Defending Social Studies Funding in Massachusetts

On March 9, 2015, Greater Boston Advocacy Manager Leila Quinn gave testimony before the MA Foundation Budget Review Commission in defense of funding for social studies and civics courses. Below you will find an abridged version of her testimony.   State law charges our schools with a civic mission that we must revive. Students often learn… Continue reading Defending Social Studies Funding in Massachusetts

How Do We Educate to Improve Our Democracy?

How do We Educate to Improve our Democracy?   As Generation Citizen matures as an organization, we’ve realized that it’s not enough for us to solely focus on our in-school programming.  We continue to improve and iterate our action civics curriculum and teacher and volunteer training, but we have also recognized the necessity of building… Continue reading How Do We Educate to Improve Our Democracy?

From Pebble Beach to East Flatbush

A few weeks ago, I spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at a luxurious hotel located on the Pebble Beach Golf Course near Monterrey, California. My mornings comprised of runs along ocean-side cliffs with stunning vistas, and my days consisted of vigorous intellectual conversations about the lack of constituency voice in social entrepreneurial ventures, and the… Continue reading From Pebble Beach to East Flatbush

From One Semester to Another: Leaving My Comfort Zone Behind

By Katherine Dillon   My first semester at Fordham University was much like that of those portrayed in movies and TV shows – I was almost always learning, meeting new people, or simply in a state of awe at the newness of everything.   I had so often heard before leaving for college that my… Continue reading From One Semester to Another: Leaving My Comfort Zone Behind

What’s So Great About Young Founders?

What’s So Great About Young Founders? – Scott Warren   Last Friday, the author Robin Black penned a New York Times op-ed entitled, “What’s So Great About Young Writers,” rallying against a culture that she feels unfairly rewards youth, rather than merit. Describing her path to becoming an emerging writer in her late forties, she… Continue reading What’s So Great About Young Founders?

Meet a DC! Boston University’s Mai Mazan

The following interview was posted on the Microsoft Blog, after Boston’s Civic Tech Challenge hackathon event hosted at Microsoft N.E.R.D. in November. Mai Mazan, a Democracy Coach from Boston University, was generous enough to share her experience with GC with the folks at Microsoft, and we always love hearing about the incredible work our DCs… Continue reading Meet a DC! Boston University’s Mai Mazan

CCF Fellow Miajia Speaks at the Ford Foundation

On January 23, 2014, Generation Citizen co-hosted an event at the Ford Foundation called “Educating for Democracy:  The Role of Young People in Re-Invigorating our Democracy.” During this event, as part of the “Scaling Civic Learning” panel, GC alum and Community Change Fellow Miajia Jaware spoke as a youth participant. We could not be more proud… Continue reading CCF Fellow Miajia Speaks at the Ford Foundation

#Trending @ GC

The increase in incarceration is not the leading cause of a decline in crime. – The Atlantic   F.B.I. Director Comey discusses the racial biases present in policing. – The New York Times   Differences in the quality of college counseling between rich and poor schools can determine students’ post-high school prospects. – NPR   A Washington D.C.… Continue reading #Trending @ GC

Teach Young People About Civic Duties

By Rep. Javier Martinez / Democrat, Albuquerque and Scott Warren / Executive Director, Generation Citizen. Published by Albuquerque Journal New Mexico’s high school students spend a lot of time at school. Approximately 140 hours per month, not counting extracurricular activities. How this time is structured, financed and spent is decided by a governing school board,… Continue reading Teach Young People About Civic Duties