Author: Sharnice Neale-Ottley

Written by Sunaina Rao, GC’s Sr. Director, Strategic Learning & Evaluation with quotes from Peter Brown, Oklahoma City Public Schools’ Secondary Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator I first met Peter Brown in 2025 on a blustery day in Oklahoma City. I use the word “met” loosely—what I actually saw was a blur of a human. Peter… Continue reading Beyond the Trifold: How Oklahoma City Public Schools Built a Decade-Long Culture of Civics

By Diego V. Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more prevalent in daily life, especially when it comes to education, employment, and social networking. In order to understand how students view AI, there was a survey done. What came up in the survey is that although students are using AI and see its benefit potential, there… Continue reading Student Views on Artificial Intelligence

By Juan R., Dulce V., and Crystal B. New York City says it is a “sanctuary city,” but that promise does not mean much if federal immigration agents can still act in secret and local officials do not enforce the rules. For a lot of immigrant families, the fear is simple: a regular day—going to… Continue reading Make NYC a Real Sanctuary City, Not Just a Slogan

By Rosa L. and Roslenny O. Immigrants come to New York looking for safety, not to be chased by people who act like secret police. When immigration agents hide their faces, wear plain clothes, and use unmarked cars, families have no idea who is taking their loved ones or how to complain. New York State… Continue reading New York Needs a “No Secret Police” Law

By Shadailing R., Joshua L., Christian T., and Kiosha S. Generative AI can do some wild things. It can write essays, draw art, copy voices, and even create fake videos that look almost real. That sounds cool at first, but there is a dark side too: deepfakes, especially explicit ones, are hurting real people. To… Continue reading Watermarking the Future: Why We Need Laws to Stop AI Deepfakes

Written by former GC Youth Fellow Josie Johnson In high school, I was part of every civics program I could get my hands on: the model legislature, the civic liaisons, the Youth Voice Fellows, Youth for Uplift, the RISE Vote Initiative, and the RI Civic Learning Coalition. You name it, I joined it. I started… Continue reading My Greatest Gift: Civics Education

Written by former GC New York Student Bismark Ghanney When I think back on my Generation Citizen experience, what stands out most is how it made civic engagement feel real and personal. Before Generation Citizen, I understood the basics of government and community issues, but it felt like something I couldn’t interact with – something… Continue reading How Civic Learning Taught Me to Lead, Listen, and Create Change

Written by Kristen Fontaine, an attorney at Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, LLP & former GC Democracy Coach On the first day of my ninth-grade government class, I failed a civics test. I was a straight-A student, yet I knew absolutely nothing about the government or how it works. My first instinct was to… Continue reading How Civics Stopped Feeling Distant and Started Feeling Personal

Op-Ed Co-Authored by Charlie McGeehan, Frank Molina, and Aster Chau At its best, civic education doesn’t end in the classroom — it leads to real change in the community. That’s exactly what happened when students in Charlie McGeehan’s 11th and 12th-grade Social Science Honors class took on a project exploring youth access to public spaces.… Continue reading Our Voices, Our Parks: A Conversation on Youth-Led Change in Philly

Written by Sharnice Neale-Ottley, Associate Director of Communications @ GC At Union Square Academy for Health Sciences, a student-led campaign is transforming the way civic engagement shows up in schools — and in the bathrooms. Sumaiya, a student and self-described youth advocate, launched the “Girls for Girls” project after noticing the poor quality of menstrual… Continue reading Student-Led Advocacy Brings $150K in Bathroom Renovations to NYC School Campus