A major national arts project that aims to make civic engagement and the Australian Constitution 'cool by association', will be launched tomorrow.

Launched by the Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, the AusCivics Film Festivals will promote the theme "Celebrating the Australian Way" and are expected to reach millions of Australians during the remainder of 2010.

70 motorcycle riders will "ride for democracy" across the nation, after they receive the Governor-General's written and spoken commission urging mayors, principals, teachers and community organisations to get involved and learn about Australian democracy.

The Constitution Education Fund Australia (CEFA) and its partner the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) are implementing this national imperative during this year's federal election, with AEC records showing

1.4 million eligible Australian voters were not enrolled. The AEC has also identified the remarkable fact that over 50 per cent of young Australians do not know, or don't care, that Australia is a democracy.

CEFA executive director, Kerry Jones, said the campaign was built around feature films and other youth oriented media, aiming to make civics and the Australian Constitution "cool by association".

"This campaign is a wake up call for all Australians to become aware of and engaged in partaking and preserving our great Australian Democracy," Ms Jones said.

"It's time we all appreciated our wonderful system of government, a system which gives us the freedoms and privileges we all enjoy as Australians."

The festivals will feature a short film entitled Faces of Australia including famous Australians such as Ian Thorpe, Georgie Parker and Tom Keneally, who join with ordinary Australians from all walks of life. The festivals also include an award-winning Australian feature film and inspirational drama, Broken Hill.

Clips from these and other films will be used as part of CEFA's online education resource library to help educators and students relate to constitutional and democratic themes such as law and order and the pillars of Australian democracy.