The Best Civic Action Project Ever!!

And oh so timely

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re either a teacher searching for a super cool Civic Action Project to introduce to your students, or you’re a high school student with a teacher who’s assigned a Civic Action Project and you’re looking for a suggestion that will win your teacher over. In either case, look no further.

The best-ever Civic Action Project ever calls on students, working alone or in small groups, to try to get their school to formally establish a Civic Learning Program, with whoever is selected to lead this program to be charged with the following responsibilities:

• Documenting Activities: This includes articulating the program’s objectives, defining its key elements, quantifying student engagement, and ensuring that every aspect of the program aligns with the overarching objectives of promoting civic engagement and education.
• Seeking New Opportunities: It is imperative for the program administrator to proactively seek out new initiatives, partnerships, and resources to enhance the program (if only to keep the program vibrant, relevant, and impactful.)
• Communication: This means ensuring that all stakeholders — students, parents, teachers, and district leaders — are periodically updated on the activities undertaken at the school in the name of civic learning.
• Awards and Recognition: The program administrator is also charged with developing a system to acknowledge and celebrate students who show outstanding commitment and progress in becoming well-rounded, informed, active citizens.

For a typical California high school encouraged to establish a Civic Learning Program, the program administrator could conceivably view all of the following as falling under the heading of his/her program.

• The school’s Social Studies Department classes
• The school student council/government (ASB)
• The school’s Speech and Debate classes
• The school’s Mock Trial Team, Model United Nations Team, Youth and Government Team, and After-School Debate Team
• The school’s willingness to provide its students with a chance to earn a California Civil Seal of Engagement
• The school’s willingness to offer its US Government students a chance to work on a Teach Democracy Civic Action Project (CAP)
• The school’s participation in California’s annual Civil Learning Week in March.
• The school’s citizenship requirements (regardless of whether class, extracurricular, or graduation)
• The school’s civic learning-oriented clubs
• The school’s voter education workshops
• The school’s willingness to participate in California’s Student Mock Election in November every four years.

The timeliness of this CAP cannot be overstated. In an era characterized by increasing incivility, polarization, and fragmentation, the imperative for schools to prioritize civic learning has never been greater. There is no better way to address these challenges than by institutionalizing civic education through the creation of a dedicated program. By doing so, schools can play a pivotal role in preparing students not just for academic success, but for active, informed participation in civic life. This project, in my opinion, offers the best-ever student-initiated concrete step toward building a more well-rounded, informed, and active citizenry.