By Danny YadronThe Daily Northwestern

U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) urged local young professionals to get involved in politics during an event Thursday night hosted by the Evanston Chamber of Commerce.

“For our democracy to work at any level we have to have an informed (and) involved citizenry,” Schakowsky said. “It really can help change the direction of our city or country.”

Schakowsky spoke to about 40 people at the Firehouse Grill, 750 Chicago Ave., about the Iraq War, national health care and the need for young people to participate in the Evanston community.

Young Professionals of Evanston, which is affiliated with the chamber of commerce, held the event to help young adults network and build civic pride, said the group’s president, Ivan Carswell, Weinberg ’00.

“(We want) them to be aware of what Evanston has to offer so that they may want to come back, or at least have fond memories of Evanston,” Carswell said.

Schakowsky spent much of her 15-minute speech talking about how the newly-elected Democratic Congress would represent the political and economic interests of the city’s young professionals.

“I think there’s an opportunity right now where we can actually move legislation along,” she said.

Schakowsky, a founding member of the Out of Iraq Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, said the war has stretched America’s resources thin.

“We do not have any more military units that are combat ready,” Schakowsky said. “That’s dangerous.”

In addition to sharing her views on politics, Schakowsky encouraged those in attendance to consider a political career while they are young.

“Politics is really a young person’s business,” she said. “A high school volunteer, if they really shine, will get more and more responsibility. It’s all about product. It’s all about delivery. That’s really the only criteria for moving ahead.”

Former Associated Student Government President Patrick Keenan-Devlin, Music ’06, was one of the attendees.

“She is echoing what we all have felt for the past year,” Keenan-Devlin said. “Too many people are dying (in the war), and too many people are dying at home because of health care.”

The event’s informal setting made it easier for young people to connect with Schakowsky, said Jill Brazel, a Young Professionals of Evanston officer.

“In the past decade there has been a lot of tuning out,” Brazel said. “We wanted an intimate sort of thing where they felt like they could be involved.”

Reach Danny Yadron at [email protected].