Find Answers to Common Questions
What is “action civics”?
Action civics is an authentic, experiential approach in which students address problems through real world experiences that apply to their lives, can be a powerful motivating experience setting them on a path towards lifelong civic and political engagement. In practice, action civics is an iterative process typically comprised of issue identification, research, constituency building, action, and reflection. The process is integral to building the skills, developing the knowledge and cultivating the values and behaviors mentioned throughout this document. During this process, adults provide the guidance and scaffolding for successfully launching youth-driven projects. Action civics is not content area-specific; what matters are the guiding commitments to:
- Action, especially collective action
- Youth voice, including experiences, knowledge, concerns, and opinions
- Youth agency, including action, authority, and leadership
- Reflection, especially as it enriches the process
How can I get involved?
There are numerous ways you can get involved with Generation Citizen!
If you are a college student, apply to be a mentor at the beginning of each semester.
If you are a teacher or administrator, contact us to learn about partnering with Generation Citizen. To learn more about how GC can fit in with your school and classroom, Click here for our guide.
If you would like to volunteer in other ways, we could always use the help! Contact us today.
If you would like to make an investment in Generation Citizen’s success, donate here.
Is Generation Citizen a partisan organization?
Generation Citizen is strictly a non-partisan non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization. We encourage all of our youth to formulate their own informed political opinions. Our college mentors and teachers come into the classroom with the goal of empowering our students to take action as informed political actors, but do not promote one ideology over another.
Why is it important to use college Mentors?
Generation Citizen feels that using college mentors in the classroom improves the Generation
Citizen experience for the following reasons:
Peer-to-near-peer mentoring works: Students can better relate to college role models and emulate their civic leadership. Also, students may often be more comfortable broaching difficult issues, such as teen pregnancy, with Mentors who are closer in age.
A real college connection: College access remains a large concern in our educational
system. By having real college students in the classroom, our students get direct access to
college, including the ability to ask questions about the application process, instead of just
reading about it remotely.
An extra-hand for teachers: Mentors add vital capacity for teachers, helping with the lesson planning and research that enable the successful implementation of GC’s student-centered, project-based curriculum. Our teachers all appreciate having that extra set of hands.
Scalability: There are a lot of engaged, motivated, and qualified college students in this country. Generation Citizen plans to tap into this network to expand our services.
Dedication to education: Our college mentors learn about their communities, and the problems in our educational system firsthand. They have gone on to careers in public schools, Teach for America, education non-profits, and government, with these lessons in mind.
How do you operate in schools?
We believe strongly that working in schools ensures that every student can receive an effective
civics education, not just those who want to take place in extra-curriculars after the school
day. Our work in schools is made possible because of schools and teachers that believe in the
importance of civics education, and believe in our program.
We take our responsibility of working in schools very seriously. Our curriculum is standards-
aligned, meaning that we are fulfilling existing academic requirements. It is academically intensive;
one cannot be an effective citizen without knowing how to read, write, and communicate well. We
also engage in ongoing professional development with each teacher in our program.
What sets GC apart from other youth empowerment organizations?
1) Emphasis on Action: GC believes that students must participate in the political process to
understand how it functions. Content knowledge, the focus of other organizations, is not enough.
We provide structured opportunities for students to make their voices heard, action-oriented
approaches which increase learning and motivation. GC students have made and screened
documentaries seen by hundreds of Providence youth, held job fairs attended by over 50 students,
and sponsored a school-wide competition that resulted in 150 pounds of recycled material in one
week.
2) Scalable Model with Peer to Near-Peer College Mentors: GC is unique in using college
mentors to teach classes. This creates a community of curious, active young learners sharing ideas
about how to solve their society’s most pressing problems. Peer to near-peer mentoring works:
high school students can relate to role models and emulate their civic leadership. Finally, our
motivated, no-cost volunteers allow us to easily and effectively scale up.
3) In-School, Achievement-Oriented Classes: Other civic organizations conduct activities after-
school, working with students who self-select based on pre-existing interest. By operating within
school hours, GC ensures that all students learn about their role in the political process. We take
this responsibility seriously and work closely with school districts and state Departments of
Education to align curriculum with state standards. GC’s interdisciplinary curriculum means that, in
addition to civics, we teach literacy skills in an applied, engaging manner.
4) Commitment to Engaging Low-Income and Racially Diverse Students: GC’s focus on lower-
income students and students of color is due to our consideration of the growing achievement
gap. We work to promote civic education broadly, but we emphasize work with underserved
populations first.