3lane, Author at Generation Citizen

The Exceptional American Democracy?

This past Tuesday, New Yorkers took to the polls after a hotly contested primary race to determine the two standard-bearers in the upcoming general election. After a high drama campaign, infused with way too much sexual scandal and way too little substance, it was actually little surprise when Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio emerged as the… Continue reading The Exceptional American Democracy?

Walking the Walk

We profess to be a great many things. Our nation claims to be a beacon of representative democracy, a government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” Yet, Generation Citizen exists because sometimes what we say we value doesn’t always match reality. So then we either reconsider our values, though in this case… Continue reading Walking the Walk

Launch of National Action Civics Collaborative

National Action Civics Collaborative Launches Campaign to Energize and Improve Youth Civic Engagement Today, six organizations from around the country launched an effort to energize and improve youth civic engagement in America. Calling on Americans to reinvigorate civic education through “Action Civics,” they offered practical resources for educators interested in bringing action civics to their… Continue reading Launch of National Action Civics Collaborative

Incorporating Voices: A Modern Jeffersonian Meal

Last week, Generation Citizen Board Member Robert Flanders hosted a “Jeffersonian Breakfast” inspired by the dinners hosted by Thomas Jefferson back in the early days of our Republic. Jefferson would invite 10 friends to Monticello to discuss a set topic, which could range from politics to philosophy to archeology, to hear the personal experiences that… Continue reading Incorporating Voices: A Modern Jeffersonian Meal

A Double Introduction of New York PAs

We are thrilled to introduce the two newest members of our NY team: Ayisha Irfan and Yuan Huang. With different and equally interesting paths to GC, we thought we would have them introduce themselves together in this post. Ayisha: My path to Generation Citizen has been an interesting one to say the least. It started… Continue reading A Double Introduction of New York PAs

Walking the Local Political Talk

At a conference a few weeks ago, one of the presenters asked all the participants to share a story of the first time they remember becoming politically engaged. The story I always tell people is that I first recognized the power of individuals engaging in the political process while working on anti-genocide efforts in college.… Continue reading Walking the Local Political Talk

Bridging The Gap: An Intern’s Perspective

Going to an independent, all-girls school in the suburbs of Philadelphia, I have been indoctrinated to believe that youth, specifically young women, play an integral role in the communities where we live and study. Ask any of my fellow seniors about their community involvement and they will retort with a lengthy enumeration of activities. It… Continue reading Bridging The Gap: An Intern’s Perspective

My GC Journey (Which Has Only Just Begun)

Generation Citizen first found me only twenty months ago (it feels more like twenty years) in a cold, dimly lit classroom of the NYU Steinhardt School of Education. I was fresh off the plane from a semester in Prague, CZ, and during my obligatory soul searching while abroad I had concluded that I wanted to… Continue reading My GC Journey (Which Has Only Just Begun)

Direct Democracy in California: Meaningful Civic Engagement?

Before I moved here, all I really knew of Golden State politics was Arnold Schwarzenegger, marijuana and Proposition 8. In my first semester as a graduate student at Cal’s Goldman School of Public Policy, my understanding of the political landscape—specifically the effects of direct democracy—increased immensely. I worked with a group of my classmates to… Continue reading Direct Democracy in California: Meaningful Civic Engagement?

Can Philanthropy Save our Educational System?

Peter Buffet’s recent op-ed, “The Charitable Industrial Complex”, has been rocking the interwebs since its publication Saturday. His basic but harsh argument, that philanthropy is essentially preserving the status quo while causing small blips of success that allow the wealthy to feel “heroic,” has some people praising him for finally speaking truth to power, while others… Continue reading Can Philanthropy Save our Educational System?