Written by Morgan Kim, Executive Director, West Region
California students are navigating a world where community civic challenges and climate issues are increasingly intertwined. As schools and society ask students to do more and achieve more, we should also create opportunities for learning that is purposeful, experiential and connected to real-world challenges. Aligning California’s State Seal of Civic Engagement (SSCE) and the new State Seal of Climate Literacy offers one way to do exactly that.
The overlap between the Civic Seal and Climate Literacy Seal is not accidental. Climate challenges are civic challenges. Addressing air quality, extreme heat, water conservation, environmental justice, or community resilience requires students to understand systems, engage stakeholders, advocate for solutions, and take informed action. The same project that demonstrates climate literacy can often demonstrate civic engagement, aligning these seals rather than separate pathways.
As CA school districts continue implementing the Civic Seal and exploring the Climate Literacy Seal, there is a unique opportunity to create connected pathways that empower students, amplify their voices, and prepare them to lead on the issues that will shape their communities and develop their leadership voice.
This approach can reduce duplication for educators, strengthen interdisciplinary learning, and give students multiple opportunities to earn recognition for the work that they are already doing. Much like Dual Enrollment and Advanced Placement (AP) courses fulfilling multiple educational goals, civic and climate-focused learning naturally overlap and can reinforce one another that allows students to earn both seals. This is an opportunity for school districts to deepen and strengthen work already underway by creating a merged Civic Seal and Climate Literacy Seal pathway that lets students apply their learning, demonstrate civic leadership, and address environmental issues that affect their communities.
As someone who has spent much of my career working alongside public school educators and in the youth development space, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when students are given opportunities to lead and tackle issues that matter to them. They engage, lead systems change and even improve their GPA by better understanding the course materials. That’s why I’m excited about the similar requirements between California’s State Seal of Civic Engagement (SSCE) and the new State Seal of Climate Literacy.
At Generation Citizen, this is the core of our work. We empower young people to build the knowledge, skills, and confidence to advocate for themselves and their communities. Their classroom experiences become part of their identity as leaders, laying the foundation for future participation at decision-making tables. In the process, many students discover career pathways and opportunities they may not have previously considered, helping them see how their passions and lived experiences can inform their future.
This is what I value most about our experiential, community-based curriculum. It connects cross classroom learning to real-world experiences and shows students that their voices and perspectives can, and do, drive meaningful change.