by Amy Curran, Oklahoma Executive Director The United States faces a challenge to fill workforce development gaps as a result of the shift from the industrial age to the knowledge age. The need for a post-secondary degree or certification has become more important than ever. And, with the rising expense of degree programs, it is… Continue reading A Solution for States with Skill Gaps in Workforce Development: How building civic skills and knowledge can prepare students to lift our economies
Category: THOUGHTS FROM THE TEAM
Localizing College Civics: The need to engage college students in local government
by Hannah Bigbee a Generation Citizen’s Student Leadership Board member Like many college campuses, the University of Oklahoma is seen as its own community by the students. Many students live, work, attend classes, and eat all of their meals while on campus. Because of this, the university becomes its own world. While having this community… Continue reading Localizing College Civics: The need to engage college students in local government
Gentrification – A Student’s Perspective on The Intensification of Modern Displacement in New York City: How widespread gentrification is continuing to shape the future of our city
By Ishrat Jahan, Student at Urban Assembly Institute of Math and Science My name is Ishrat Jahan and I am a Junior at Urban Assembly Institute of Math and Science for Young Women in Brooklyn, New York. In our Generation Citizen class, my classmates and I chose gentrification as our focus issue because we believe… Continue reading Gentrification – A Student’s Perspective on The Intensification of Modern Displacement in New York City: How widespread gentrification is continuing to shape the future of our city
Why Do We Know So Little About County Government? Lessons from Ninnekah, Oklahoma
By Elizabeth Sidler, Oklahoma Senior Program Associate Driving south on Old Highway 81 toward Ninnekah, Oklahoma, my colleague and I pass rolling hills, retention ponds, phone line maintenance, and cows. Just a few miles north is a Walmart and a Chinese restaurant, a Walgreens and a university. But here it’s land and homes and people. While… Continue reading Why Do We Know So Little About County Government? Lessons from Ninnekah, Oklahoma
What Would a Citizen Do? Why we need to think about citizenship more broadly
by Nivetha Nagarajan, Development Associate I was seven years old, in my second grade class, and we were voting on which book to read as a complement to our unit on democracy, citizenship, and American identity. I abstained from voting because I already knew I wasn’t an American citizen and wouldn’t have the right to… Continue reading What Would a Citizen Do? Why we need to think about citizenship more broadly
Thanks but No Thanks: What two senators got wrong about civics and how they can do better
By Dana Harris, Advocacy Director There are few things that we, as an American population, nearly universally agree on. Yet, one of them is that civics education is a good thing. Prior to the 2016 elections, most people would call it an important subject but would fall short of thinking it was the most important.… Continue reading Thanks but No Thanks: What two senators got wrong about civics and how they can do better
An Open Eye to Many Possibilities
The text of a Generation Citizen student, Lori Campbell: It all started when two NYU students came through the big blue doors at my school, and introduced themselves as “coaches of democracy, change and fellowship.” My first thought was “Who are these unfamiliar faces” then my second thought was “What do these people want from… Continue reading An Open Eye to Many Possibilities
Small Towns and Prodigious Minds: The Potential in Rural Communities
By Megan Brandon, Regional Program Manager, Texas & National “Small town, country kids who lead a simple life.” This was just one of the many expressions often used to describe my former students from Bastrop, a small town of around 8,000 people, just 35 minutes east of Austin, TX, but it might as well be… Continue reading Small Towns and Prodigious Minds: The Potential in Rural Communities
Youth voter participation is not red or blue, it’s universal
I have the privilege of working with middle and high school students across the state of Oklahoma. As a civics educator, I find myself constantly noticing where young people show up. During the build-up to the 2018 midterm election, I saw students where I always do — at the mall, in their schools, at athletic… Continue reading Youth voter participation is not red or blue, it’s universal
Voter suppression by adults sends the wrong message to America’s young people
Why restricting participation at the polls might discourage emerging civic actors Voter suppression teaches children that adults are not serious about preserving democracy for the emerging generation of voters. When eligible individuals follow all the rules and still struggle to obtain access to the ballot box, it sends the wrong signal to the nation’s young people.… Continue reading Voter suppression by adults sends the wrong message to America’s young people