When: September 24-26, 2010

Where: Inn at Morro Bay – Morro Bay, CA

Target Grade Level: 5th – 12th

Registration: There is no registration fee.  Please contact Jan Ruyle Beck, ruyle@civiced.org, to register.  The registration deadline is September 4th.

Sub Cost: Cost for a substitute on Friday, September 24th will be reimbursed to your district with appropriate invoicing.

Lodging: Rooms will be provided on September 24th and 25th at no cost.

Meals: Most meals are provided.  Per Diem will be reimbursed for dinner on Friday and Saturday evening.

Materials: All participants will receive, free of charge, a class set of student texts, a teacher’s guide, supplies and materials for portfolio creation, and an introduction to resources.

Project Citizen—the Center for Civic Education’s most widely internationally implemented civics program—has been recognized as one of ten best practices in K–12 education-related citizen diplomacy by the K–12 Education Task Force of the U.S. Summit and Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy. Project Citizen will be featured at the summit in November.

The purpose of the summit and initiative is to demonstrate the importance of citizen diplomacy and make the case for enhanced resources in this area. The summit will take place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel November 16–19, 2010. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will serve as honorary chair of the summit and initiative. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Judith McHale and U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy Chair David Rowe will serve as co-chairs.

LOUISVILLE, Ky – Bret Harte Middle School’s (San Jose Unified School District) portfolio focused on regulating puppy mills, earned a SUPERIOR award at this year’s National Showcase. Co-sponsored by the Center for Civic Education and the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Project Citizen National showcase featured portfolios, created by students addressing public policy issues in their schools and local communities. Healthy school lunches, texting while driving, and budget deficits, were among the topics tackled by classes, participating in showcase.  The showcase featured portfolios from 49 states.

Puppy mills, school budget cuts, and community sidewalks are among the topics students will address in the 15th Annual Project Citizen California Showcase. Elementary, middle and high school students from throughout the state will present their public policy portfolios to panels of evaluators, made up of state educators and civic leaders, from 1:00–3:00 p.m. A student recognition program follows, from 3:30–4:00 p.m.  Portfolios will be on display from 8:00 – 4:00pm.  The showcase will be hosted at the Japanese American National Museum at 369 East First Street, Los Angeles, California. The event is open to the public.

One portfolio will be selected to represent California at the Project Citizen National Showcase, held during the National Conference of State Legislators annual summit, July 25–28 in Louisville, Ky.

For additional information, please contact State Coordinator, Tina Ochoa at ochoa@civiced.org or at (818) 591-9321

Daily Democrat [Woodland, California]
March 10, 2010

Pioneer High School teens are focusing on recent gang activity in Woodland as a major concern for the community and are working together to seek solutions.

“Gang related fights and criminal activity seem to be over the limit in our town,” said Amit Dahal, a ninth-grader at Pioneer High School.

“It is unfortunate that Pioneer High School has been victim to activities associated with the Norteno and Sureno gangs,” Pioneer High Principal Kerry Callahan was reported as saying this week. “It is even more unfortunate that we have students at Pioneer who, for whatever reason, feel the need to be members of any gang that promotes destructive behavior.

“The gangs are destroying everything in their way,” said Aslam Munoz, tenth-grader at Pioneer High School.

Despite the problems caused by the presence of gangs on the school campus, some Pioneer High students are using it as an opportunity to conduct research, study public policy, and make a change in their community, according to Kelly Banes, school English and Spanish teacher. Read the rest of this entry →

Project Citizen is proof that young people can offer fresh and innovative perspectives on problem-solving in their communities.

The Center for Civic Education invites Project Citizen students to participate in Film Your Issue—an online video competition that highlights solutions proposed by young people to contemporary problems. The Center’s Project Citizen program is collaborating with the What’s Your Issue Foundation and its Film Your Issue program to take youth civic engagement online.

Young adults from ages 14 to 24 are invited to produce and upload a three-minute video and a one-page text describing a problem in their community and their proposed solution to that problem. The problem should be related to one of the following “front-burner” issues: the environment, the economic recession, education, health and healthcare, human rights, equal rights, national security and defense, poverty, public service, and technology.

The deadline for submissions is April 19, 2010, with winners announced in May. Winning submissions to the Film Your Issue competition will be presented to senior officials of President Barack Obama’s administration, highlighted on the What’s Your Issue iTunes Channel, and presented at an awards ceremony co-hosted by Sony Pictures in Los Angeles. Winners will be featured at the Center for Civic Education’s National Project Citizen Showcase at the Legislative Summit of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Read the rest of this entry →

The Ludwick Family Foundation’s Arsalyn Program would like to promote student civics clubs in Southern California by offering student civics clubs the opportunity to apply for funding for projects they propose.  Student civics clubs may submit requests for small grants ($500-$2000) from Arsalyn to fund projects such as issues forums with policy makers and experts, voter registration and mobilization efforts, training, implementation of pilot programs designed to promote student civic and political engagement, and others.  Arsalyn is particularly interested in promoting youth voting.  Training in conducting an election simulation in a school as well as related curricular materials and equipment are available from Arsalyn.  Elected officers of student civics clubs registering with Arsalyn are eligible to participate in Arsalyn’s general assembly of civics clubs leaders, which considers funding requests from student clubs.  Elected officers also participate in an annual Arsalyn-sponsored trip to Sacramento for a legislative committee simulation at the State Capitol.

If interested, please contact the Center for Civic Education Development Manager, Darius Udrys at udrys@civiced.org or (818) 591-9321.