Dear Exhausted-But-Diligent Democracy Coach, I know. I get it. I remember waking up in a dark room, rising before the sun did. My roommate groaning at my blaring alarm, crawling deeper under his covers as I eat my Cinnamon Toast Crunch and review the day’s lesson plan. My eyes mere slits until I get my… Continue reading An Open Letter to Democracy Coaches…
Category: THOUGHTS FROM THE TEAM
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
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?
Introduction from RI Program Associate
My name is Emily Flower and I’m joining Generation Citizen as the Rhode Island Program Associate. From a young age I was surrounded by civic influences. I woke up early everyday to watch a re-run of The West Wing with my dad before work and would follow my mom to community meetings after school. The… Continue reading Introduction from RI Program Associate
Gee(k), I love politics!
“I’msuchahugefan! It’ssonicetomeetyou! I’vebeenafanofyourclimatepolicyforsolong! MayIbeacompletedorkandgetaphotowithyou?” As I gushed, I’m pretty sure it all came out in one long word. Senate Candidate Ed Markey was very kind, saying it was nice to meet me too, and obliged me with a picture. After the fact, Christina, our New Sector Fellow in the office this summer, assured me that… Continue reading Gee(k), I love politics!
Let’s Go Chasing Waterfalls
I’ve been on “vacation” in Ecuador almost two weeks now, and it’s largely been great. I’ve been able to do a ton of hiking, some horseback riding, some rafting, and some reading. But along the way, I have not done a great job of letting go of work. At all. Part of this is that… Continue reading Let’s Go Chasing Waterfalls
Let’s Have an Identity Crisis
In the midst of a trip throughout Ecuador, re-connecting with the country where I graduated high school, I had the opportunity yesterday to speak at my high school, Academia Cotopaxi, addressing a mix of 6th-10th graders. My speech consisted of two main themes. The first focused on Generation Citizen – the reason I created it… Continue reading Let’s Have an Identity Crisis
Being a Good Citizen…and a Good Person
Fron a speech I gave at this year’s Civics Days: My speech today was going to be about the theme of Generation Citizen, the notion of being an active citizen. The notion of working in your communities, using the democratic process, to make change. To make things better. This, after all, is what you did… Continue reading Being a Good Citizen…and a Good Person
My Obsession With The West Wing
I was biting my nails to see if President Bartlet would run for a second term or not. I cling to each word of Sam Seaborn’s speeches. I am definitely a Josh Lyman and Donna Moss fan. I am with CJ Cregg each time she steps up in front of the press corps. I did all of these… Continue reading My Obsession With The West Wing