It’s often said that those in social change work are “trying to change the status quo.” It’s why we do the work. We live in a country in which the vast majority of the population lives paycheck to paycheck, if a paycheck even exists. And so, as we build our organizations, whether engaging in direct… Continue reading To Change the Status Quo, We Need to Change Who’s in Charge
Author: 3lane
Testimony to the MA Dept of Elementary and Secondary Education
February 20, 2014 The majority of young Americans are disillusioned with our government. More than half of young people generally do not vote in national elections and are unknowledgeable as to how it pertains to the political process. Many youth want to help improve their communities, yet do not see the political process as a… Continue reading Testimony to the MA Dept of Elementary and Secondary Education
Broad-based NYC Coalition Urges the Mayor to Prioritize Youth Civic Engagement
M E M O R A N D U M TO: Mayor Bill de Blasio CC: Carmen Fariña Letitia James RE: Youth Civic Engagement On behalf of youth-serving organizations from across New York City, we would like to congratulate you on your resounding victory to become the city’s mayor. It is clear… Continue reading Broad-based NYC Coalition Urges the Mayor to Prioritize Youth Civic Engagement
From Albany to Lifelong Change-Maker
Anthony Mendez is a former Generation Citizen student and a senior at the Urban Assembly School for Careers in Sports, in the Bronx, NY. After being inspired at Civics Day last fall, Anthony reached out to GC’s Executive Director to inquire about more ways to stay involved. He has since joined forces with the grassroots… Continue reading From Albany to Lifelong Change-Maker
Richard Sherman and Social Entrepreneurs
This Sunday, right after the Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers to reach the NFL Super Bowl, star cornerback Richard Sherman gave a rather unique interview. In words that millions will dissect for the next few weeks, Sherman, after making a phenomenal play to seal the win, asserted that he is “the best corner… Continue reading Richard Sherman and Social Entrepreneurs
Reflections on our First West Coast Semester
As we prepare to kick off the spring semester in the Bay Area, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the past semester. This fall was Generation Citizen’s first semester on the West Coast; it was an exciting one, full of new partnerships, lots of learning and truly inspirational young people. College students… Continue reading Reflections on our First West Coast Semester
Who Gets to Determine Impact?
The 50-year anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty has sparked a fury of analyses on its efficacy in actually ending poverty. Some say that progress has barely been made, as evidenced by the fact that the poverty rate has only gone down slightly (from 19 percent to 15 percent), while 46 million Americans… Continue reading Who Gets to Determine Impact?
Shifting Perspective at Creative Arts Charter School
Hello, everyone! My name is Tina Celani and I am studying Communication at the University of San Francisco (USF). I completed around forty hours of service work with eighth grade students at Creative Arts Charter School for Generation Citizen, and my experience at this school was life-changing not only for me, but for my students… Continue reading Shifting Perspective at Creative Arts Charter School
Our Mandela Moment
Last week, Generation Citizen hosted Civics Days in our four program sites: NYC, Boston, Rhode Island and the Bay Area. Staff, judges, and elected officials were incredibly impressed by the passion, research and action exhibited by Generation Citizen students across the country as they presented on issues ranging from standardized testing to cleaing up parks… Continue reading Our Mandela Moment
A Local Perspective on Mandela
Nelson Mandela’s death has provoked a myriad of analysis in publications throughout the western world. What does his death mean? Was Mandela a radical or a pragmatist? Was he too admired or not admired enough? Was he the greatest hero of this generation or a deeply flawed family member? Some of these are necessary, and… Continue reading A Local Perspective on Mandela