the role of service in America’s future. Richard Stengel, Managing Editor of TIME, will moderate, and the event will be open to all broadcast networks.

“I look forward to participating in the 9/11 service forum,” said Senator Obama. “After September 11, Americans of every age, race, region and walk of life were ready to step up and answer a new call of service for their country. Making that call to service will be a central cause of my presidency, because we need the active citizenship of the American people to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”

“I am pleased to be participating in the ServiceNation Summit in New York City. The Summit will be an important remembrance of those that made the ultimate sacrifice serving their country and others as we focus on how to inspire others to serve causes greater than their own self-interest through national and community service,” said Senator McCain, who accepted his invitation to the ServiceNation Summit & Presidential Forum last month.  

The Forum audience will include 9/11 family members, young Americans, military veterans, and thought leaders, and questions can be submitted by the general public.  “The Presidential Candidates’ Forum will serve as a call to action for the next administration,” said Forum moderator and TIME managing editor Richard Stengel. “I hope to have candid conversations with Senators McCain and Obama about their plans for engaging more Americans in national service.”

Click here to read the full press release from Be The Change, Inc, conveners of ServiceNation.