Almost four years ago, when we started Generation Citizen (which actually was first called the Generation Citizenship ProjectâŚI would say we had a positive name change), we werenât thinking much about our brand. With very little guidance, the estimable Curt Fitzpatrick, a graphic designer who I worked with back in my Darfur activism days, designed… Continue reading Introducing our new Brand.
Category: Uncategorized
Boston is not Powerless
Everyone in Boston feels pretty powerless right now. We are stuck inside our homes. We can’t take the T. We can’t go to work. We can’t get a coffee. We don’t know if we are safe. As the Boston manager of an organization that specializes in empowering the powerless, I have a few thoughts about our powerlessness… Continue reading Boston is not Powerless
It’s Up to Us to Save Congress
Being the Executive Director of a non-profit that prides itself of non-partisanship, I take care to never be overtly partisan or political in public spaces, like this blog. But I am pretty pissed off about Congress voting down the gun control bill. And, actually, I think it is completely a non-partisan issue. Universal background checks… Continue reading It’s Up to Us to Save Congress
Summer Intern Opportunities
Generation Citizen Intern Position Descriptions Summer 2013 Mission: Generation Citizen strengthens our nation’s democracy by empowering young people to become engaged and effective citizens, starting now. What we do: To fulfill our mission, we partner college students with classroom teachers to teach an action-civics course in which teens solve problems they face in their own… Continue reading Summer Intern Opportunities
Do Young People Actually Matter?
      When I was in 8th grade, my math teacher came into class a day after a substitute taught in her stead, and immediately handed four friends and me a week of detention. She claimed that the substitute wrote we had all acted out throughout the entire class. I immediately protested saying, âAsk anyone else… Continue reading Do Young People Actually Matter?
Generating Leadership
Last October, I could not contain my excitement to meet one of my personal heroes, New York State Senator Kirstin Gillibrand, who was coming to visit the Science Barge, an off-the-grid urban farm I worked at in Yonkers, New York.  She is an influential voice for farmers in this country, and the grant she garnered for… Continue reading Generating Leadership
Civics Day and Student Voice
The Governorâs Statewide Youth Council Swearing-In Ceremony Last Friday, I had the incredible opportunity to speak at the Governor’s 3rd Statewide Youth Council Swearing-In Ceremony at the Massachusetts State House. Hosted by Governor Deval Patrick and facilitated by some of the most eloquent high school students I have ever encountered, the Ceremony welcomed 28 youth… Continue reading Civics Day and Student Voice
A Note to the Department of Education
The US Department of Education has requested public comment about their strategies for promoting civic learning and engagement. Public comments are part of a much larger process for government public engagement; they then typically use these comments to inform their own work as they move towards final decisions. Generation Citizen staff in collaboration with education… Continue reading A Note to the Department of Education
What’s Our “Market Failure?”
Last Friday, Scott Warren and I were in Atlanta, where we were one of twenty startup âcivic venturesâ competing to join a new âCivic Acceleratorâ started by Points of Light and Village Capital. The twenty finalists spanned a wide range of missions and forms, from helping people take action based on news articles to crowdsourcing… Continue reading What’s Our “Market Failure?”