4-H Civic Engagement

A 4 - H A F T E R S C H O O L R E S O U R C E G U I D E

After-School Activities for Citizenship, Leadership and Service

CivicEngagement

4-H Afterschool is a collaborative effort of the Cooperative ExtensionSystem — state land grant universities, state and county governments andthe Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service,United States Department of Agriculture — and National 4-H Council.

www.4husa.orgwww.4hafterschool .orgwww.fourhcounci l .eduwww.nat ional4-hheadquarters .govwww.csrees.usda.gov

JCPenney Afterschool Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports pro-grams designed to keep kids safely and constructively engaged during out-of-schooltime. As part of its mission to ensure that all children have access to the world ofopportunities that awaits them after school, the JCPenney Afterschool Fund providesvital financial support to 4-H Afterschool. This generous funding has enabled 4-H tocreate and launch 4-H Afterschool as a focused nationwide initiative.

www.jcpenneyafterschool .org1-800-856-5314

4-H Afterschool is committed to a policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilitiesand employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, religious creed, ancestry or national origin, age,veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, physical or mental disability. Mention or displayof trademark, proprietary product or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement by 4-HAfterschool and does not imply approval to the exclusion of suitable products or firms.

LEADERSHIP TEAMAND AUTHORSCynthia Mark, Ph.D.4-H Youth Development, Michigan State University Extension

Sheila Urban Smith4-H Youth Development, Michigan State University Extension

Adam Voight 4-H Youth Development, Michigan State University Extension

Patricia Adams4-H Youth Development, Michigan State University Extension

LEAD RESEARCHERAdam Voight 4-H Youth Development, Michigan State University Extension

ADDITIONAL AUTHORKaren Pace4-H Youth Development, Michigan State University Extension

REVIEWERSAkia BurnettMichigan State UniversityExtension, Ingham County

Matt CalvertUniversity of Wisconsin Extension

Jan CarrollColorado State University Extension

Karen McKnight CaseyMichigan State University

Kendra WellsUniversity of Maryland

Jill Bramble National 4-H Council

Cecily MorganNational 4-H Council

EDITORSMary KrollKroll Communications

LAYOUTTina M. CardosiTM Design, Inc.

PRINTINGTom SochockiGraphTec

C R E D I T S

Produced by the National 4-H CouncilMarketing & Communications Team Laura Phillips Garner

MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife for the purpose of supporting educational,health and civic and cultural organizations. Our goals are to strengthen communities, promote goodhealth and improve education. The Foundation continues a tradition of corporate contributions andcommunity involvement begun by MetLife at the turn of the century.

A 4 - H A F T E R S C H O O L R E S O U R C E G U I D E

After-School Activities for Citizenship, Leadership and Service

CivicEngagement

A F T E R - S C H O O L A C T I V I T I E S F O R C I T I Z E N S H I P , L E A D E R S H I P A N D S E R V I C E

4 - H A F T E R S C H O O L

“The introductory material about civic engagement is very good as are the introduc-

tions to each of the chapters. I also like the inclusion of reflection questions and the

“try this too” section at the end of most activities. These are especially important for

use of activities with older children.”

— Kendra L. Wells, Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development, University of

Maryland Cooperative Extension

"It is highly evident that a tremendous amount of research, planning, thought and

development has gone into the authoring of this [resource guide]. Consideration of

the relevant and necessary concepts, developmental stages and national standards is

clear and well-articulated. . . . The 4-H Civic Engagement [resource guide] clearly

shows that its authors, researchers and leaders have worked well in a collaborative

manner to execute a quality product."

— Karen McKnight Casey, Michigan State University, Center for Service-Learning and

Civic Engagement



3

I N T R O D U C T I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

What Is 4-H? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The Issue of After-School Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Why Should 4-H Be Involved in After-School Programs? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

What Is 4-H Afterschool? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Key Elements of 4-H Afterschool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

How to Use This Resource Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Other Materials in the 4-H Afterschool Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

C H A P T E R O N EDeveloping Civic Engagement in After-School Programs. . . 14

Positive Youth Development. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Child Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

The Issue of Civic Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Experiential Learning Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

C H A P T E R T W OPreparing for Civic Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Key Components to Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Activity: A Good Citizen Is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Handout: Defining Citizenship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

C H A P T E R T H R E ECharacter and Civic Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Activity: Acting With Character. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Handout: Vignettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Activity: Shared Values and Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Handout: Symbols of the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Activity: The Great Seal of the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Handout: The Great Seal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

C H A P T E R F O U RKnowledge of Government and Our Democracy . . . . . 60

Activity: Government Is Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Handout: Group Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Activity: So You Want To Be a U.S. Citizen? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Table of Contents


4


U.S. Citizenship Sample Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

U.S. Citizenship Sample Test Answer Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Oath of Allegiance for Naturalized Citizens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Activity: Citizenship Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

C H A P T E R F I V ECommunity-Based Service Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Gender Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Five-Step Community-Based Service-Learning Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Activity: Instant Service Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Activity: Putting Your Neighborhood on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Handout: Plan of Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

C H A P T E R S I XPublic Policy and Civic Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Activity: Bill Becomes a Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Handout: How Laws Are Made . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Activity: Petition Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Handout: Petition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

C H A P T E R S E V E NIssues and Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Activity: You Have to Represent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Handout: Candidate Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Activity: The Campaign Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Handout: Platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Activity: City Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Handout: City Policies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

C H A P T E R E I G H TInvolving Family and the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Promoting Your 4-H Afterschool Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Relationships With Policy Makers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Involving Families and Community Members. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

A P P E N D I X AResources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Table of Contents



Introduction5

T H E 4 - H P L E D G E

What Is 4-H?4-H is the Cooperative Extension System’sdynamic, non-formal educational program foryouth. It’s known nationwide for engaging youthas leaders and giving them the power to takeaction. Through the Cooperative ExtensionSystem of land-grant universities, 4-H mobilizestrained, experienced and competent educators inmore than 3,000 counties, the District ofColumbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands,Guam, American Samoa, Micronesia and theNorthern Mariana Islands to support this com-munity of young people who are learningleadership, citizenship and life skills.

The 4-H mission is to help youth reach their fullpotential, working and learning in partnershipwith caring adults. The cooperation of more than6.5 million youth and 538,000 volunteer leaders,along with 3,500 full-time professional staff, 106state land-grant universities, state and local gov-ernments, private-sector partners, state and local4-H foundations, National 4-H Council andNational 4-H Headquarters at USDA make 4-Hhappen.

4-H stands for Head, Heart, Hands and Health.

This resource guide is designed to be used by Extension professionals and

volunteers who wish to deliver civic engagement programs for children in grades

three through six in an after-school setting. It includes background information

on civic engagement and activities that gives children the desire, skills and

knowledge to become civically engaged.


Introduction 6


The Issue of After-School Care

Participation in high-quality after-school programs is linked with alower incidence of problem behaviors,such as academic failure, substanceuse and delinquency. Furthermore,youth who attend these programshave demonstrated improved acade-mic achievement (e.g., better schoolattendance and better grades) andimproved social skills (e.g., positiverelationships with adults, opportuni-ties to make new friends and greaterself-concept and self-esteem).

Care for school-age youth is a con-cern for millions of Americanfamilies, particularly those in whichthe single parent or both parents areemployed. With nearly 40 millionchildren between the ages of five and14, the United States is experiencinga burgeoning need for out-of-schoolprograms.

Where young people spend theirtime, what they do and with whomthey do it are important to their over-all development. After-school hoursrepresent either risk or opportunity.Youth who are unsupervised aremuch more likely to engage in activi-ties that place them at risk. Programsin the out-of-school hours give youthsafe, supervised places to spend time,along with chances to learn newskills, develop interests and spendmeaningful time with peers andadults

However, the challenges in runningeffective after-school programs arewell-documented. Primary amongthese challenges are program quality,staff training, staff turnover and con-sistent funding.

A broad range of activities and organizations are described as after-school programs, creating

ambiguous definitions.* After-school programs don’t always share a common time period (i.e.,

immediately following the school day), since the term is used broadly to refer to any programs

outside of school hours. Additionally, programming in after-school hours is not solely the domain

of any one group. The after-school landscape is populated by a myriad of program types, program

locations and sponsoring organizations.

*Gootman, J. (2000). Afterschool programs to promote child and adolescent development. Washington, D.C.:

National Academy of Science.

After-school

hours

represent

either risk or

opportunity.



Introduction7

The current situation represents atremendous opportunity to alignexisting youth development programsavailable through Extension/4-H withthe need for after-school care, as wellas an opportunity to create new pro-gram-delivery models.

Why Should 4-H Be Involvedin After-School Programs?

Although states such as California and North Carolina have a long

history of Extension leadership in after-school programming,

school-age care education was emphasized nationally when

Extension programming expanded in 1991. Thirty school-age

childcare sites were funded as part of the Youth-at-Risk Initiative,

a federal budget initiative that supported efforts to help high-risk

youth. Two additional national initiatives (Children, Youth and

Families at Risk [CYFAR] and Extension Cares…for America’s

Children and Youth) have been funded since then, devoting more

Extension resources to after-school programs. Despite these

efforts, 4-H has not been widely known in the after-school arena.

Elementary and secondary

school enrollment is at record

levels and is expected to

increase every year through

the early 2000s. The need for

after-school programs will

continue to increase.

A young person’s healthy developmentis Extension/4-H’s goal, and we havethe resources to provide after-schoolopportunities and training for staffand volunteers who work with after-school programs. Extension/4-H helpsyouth develop into confident, capablecitizens who contribute to their communities.

It’s unlikely that Extension/4-H YouthDevelopment professionals alonecould meet the great need for after-school programs in our communities.However, many communities haveexisting programs that would benefitfrom our expertise and resources andwelcome our partnership.


Introduction 8


What Is 4-HAfterschool?4-H Afterschool is designed to com-bine the resources of Extension/4-Hwith community-based organizationsthat provide after-school programswhich address community needs. The4-H Afterschool program helpsincrease the quality and availability ofafter-school programs by:

• Improving the ability of after-school program staff and volunteers(youth and adults) to offer high-quality care, education anddevelopmental experiences foryouth.

• Increasing the use of 4-H curriculain after-school programs.

• Organizing 4-H clubs in after-school programs.

4-H Afterschool offers support andtraining materials, including thisresource guide, to help leaders teachquality program activities.

4-H Afterschool trains after-school staff and

volunteers, develops quality programs and creates

after-school communities of young people across

America who are learning leadership, citizenship

and life skills.



Introduction9

*Any person who works with the 4-H club who is not paid byExtension/4-H funds is considered a volunteer. Thus, paid stafffrom other organizations are considered to be volunteers.

The 4-H club operates within thestructure of the community-basedorganization that sponsors the after-school program. This 4-H Afterschoolclub approach works best when thegoals of the two organizations arecompatible and both have a sharedsense of ownership.

The implementation of the after-school program’s 4-H club componentcan take various forms. For example,4-H may be offered on a particularday of the week or selected projectsmay be offered. After-school educatorsmay designate a specific time for clubmeetings, where youth say the 4-Hpledge, officers lead and membersmake choices about activities to pursue. The person responsible for the 4-H club may be staff paid byExtension/4-H, staff of the organiza-tion (e.g., Boys and Girls Club)running the program or a volunteer(adult and/or youth).*

Starting 4-H clubs is a familiar part ofthe 4-H professional’s job.Establishing a 4-H club in the after-school program setting, however, maypresent some new challenges becausethe after-school landscape has manyout-of-school programs providers.Despite common elements, there isconsiderable variation among existingprograms.

Thus, the approach can’t be one sizefits all. Extension/4-H staff must becreative, flexible and above all, able tolisten when sites express needs. Despitethese challenges, it’s well worth theeffort because county 4-H programsand after-school programs both benefitfrom working with new partners andnew audiences. Of course, the ultimatebeneficiaries are the youth.


Introduction 10


Certain key elements need to be in place to ensure 4-HAfterschool program consistency, including:

• Open and responsive communication between thelocal Extension/4-H office and the local 4-H clubleadership.

• Diversity in 4-H club membership and leadership.• Shared leadership responsibilities among adults, youth

and children.• Youth and adult partnerships that recognize individual

interests, abilities and assets, along with a balance ofstrengths and weaknesses among and between mem-bers and leaders.

• Flexible and adaptable 4-H club leadership that con-siders individual situations.

• Rules that contribute to positive youth developmentand focus on such fundamental issues as safety andmutual respect.

• A healthy balance between cooperation and competi-tion among the 4-H club’s members.

• An atmosphere that encourages active participation of 4-H club members within and outside club boundaries.

• Clear understanding of the 4-H club’s purposes, goalsand expectations by members, parents and volunteers.

• Educational programs that use an experiential learningmodel.

• A system that recognizes volunteer and memberaccomplishments and contributions.

Key Elements of4-H Afterschool



Introduction11

How to Use This Resource GuideThis resource guide is designed to beused by Extension/4-H professionalsto help after-school staff and volun-teers develop and deliver civicengagement programs for youth ingrades three through six. For youngeror older youth, the activities can beadapted to their age level.

Chapter One provides reasons whyyouth development organizationssuch as 4-H should be involved inafter-school programs that focus oncivic engagement. Chapter Two pro-vides background information on themajor civic engagement topics andincludes an activity to develop a

definition of citizenship. ChaptersThree through Seven provide activi-ties that can be used to developcitizenship skills and enhance civicengagement in after-school settings.Chapter Eight provides informationfor promoting your 4-H Afterschoolprogram and strategies for buildingfamily and community partnerships.A resources section is included as ahelpful appendix to link program-mers to relevant web sites.


Introduction 12


• Teens as Volunteer Leaders—Recruiting and Training Teens toWork with Younger Youth in After-School Programs provides astep-by-step training guide.

• 4-H Youth DevelopmentProgramming in UnderservedCommunities—Reaching Out toand Meeting the Needs of DiverseAudiences helps after-schoolproviders and Extension profes-sionals expand 4-H clubs andother programming into new areas.

• Designing Workforce PreparationPrograms—A Guide for ReachingElementary and Middle School

Youth After School gives after-school professionals some potentialresources and information aboutincorporating workforce prepara-tion skills into everydayprogramming.

Each of these resources can be usedindependently. They also work welltogether during orientation and train-ing of after-school professionals andvolunteers. Visit www.4hafterschool.orgfor more information about theseresource guides.

4-H Afterschool offers seven otherresource guides.

• Starting 4-H Clubs in After-SchoolPrograms helps after-school sitesbegin 4-H clubs.

• Guiding Growth: Training Staff forWorking with Youth in After-SchoolPrograms is used to directly trainafter-school program staff, helpingthem increase their capacities toprovide quality care for children.

• Extraordinary LearningOpportunities: A Sampler of 4-HAfterschool Activities is an excellentsampling of 4-H programmingand activities.

• Increasing the Quantity of After-School Programs: A Guide forExtension Professionals to EstablishCommunity-Based After-SchoolPrograms provides helpful hints foranalyzing the need for more after-school programs and the processfor establishing new community-based, after-school programs.

Other Materials in the4-H Afterschool Series



Introduction13


14


Chapter

1

D E V E L O P I N G C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T I N A F T E R - S C H O O L P R O G R A M S

Chapter 1



Chapter 115D E V E L O P I N G C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T

While developing a program for andwith youth, it’s important to reflecton the meaning of positive youthdevelopment and how to incorpo-rate the concept into the design,implementation and evaluation ofthe program. Meeting the needs ofyoung people and building compe-tencies is the overarching frameworkof positive youth development.

W H AT I S P O S I T I V EYOUTH DEVELOPMENT?Positive youth development is bydefinition the process of growing upand developing one’s capacities inpositive ways. It’s a process of men-tal, physical and social growth. Thisprocess occurs in schools, youth pro-grams, communities and families.It’s affected by the customs and cul-ture of the community. Whereverand however a young person istouched, whether directly (peers) orindirectly (media), youth develop-ment takes place. All young peopleseek ways to meet their basic needsand build the competencies theyneed to succeed.1

Positive Youth Development


Chapter 1 16 D E V E L O P I N G C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T


Child DevelopmentA B O U T T H E M A J O RD E V E L O P M E N TA LC H A N G E SWhen working with school-agedchildren, it's important to thinkabout the developmental changesthese young people are goingthrough. It’s also necessary to con-sider how these changes affect howyou work with children in this agegroup. Keeping children's develop-ment in mind will help ensure funand learning for all—adults and chil-dren alike!

The table that follows (Junge 2005)shows the characteristics related tophysical, social, emotional and intel-lectual development during gradesK-3 and 4-6, along with the implica-tions these characteristics have forworking with children. Individualdifferences play a big role in howchildren behave and what they like todo. Sometimes children's develop-ment is uneven. For example, whilephysically a child may look olderthan other children who are the sameage, he or she may lag behind peersin social skills.

Furthermore, children are influencedby the people and the places in theirlives: their families, friends, schoolsand communities. Another importantpoint to remember is that eventhough we look at specific aspects ofthe child's development to under-stand it better, each child is a wholechild. The children who are in yourclubs, groups and classrooms are acomplete package.




Child Development

Grades K – 3

PHYSICALGrowing slowly, just learning to master physical skills. Cancontrol large muscles better than small muscles.

SOCIALLearning how to be friends; may have many friends.Fighting occurs but doesn’t last long. Toward the end of this phase, boys and girls separate.

EMOTIONALAre self-centered. Seek approval from adults and go out oftheir way to avoid punishment. Are sensitive to criticism;don’t like to fail.

INTELLECTUALAre concrete thinkers—base thinking in reality. Can’t multi-task well. Are more interested in doing things than getting agood result at the end.

Projects and meal times are messy. Activities that encourage use oflarge muscles, such as running, playing games, etc. are good.

Small-group activities let children practice their social skills, but stillallows for individual attention. Role playing helps children gain empa-thy. Encourage children to participate in mixed-gender activities.

Be positive! Plan activities where everyone can experience some success. Foster cooperation, not competition.

Plan lots of activities that take a short time to finish. Focus on theprocess rather than the final product. Allow for exploration andinquiry.

C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S I M P L I C AT I O N S F O R P R O G R A M M I N G

TA B L E 1 : C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S O F C H I L D R E N




Grades 4 – 6

PHYSICALGrowth continues at a steady rate. Small muscles havedeveloped so they can do activities such as hammering,sawing, playing musical instruments, etc. By the end of thisperiod, they may be as coordinated as adults, althoughlapses of awkwardness are common.

SOCIALPeer influence grows. To be accepted by one’s peer group is rewarded. Peer group can become a club, gang or secretsociety. Prejudice can develop during this period.Independence from adults is increasing. Discusses and evaluates others, develops a concept of fair or unfair asrelates to others.

EMOTIONALGrowing independence. Beginning of disobedience, back-talk and rebelliousness. Common fears are the unknown,failure, death, family problems and non-acceptance. Senseof humor develops. Concept of self is enhanced by feelingsof competence. Strong attachment to their own sex andantagonism toward opposite sex.

INTELLECTUALReading becomes an individual experience. Abstractthought is possible and plans can extend over severalweeks. Activities can be evaluated with insight. Attentionspan increases. Ability to understand “Why?”

Provide for lots of physical involvement. Use hands-on activities thatallow youth to make and do things.

Provide activities through clubs and group activities. Use activitiesthat allow the youth to make decisions about what they make, doand use. Group youth in same-sex groups when possible.

Don’t compare youth to one another. Emphasize progress andachievement.

Use simple, short instructions. Include real-life objects when teachingand involve their senses when possible.

C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S I M P L I C AT I O N S F O R P R O G R A M M I N G

Child Development

TA B L E 1 : C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S O F C H I L D R E N ( C O N T. )




W H Y I S C I V I CE N G A G E M E N T I M P O R TA N T ?Active citizens are the buildingblocks of our democracy, and 4-Hrecognizes the importance of devel-oping good citizens among ouryouth. A democracy is only as strongas the citizens that make it up, andstrength comes from having theknowledge, skills and attitudes towork for a common good.

Citizenship means enjoying certainrights and accepting certain respon-sibilities. As citizens in the UnitedStates, we all benefit from the free-doms provided to us by theConstitution. But enjoying theseprivileges is only part of being a citi-zen. We also have to give back toensure that our rights continue toexist. As John F. Kennedy said, “Asknot what your country can do foryou—ask what you can do for yourcountry.”

“American youth attributes much more importance to arriving

at driver's-license age than at voting age.”— Marshall McLuhan

The Issue of Civic Engagement

An important part of being civicallyengaged is asking what you can dofor your country, as well as yourschool, neighborhood, town andcounty. In other words, civic engage-ment means having responsibility.We are responsible for upholdingour democracy and making life bet-ter for ourselves and for others.

There are certain mandatory respon-sibilities that all of us, as Americans,are required to fulfill. These includeobeying laws, paying taxes, servingon a jury, serving as a witness in atrial and registering for the draft.Voting in elections is also an expec-

tation, though not a requirement.These are the bare minimum respon-sibilities of citizens. But being trulyengaged involves more. Civicengagement demands learning andaction. It’s this commitment tolearning and action that is impliedby civic engagement in 4-H YouthDevelopment.

This curriculum represents a newdirection in youth civic engagement.Civic education has long been seenas a means for strengthening ourdemocracy, and educators areincreasingly pursuing programs todeliver this content to young people.




The results, thus far, are mixed:Youth participation in communityservice is high, yet youth interest inpolitics is at an all-time low.

This phenomenon can partly beexplained by the focus of most civiceducation programs, which oftenemphasize character building, lead-ership training and volunteering incommunity activities. These areasare important pieces of becoming anactive, responsible citizen, and manyyoung people have benefited fromthem.

Often missing from these programs,however, is a look at the bigger pic-ture—helping youth understandhow their volunteerism addresses apublic issue and how that issue isdealt with on a political level. This

The Issue of Civic Engagementrequires youth to take a deeper lookat the underlying causes behind theissues they deal with, and it encour-ages them to work toward a moresustainable solution through thepolitical process. For example, tradi-tional civic education programsmight encourage youth to donatecanned goods to a food drive forpeople with limited resources. Thiscurriculum would instead helpyouth explore the issue of poverty intheir community and guide them tounderstanding and addressing thisissue at the public policy level. This focus on the political side ofcivic engagement is particularly rele-vant. Recent findings suggest thatwhen young people participate inthe political process, they are morelikely to become politically activecitizens as adults.




The Issue of Civic EngagementT H E P O L I T I C A L R O L E O F Y O U T HO R G A N I Z AT I O N SYouth clubs and organizationsinevitably have a political role.Whether intentionally or not, youthclubs encourage and reinforce a cer-tain set of values and morals. Youngpeople learn about citizenship andcharacter according to their group’sprinciples. For example, 4-H mem-bers make the 4-H pledge at everyclub meeting: “I pledge my head toclearer thinking, my heart to greaterloyalty, my hands to larger service,and my health to better living formy club, my community, my coun-try and my world.” In this way,youth learn how to function in acommunity and conform to a cer-tain definition of citizenship,providing a solid foundation for thepolitical system. That is, even if ayouth group is not founded aroundthe idea of civic engagement, it stillhas a uniquely civic role in the livesof its members.

It’s therefore the responsibility ofyouth organizations to define aresponsible version of citizenship.The norms that are established andpromoted by the organizationshould encourage good character,tolerance and participation. Theseare important considerations regard-less of the type of youthorganization, from rabbit-raisingclubs to theatre troupes. Groups arepolitical by nature, and group mem-bership teaches young peoplepolitical attitudes. Incorporatingactivities that highlight responsiblecivic engagement is a way to ensurethat your youth organization issending the right message about citizenship.

W H Y S H O U L D 4 - H B EI N V O LV E D I N C I V I CE N G A G E M E N T ?There are a variety of reasons that 4-H is in a position to be a naturalleader in civic engagement. Beingincluded and involved in one’s com-munity is a fundamental philosophyof 4-H, whose essential elementsinclude belonging, mastery, inde-pendence and generosity (Kress2004). Furthermore, the status of 4-H as an extracurricular educationprogram helps to avoid many of theproblems that civic engagementfaces in formal education: a de-emphasis on civics due to high-stakes testing, resistance toalternative approaches and a lack offunding for extracurricular activities.




F O R M I N G PA R T N E R S H I P SYouth civic engagement requires col-lective action. Young people don’tlearn what it means to be part oftheir democracy by working alone.An important form of partnership isthe one between youth and adults.This can encompass one or severaladults providing guidance and sup-port to a youth group or a youthgroup cooperating with an adultorganization. Adult groups are oftenopen to youth involvement for theunique perspective that young peo-ple bring. For younger children,adults can serve as role models fortheir development of values, careerinterests and self-concept. Theyouth group or group leader shouldactively seek out individual adults ororganizations that share commoninterests.

A particularly effective youth-adultpartnership is one that links youthto an official governmental body.This provides a unique opportunityfor young people to see the real-lifefigures behind the government andbe involved in the political process.It’s recommended that the groupleader contact local government offi-cials prior to beginning the programto determine if there is interest incollaboration. Attending local gov-ernment board meetings orscheduling appointments with indi-vidual board members are botheffective ways to introduce the ideato government officials.

The Issue of Civic Engagement

I M P R O V E D C A R E E RE X P E C TAT I O N SResearch has shown that civicengagement not only improvesyoung people’s sense of adequacyand capableness, but also theirfuture career expectations. A com-mitment to helping others andinvolvement in community groupsmay lead urban youth of color to sethigher career goals for themselves.Instilling the values of civic engage-ment at an early age is a good wayto ensure a continued sense ofempowerment. In this way, youngpeople may improve their careerdevelopment as they learn tobecome more civically engaged.




Experiential Learning Model

Pfeiffer, J.W., & Jones, J.E., “Reference Guide to Handbooks and Annuals” © 1983 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Reprinted with permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

1Experience

234

5Apply

Generalize Process

Share




The Experiential Learning Model isused in multiple ways. It can beused as an overall structure of a pro-gram and also as a lesson plandesign. This can be confusing attimes, especially when a clear andclean outline of models is desired.However, in youth developmentwork, the program design and lessonplan delivery are so intertwined thatit’s difficult to tell where the experi-ential model starts and stops. Youth development programs arecreated to ensure that young peopleactively learn through hands-on,experiential learning opportunities.Curricular materials, programs andevents are developed and designed toprovide adults and professionals whowork with young people the toolsthey need to offer a Do-Reflect-Applyexperience. In this type of experi-ence, young people complete fiveimportant steps.


D O• Young people experience an activ-

ity which involves exploring ordiscovering something related tothe topic of interest or expertise.

R E F L E C T• Young people share by describing

what happened or what theyexperienced. When young peopleshare what they’ve learned, theystimulate their own growth andthat of group members as well.

• Young people process what they’velearned and share to look for pat-terns or themes, with the goal ofbuilding a bridge to new knowl-edge and skills.

A P P LY• Young people generalize from this

experience the implications fortheir own lives, for those of fellowcommunity members and societyas a whole.

• Young people apply or thinkabout what can be done withtheir newly acquired knowledgeor skills.




Each of these elements is accom-plished through positive andappropriate questions, encourage-ment and support by the caringadult or youth leader of the group.The overall goal of the experientiallearning process is to provide youngpeople with positive learning experi-ences. Youth think through whatthey have learned and understandhow the information connects withother situations. Offering experien-tial learning opportunities that aredevelopmentally age-appropriateand appealing to young people leadsto environments proven to fosterpositive youth development. Thelearning becomes child-centered andmore fun for the learner and thefacilitator.

There are drawbacks to using theexperiential learning model. It seemsless orderly and less comfortable forsome facilitators. It requires morepreparation and guidance. As yougo through the process, there areoften many correct responses, whichcan be a challenge for those lookingstrictly for a right or wrong answer(Maxa et al. 2003).





T I P S O N FA C I L I TAT I N G R E F L E C T I O NGroup discussions tips:• Use seven seconds of silence.

People need time to reflect andthink about a topic, some morethan others. Once a question isasked, silently count to seven, andmore than likely someone willrespond. Giving young people timeto think and express their answersmay mean waiting quietly andencouraging youth.

• Don’t answer the youth’s questions.Acknowledge every answer so thatthe young person doesn’t feel thathe or she has failed to please you.The questions are deliberatelyopen-ended to allow for a range ofindividual answers, which youshould receive openly even if theydiffer from your opinions.

Experiential Learning Model• Encourage young people to think

deeply. Short or superficialresponses could indicate that theyneed to think in greater depthabout a question. Use follow-upcomments to help them transfertheir experiences into understand-ing, such as, “Can you talk moreabout that?” “Would you share anexample of what you mean?”“Why do you think that is so?”“What about another perspective?”

• Find ways to give everyone achance to share their ideas and getinvolved. Think of creative ways todo this without calling on someoneby name (participants may not beready to respond or may not wantto respond to a particular question).

• If there are four or five questionsyou want the group to respond to,write them down on colored notecards. Use different colors to repre-sent questions ranging from easiestto most difficult. (For example, theeasiest question might be blue, amore difficult one might be yellowand so on.) Pass these out to group

members and start by asking amember with the easiest color toread his or her question out loud.Continue and end with the mostdifficult. The color-coded cardshelp guide the participants fromsimple thinking about the issue tomore complex reflection.

• If you have a group of more than10 participants, break them intosmaller teams to process questions.Bring teams back together andfacilitate a discussion on the highpoints. This may require one ormore facilitators. However, itallows for more interactionbetween participants.

• Take into account different learn-ing styles when brainstorming waysto carry out reflection. Besides theusual activities such as journalingor responding to discussion ques-tions, young people can createsongs, write poetry, develop a wallmural or quilt, write a letter tothemselves, do a skit, write a radioor television program and record itor create a photo display of theentire project from the first stepwhere community needs weredetermined to the final application.Think creatively about the entiredesign of the reflective process.




Camino, L. and S. Zeldin. (2002). From Periphery to Center: Pathways forYouth Civic Engagement in the Day-To-Day Life of Communities. AppliedDevelopmental Science, 6(4), 213-220.

Diemer, M. A. and C. Hsieh. (In press). Sociopolitical development and vocational expectations among lower-SES Adolescents of Color. CareerDevelopment Quarterly.

Flanagan, C. and B. Van Horn. (2003). Youth civic development: A logicalnext step in community youth development. In F. A. Villarruel, D. F. Perkins,L. M. Borden and J. G. Keith, eds. Community youth development: Programs,policies, and practices (273-296). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Junge, Sharon. (2005). Teens as volunteer leaders. Chevy Chase, MD: National4-H Council.

Kress, C. (2004). Essential elements of 4-H youth development. YouthDevelopment National 4-H Headquarters, CSREES, USDA. Retrieved April4, 2007, from http://www.national4-hheadquarters.gov/library/elements.ppt.

Mark, C. B., D. Henning, C. Owen, N. Radtke, L. Schick and C. Smiggen.(2000). YEA! Youth experiencing action: A community service learning guide(4H1553). East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Extension, 4-H YouthDevelopment.

Maxa, E. L., M. E. Arnold, D. Baker, S. Cahill, K. Choksi and L. Dennis.(2003). Heads-on, hands-on: The power of experiential learning. Raleigh, NC:North Carolina Cooperative Extension.

Reed, J. and C. Koliba. (2003). Facilitating reflection: A manual for leaders andeducators. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont. Retrieved April 4, 2007,from http://www.uvm.edu/~dewey/reflection_manual/.

Chapter References

Chapter

2

P R E P A R I N G F O R C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T

D E S I G N I N G W O R K F O R C E P R E P A R A T I O N P R O G R A M S

Chapter 2 28


2A F T E R - S C H O O L A C T I V I T I E S F O R C I T I Z E N S H I P , L E A D E R S H I P A N D S E R V I C E


Chapter 229P R E P A R I N G F O R C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T

H O W I S T H I S M A N U A L D E S I G N E D ?This manual is designed to providebackground information in civicengagement and to supply corre-sponding activities for after-schoolprograms. Chapter Two provides aframework and background informa-tion on civic engagement and includesan activity to develop a definition ofcitizenship. Chapters Three throughSeven include activities that corre-spond to the five topics of civicengagement described below. ChapterEight provides information about pro-moting your 4-H Afterschool programand strategies for building family andcommunity partnerships. A resourcessection contains web sites that can beused to expand programming.

Key Components to Programming

“Civic education leads to a healthier democracy.”

— Michigan Civic Education Youth Advisory Committee

Members


Chapter 2 30 P R E P A R I N G F O R C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T


W H AT I S C I V I CE N G A G E M E N T ? The terms civic engagement and citi-zenship can be used interchangeably.Being civically engaged means dif-ferent things to different people.Some consider a good citizen to besomeone who has strong character,donates to charity and volunteers tohelp others; others say a good citizenis one who takes an interest inunderstanding social issues and con-cerns; and still others woulddescribe a good citizen as one whohas the skills and knowledge toactively influence decision makingand public policy. Because of thesediverse ideas of what it means to bea good citizen, it’s important to con-sider a broad definition of civicengagement, including the knowl-edge, skills and attitudes that a goodcitizen should have. Therefore, wecan say that civic engagementrequires competency in five areas, oracross five major topics:


• Character - Moral and civicvirtues, such as a concern for therights and welfare of others.

• Knowledge of government – Anunderstanding of the structureand processes of government andcommunity organizations.

• Community service learning –An awareness of public and com-munity issues, and participationin service to address problems.

• Public policy - The skills, knowl-edge and commitment toinfluence decision making andpublic policy.

• Issues – An awareness and under-standing of public issues, howthey are connected across local,national and global levels andhow one affects and is affected bythem.





C I V I C E N G A G E M E N TI S L E A R N E DThese criteria for civic engagementare not easily met. It takes courage,hard work and commitment to be agood citizen. But even the mostcourageous, hardworking and com-mitted people must still haveeducational experiences that helpthem develop the knowledge, skillsand attitudes that are necessary forputting citizenship into action.

What then needs to be learned tomeet our definition of citizenship? Ithelps to think of competencies, orspecific learning outcomes, that youthdevelopment programs can encour-age. Some examples of civicengagement competencies follow. The five major civic engagement topics are inserted into Table 2 as categories of content, and the areas of competency—knowledge, skillsand attitudes—are listed above theseto create a framework for thinkingabout what responsible citizensshould be learning.

“Between 1988 and 1998, the proportion of fourth-

graders who reported taking Social Studies daily fell

from 49% to 39%.” — Weiss, Lutkus, Grigg and Niemi

(as cited in The Civic Mission of Schools 2003, 15)

Knowledge of Government

•PublicPolicy•Issues•Commun

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Character •

CivicEngagement


32


Chapter 2 P R E P A R I N G F O R C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T


TA B L E 2 : C O M P E T E N C I E S F O R C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T

Character


Community Service Learning

Public Policy

Issues

M A J O R C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T T O P I C K N O W L E D G E S K I L L S AT T I T U D E S

Understanding of self-identity

Understanding of government structure and processes

Knowledge of service activity model

Awareness of communityissues

Knowledge of howglobal/national issues affect local issues

Dialogue with others aboutdifferent points of view

Ability to define civicengagement

Asset and problem assessment in the community

Petition writing

Ability to find information

Concern for the rights andwelfare of others

Appreciation of the importance of voting

Trust in the community

Confidence in ability tomake changes

Respect for diversity

The competencies provided in Table2 are just a few examples of theknowledge, skills and attitudesneeded to become civically engaged.All of the things to be learned topractice good citizenship may seemoverwhelming, but an effective civiceducation program can encourage allof these competencies and more, andmake it fun in the process. By lookingat Table 2, you can see that civicengagement involves both learningand doing. 4-H Youth Developmentbelieves that it’s very important foryouth to experience the ideas andprinciples that they learn.




Getting Started

This chapter includes an activity tointroduce the concept of citizenshipor civic engagement. It’s recom-mended that the activity, “A GoodCitizen is . . .,” be completed beforeother activities.

Table 3, which follows, features aplanning matrix that provides anoverview of the major civic engage-ment topics and correspondingactivities for each topic. ChaptersThree through Seven each correspondto one of the five topics described ear-lier. They are structured to includebackground information and activitiesto use in your after-school program.The activities are presented in user-friendly, lesson-plan format.

Each activity indicates the associatedmajor civic engagement topic(s), aswell as the life skills and standards forcivics and government education thatare addressed by the activity. Life skillsare based on the Targeting Life SkillsModel, which describes 35 abilitiesindividuals can learn to help them tobe successful and productive. The vol-untary standards for civics andgovernment are drawn from the

Center for Civic Education’s NationalStandards for Civics and Government,which has provided leadership inredefining the content of classroomcivics and government education. TheCenter for Civic Education has cre-ated standards for three differentgrade clusters (K-4, 5-8, 9-12). TheK-4 and 5-8 standards are referencedin the activities in this curriculum.




Getting Started

• Acting With Character • Shared Values and Symbols• The Great Seal of the United States

• Government is Us• So You Want to Be a United States Citizen• Citizenship Bowl

• Instant Service Project• Putting Your Neighborhood on the Map

• Bill Becomes a Law• Petition Mission

• You Have to Represent• The Campaign Game• City Planning

M A J O R C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T T O P I C C O R R E S P O N D I N G A C T I V I T I E S

TA B L E 3 : P L A N N I N G M AT R I X

Chapter ThreeCharacter

Chapter FourKnowledge of Government

Chapter FiveCommunity Service Learning

Chapter SixPublic Policy

Chapter SevenIssues

“No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a

democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to

evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included

from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs

its lifeline.” — Kofi Annan

ACTIVITY: A Good Citizen Is... (simple)

P R O C E D U R EBefore the meeting Review activity directions and materials.

During the meeting 1. Read the dictionary definition of citizenship aloud (see handout Defining

Citizenship). Ask participants what they think citizenship is. Let them discuss,then ask what they think it means to be a good citizen.

2. Ask participants to think about examples of when they or someone theyknow have been good citizens. Next, give participants newsprint and crayonsor markers and ask them to write a definition of citizenship. Work with par-ticipants to help generate ideas, giving ample time to complete definitions.(This activity could also be done in teams of two or three.)

3. Ask everyone to share their definitions of citizenship. Record items fromeveryone’s definition on newsprint. As you record responses, try to categorizethem into five different unlabeled columns based on the major civic engage-ment topics outlined in the beginning of this chapter and also in theDefining Citizenship handout: (1) character, (2) knowledge of government,(3) community service learning, (4) public policy and (5) issues. If any of theparticipant responses don’t naturally fit into one of these five categories, cre-ate a new column(s) if necessary. After you have recorded all responses, labeleach of the five columns according to the corresponding principle of citizen-ship.

4. Create a group definition of citizenship using the categorized responses. Howdoes the group definition compare to the individual definitions? Ask partici-pants to talk about the similarities or differences.

5. Explain to participants that the purpose of this activity is to understand andexamine a broad definition of citizenship. People use many definitions of citi-zenship, and we intend to explore a broader view of citizenship than what isin the dictionary. Allow participants to offer their own opinions. Ask partici-pants to give examples of when they or someone they know have beenactively civically engaged by being a good citizen.

6. Give participants paper and crayons or markers. Ask them to draw a pictureof what a good citizen looks like. Encourage them to be creative and use thefive major civic engagement topics as a guide. Give everyone time to com-plete his or her sketch.

7. Ask everyone to share their drawings. Discuss any common themes from thesketches.

8. After everyone has shared, distribute the Defining Citizenship handouts. Askparticipants to take handouts home to share and discuss the idea of a goodcitizen with parents or guardians.

9. Post the drawings in the room for reference and inspiration as you progressthrough additional activities.




DESCRIPTION Participants discuss citizenship andwhat is means to be a good citizen.They draw pictures of what a goodcitizen looks like.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Define citizenship and good citi-

zenship and communicate theimportance of citizenship.

• Are introduced to the five majorcivic engagement topics (charac-ter, knowledge of government,community service learning, pub-lic policy and issues) and includethem in their own definition ofcitizenship.

LEARNING AND LIFE SKILLS Critical thinking; communication

MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICSCitizenship

NATIONAL STANDARDS FORCIVICS AND GOVERNMENTThis activity is designed to meet thefollowing voluntary K-4 and 5-8 stan-dards from the National Standardsfor Civics and Government, pub-lished and directed by the Centerfor Civic Education and funded bythe U.S. Department of Educationand the Pew Charitable Trusts.• Standard V.A. (K-4) and Standard

V.A. (5-8): Students should beable to explain the meaning ofcitizenship in the United States.




ACTIVITY: A Good Citizen Is...T R Y T H I S , T O O• Let participants create a citizenship

collage that includes depictions ofall five principles of civic engage-ment.

• Arrange for participants to createand maintain citizenship portfoliosin which they can record their activ-ities and accomplishments relatedto citizenship and civic engagement.

• Let participants use craft materialsto make Good Citizenship greetingcards to share with family andfriends. During a national holidaythat has a citizenship theme (suchas the 4th of July, Memorial Day,Martin Luther King, Jr. Day orVeterans Day) have participantsincorporate the theme into cards.

R E F L E C T I O NA C T I V I T I E S A N DI D E A SReinforce the concepts participantshave learned by asking the followingreflection questions:

S H A R E• What did you like or not like about

this activity?• Is it easy or difficult to be a good

citizen?

P R O C E S S• What did you learn about being a

good citizen?• Why do you think people have

different definitions of being agood citizen?

G E N E R A L I Z E• What can you do to be a good

citizen?

A P P LY• How can you practice being a good

citizen in your home, school, com-munity or here in the after-schoolclub?

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• Newsprint• Easel or tape for displaying

newsprint• Markers or crayons• Photocopy of handout Defining

Citizenship for each participant

TIME30 to 45 minutes

SETTING Tables and chairs




HANDOUT: Defining Citizenship

Dictionary Definitions of Citizenship

Citizenship: Function: noun; 1: the status of being a citizen; 2a: membership in a community (as a college)

b: the quality of an individual’s response to membership in a community. (Merriam-Webster’s Online

Dictionary April 6, 2007)

Citizenship: Relationship between an individual and a state in which an individual owes allegiance to that

state and in turn is entitled to its protection. Citizenship implies the status of freedom with accompanying

responsibilities. (Encyclopedia Britannica Online April 6, 2007)


•PublicPolicy•Issues•Commun

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HANDOUT: Defining CitizenshipN E W D E F I N I T I O NBeing a good citizen or being civicallyengaged means different things to dif-ferent people. Some consider a goodcitizen to be someone who has strongcharacter, does community service orgives money to charity. Others say agood citizen votes, knows what isgoing on in their community and cityand takes an interest in what is hap-pening around them. Still otherswould describe a good citizen as onewho has the skills and knowledge toinfluence government officials.Because of these many different ideas,it’s important to consider a broad defi-nition of citizenship and civicengagement, including the following:

• Character – A good citizen prac-tices moral and civic virtues, such asbeing honest and trustworthy, beingrespectful of other people across dif-ferences, being responsible andhelping to take care of the commu-nity, being fair to others, showingconcern for others by sharing anddoing something for the commu-nity and learning about andpracticing civic engagement.

• Knowledge of government – Agood citizen learns how to vote. Heor she learns about local, state andnational government and non-profit agencies, what they do andhow what they do affects citizens.

• Community service learning – Agood citizen understands the

For you to do at homeAsk the adults in your family how they would define the term being a good citizen. Write their definitions on the linesbelow. Are they similar to or different from what you thought?

importance of community serviceand then actively participates tohelp solve a community problem.

• Public policy –A good citizen learnshow and why people influence oth-ers and how this influence is relatedto local, state and national govern-ment decision making.

• Issues – A good citizen learns aboutlocal issues and how they are con-nected across local, national andglobal levels.




Carnegie Corporation of New York and The Center for Information andResearch on Civic Learning and Engagement. (2003). The Civic Mission ofSchools. New York: Carnegie Corporation.

Center for Civic Education. (2003). National standards for civics andgovernment. Retrieved April 5, 2007, from http://www.civiced.org/stds.html.

Education Commission of the States. (2006). Developing citizenship competenciesfrom kindergarten through grade 12. Denver, CO: Education Commission of theStates.

Encyclopedia Britannica Online. (2007). Retrieved April 6, 2007, fromhttp://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9082718/citizenship.

Hendricks, P. A. (2006). Targeting life skills model: Incorporating developmentally appropriate learning opportunities to assess impact of life skill development. Ames,IA: Iowa State University Extension.

Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary. (2007). Retrieved April 6, 2007, fromhttp://www.m-w.com/dictionary/citizenship.

Sue, D. W., P. Arredondo and R. J. McDavis. (1992). Multicultural counseling competencies and standards: A call to the profession. Journal of Counseling andDevelopment, 70, 477-486.

Westheimer, J. and J. Kahne. (2004). What kind of citizen? The politics of edu-cating for democracy. American Educational Research Journal, 41(2), 237-269.

Chapter References

Chapter

3

C H A R A C T E R A N D C I V I CE N G A G E M E N T


Chapter 3 40




Chapter 341C H A R A C T E R A N D C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T

This story illustrates that learning thevalues which are the foundation for astrong character is something that weconsciously decide to do. Making thedecision to do so is an important partof civic engagement. Character can bedescribed as a combination of moralvirtue and action to promote therights and welfare of others.

“An elder Native American was teaching his grandson about life. He said to him, ‘A fight is going on inside

me . . . it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow,

regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship,

empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.’

‘This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too,’ he added.

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, ‘Which wolf will win?’

The old Cherokee simply replied. . .‘The one you feed.’” – Author Unknown

Character and Civic Engagement


Chapter 3 42 C H A R A C T E R A N D C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T


Character and Civic EngagementB U I L D I N G B L O C K S O F C H A R A C T E RCharacter education seeks tostrengthen both individuals and com-munities, and thus is central to civicengagement. Research on charactereducation has attempted to identifyseveral specific traits or characteristicsthat define good character. A com-mon definition of character educationrests on a set of core values thatshould be actively promoted in youngpeople: trustworthiness, respect,responsibility, fairness, caring and citi-zenship. These values work togetherto help young people develop per-sonal integrity and moral virtue.

• Trustworthiness – We all rely onhelp and support from others. Trustmeans having confidence in othersto be honest and truthful and alsomaking our expectations for hon-esty and truthfulness clear.

• Respect – In our climate of culturaldiversity, it’s essential to honor dif-ferences and have a concern for therights of others.

• Responsibility – We have responsi-bilities toward ourselves and towardour communities. Young peopleshould be encouraged to do whatthey believe is right as a duty tothemselves and people aroundthem.

• Fairness – What do people deserve?Understanding that people havedifferent conceptions of good andbad is part of developing a sense ofjustice.

• Caring – Cruelty and insensitivityare learned behaviors. Cultivating acaring attitude means reinforcingattitudes of kindness, empathy andgiving.

• Citizenship – By identifying ourrights and responsibilities in ourcommunities, we develop a personal definition of citizenship.

These values are the learned outcomesof character education. Embracingthese attitudes is the foundation ofcharacter. From here, youth are betterequipped to put these values intoaction.




Character and Civic EngagementP R O M O T I N G T H ER I G H T S A N D W E L FA R EO F O T H E R SPeople have different beliefs, values,personalities and perspectives andcome from a wide variety of culturalbackgrounds. As civically engagedindividuals, it’s our responsibility torecognize, understand and appreciatethese differences—and to work tounderstand how the impact of thesedifferences, based on race, gender,class and other differences, may influ-ence people’s experience of whatcitizenship means to them.

Citizenship is not simply promotingyour own values and views; it requiresa sense of caring, empathy and con-cern for others. Good citizens havethe courage to stand up for what theybelieve in, and they also have thecourage to stand up for the rights ofothers. A commitment to the com-mon good is of primary importance.But to understand and work for thecommon good, one must be willingto build trust by listening and respect-ing other people’s ideas and realities.

Strong, thriving communities drawupon the talents and gifts of diversepeople. Such communities value thewisdom and experiences of all mem-bers and mobilize the strengths, skillsand talents of diverse groups(Kretzmann and McKnight 1993).Diversity is seen as value-added and asan asset to the community. Buildingrelationships across differences is keyto developing partnerships and effortscommitted to working for the com-mon good.

Chapter 3 44



C H A R A C T E R A N D C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T


L E A R N I N G B E G I N SW I T H M EA good way to deepen our under-standing of issues of diversity andinclusion is to commit to learningmore about ourselves. It’s importantto have a good understanding of ourown personality, beliefs and culturalbackground as a first step in beingopen to recognizing, understandingand appreciating the perspectives anddifferences of others. If we know our-selves—including our preferred stylesof communication, values and reasonsbehind our beliefs—we may be moreopen to learning about the differencesof others. This can lead to mutuallyrespectful interpersonal relationships.Self-awareness also encourages us tolearn about the biases, assumptionsand stereotypes we may hold aboutpeople different from ourselves.Learning to unlearn misinformationwe may have about ourselves andother people is essential to good citi-zenship and working for the commongood.





C O M M U N I C AT I O NA N D D I A L O G U EOne way to learn more about our-selves and about others is to engage indialogue. We live in a debate culturethat tends to encourage thinkingtoward one “right answer” and oftencreates division and arguments amongpeople. Dialogue is different. Dialoguefosters understanding by encouragingthe sharing of multiple perspectiveswhile those involved remain open tolearning and growth. Engaging in dia-logue around complex issues such asthose related to citizenship allows peo-ple to explore common ground fromwhich they might work for positivechange together.

Once we have an understanding ofourselves, we can begin thinking abouthow to best understand and respectothers. Oftentimes, when we hear anopinion that is different from ours,our first reaction is to either dismiss itcompletely or argue against it. Aresponsible citizen will instead listen tounderstand this differing viewpoint.This is not to say that citizenshiprequires abandoning your opinions forthe sake of others. Standing up forwhat you believe in is an importantcomponent of citizenship. Indeed,sometimes the result of understandinganother’s perspective is simply agreeingto disagree. However, a citizen whodisplays tolerance and a respect fordiversity will seek to find commonground between varying opinions.The differences are not battles to bewon, but opportunities to learn andwork toward solutions that benefit themost people possible.




ACTIVITY: Acting With Character (simple)

P R O C E D U R EBefore the meeting • Review activity directions and materials. • Hang prepared newsprint around the room.

During the meeting 1. Begin the discussion by calling participant attention to the newsprint sheets

displayed around the room. Explain that each sheet is headed with a widelyshared value (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citi-zenship) which demonstrates strong character. These values help us to makesound ethical decisions.

2. For each value, ask participants what it means to them. Record comments onthe newsprint.

3. Ask for examples of situations where a person needs to display each value.Participants may want to share times when they have had to make decisionsusing good judgment based on strong character.

4. As the discussion flows, write down definitions and notes under each headingthat participants can refer to later. For each value, help youth identify reasonswhy a particular characteristic is important to them and to American democ-racy. (For example, it’s important that people who vote be trustworthy, andit’s also important for the people they vote for to be trustworthy to ensure ademocracy that is just and fair.)

5. Divide participants into six teams. Assign a value to each (trustworthiness,respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship). Explain that teams willbe given a vignette (a short sketch) in which the characters have a moralproblem to solve that is associated with the value they have been assigned.Teams discuss the problem and then perform two skits showing two possiblesolutions to the problem: a. The first skit should show a solution in which the value isn’t used

(demonstrating an inappropriate way to approach the problem). b. The second skit should show a solution to the problem using the value

(demonstrating an ethical or more helpful way to address the problem).To explain further, use this example: The trustworthiness team might beassigned a vignette with the following problem: Ben has not been doing well inmath. He needs to make a good grade to make the soccer team. John offers to doBen’s math homework if he will help him out with his newspaper route. Whatshould Ben do?The team would make up two skits. The first would show what Ben shouldnot do if he is a person who is trustworthy. The second would show whatBen should do if he is trustworthy.

6. Give one vignette from the handout to each team corresponding to the valuethey were assigned. Give teams time to discuss solutions to the problems andto create the skits. Let teams act out skits for the group.

DESCRIPTION Participants are introduced to thewidely shared values of trustworthi-ness, respect, responsibility, fairness,caring and citizenship, which arequalities important to the develop-ment of character. Participantsdiscuss how these qualities areguidelines for ethical decision mak-ing and act out vignettes in whichthey demonstrate the importance ofcharacter in solving problems.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Identify qualities that exemplify

the widely shared values of trust-worthiness, respect, responsibility,fairness, caring and citizenship.

• Recognize behavior that illus-trates these values.

• Demonstrate approaches to aproblem in which examples ofcore ethical values are not used.

• Demonstrate approaches to thesame problem in which examplesof core ethical values are used.

• Explain the importance of charac-ter for themselves and for a trueand just democracy.

LEARNING AND LIFE SKILLSResponsible citizenship; character

MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICSCharacter




R E F L E C T I O NA C T I V I T I E S A N DI D E A SReinforce the concepts participantshave learned by asking the followingreflection questions.

S H A R E • What did you like about this

activity? • What did you learn about charac-

ter?• How did your team work together

to decide on both solutions to theproblem?

• What did you do to plan the skits?

P R O C E S S• Which problems came up when

you were planning your skits?• What did you learn about commu-

nicating with others?

G E N E R A L I Z E• Why is it important to know about

values?• Why is it important to know how

to make good decisions?

ACTIVITY: Acting With Character

A P P LY• How can you use what you have

learned about shared values inschool? At home? In your commu-nity?

• Can you name other situations inwhich practicing these widelyshared values of character would beimportant?

• Can you describe situations inwhich teachers, police officers, par-ents or other adults demonstratedtrustworthiness, respect, responsi-bility, fairness, caring andcitizenship?

T R Y T H I S , T O O• Let participants guess which value

is being acted out.• Let participants make up their own

problems to act them out usingone of the shared values.

NATIONAL STANDARDS FORCIVICS AND GOVERNMENTThis activity is designed to meet thefollowing voluntary K-4 and 5-8 stan-dards from the National Standards forCivics and Government, publishedand directed by the Center for CivicEducation and funded by the U.S.Department of Education and thePew Charitable Trusts.• Standard V.E. (K-4): Students

should be able to explain theimportance of certain dispositionsto themselves and Americandemocracy.

• Standard V.C. (5-8): Studentsshould be able to evaluate, take,and defend positions on theimportance of personal responsibil-ities to the individual and society.

• Standard V.D. (5-8): Studentsshould be able to evaluate, take,and defend positions on theimportance of certain dispositionsor traits of character to themselvesand American constitutionaldemocracy.

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• Six sheets of newsprint with the

headings: trustworthiness, respect,responsibility, fairness, caring andcitizenship

• Markers• Tape • Photocopy of handout Vignettes


SETTINGEnough chairs for each participantand room to practice and act out skits




HANDOUT: Vignettes

T R U S T W O R T H I N E S STrustworthiness means beinghonest, reliable, loyal andhaving integrity.

TrustworthinessKristin has promised her best friend,Sarah, that she would go to themovies with Sarah on her birthday.The next day Kristin receives a partyinvitation from Erin for the sameday. Kristin really wants to go toErin’s party. She knows that if shegoes to the party she could be partof the cool crowd. She knows thatSarah is not invited. What doesKristin do?

TrustworthinessLamont doesn’t have enough moneyfor the class field trip. He reallywants to attend, but he can’t if hedoesn’t have the money. He is tooembarrassed to admit to the teacherthat he can’t afford to go. He seessome coins on the floor behindNick’s desk. No one else is aroundand he could take the money with-out anyone knowing. What doesLamont do?

TrustworthinessAdam and Jason are playing a game.If Adam cheats, he can win. Jasonwon’t know that he is cheating.Adam really wants to win. Whatdoes he do?

R E S P E C TRespect means listening,being open and understand-ing of others, especially thosedifferent from us.

RespectIt’s Elmira’s first day at school. She hasonly been in the United States for afew days. She speaks very littleEnglish. Her clothes are differentfrom those of the other students.Most of the children snicker when sheis introduced to the class. Mrs.O’Brien asks Amy to be Elmira’smentor for the whole year, to eatlunch with her and help make her feelmore welcome. Amy is afraid thatshe’ll be teased by the others. Shedoesn’t know how to communicatewith Elmira. What does Amy do?

RespectTim accidentally trips in the cafete-ria. His tray goes flying and hislunch ends up all over the face andlap of Michael. Michael becomesangry and threatens to hit Tim.What does Tim do?

RespectJuanita’s grandmother calls to wishher a happy birthday. Her grand-mother can’t hear well. Juanita hastrouble communicating with hergrandmother, and besides, she’s busytalking to friends on the computer.Juanita would rather talk to herfriends than her grandmother. Whatdoes Juanita do?




HANDOUT: VignettesR E S P O N S I B I L I T YPeople who are responsibledo what they say they willdo, persevere, use self-con-trol and are self-disciplined.

ResponsibilityCeline and Michelle are skippinghome from school. Michelle playfullypushes Celine, who drops her librarybook in a mud puddle. Celine knowsshe can’t return the book to thelibrary in this condition. What do thegirls do?

ResponsibilityEthan has an important test tomor-row. He knows that he needs to studymost of the night. Joshua calls andsays he has a ticket to tonight’s game.Ethan really wants to go, but heknows if he goes, he can’t study. Whatdoes Ethan do?

ResponsibilityHannah and Alyssa are on the trackteam. The coach has the team mem-bers run outside every day. But todayis very cold and both girls are tired.They don’t really want to run today.They also know that being part of theteam means to show up at all thepractices. They both would rather stayhome and watch TV. What do thegirls do?

FA I R N E S SA person who is fair plays by the rules, takes turns andshares. A fair person worksto get all the facts and doesn’t falsely blame oraccuse others.

FairnessHayden is president of his club. Heneeds to assign someone to be incharge of the honors committee.Matthew has been at every club meet-ing and works very hard. He deservesto be in charge of the committee.Daniel is Hayden’s friend. He rarelyshows up at the meetings and doesn’tdo the tasks he is assigned. Haydenwould rather put Daniel in charge sothat the two friends can spend moretime together. What does Hayden do?

FairnessJosé comes home from school andfinds that his lamp is broken. Heimmediately assumes that his littlebrother, Marco, is responsible. Whatdoes José do?

FairnessDad asks Olga and Sasha to shovelthe driveway. Olga goes out to shoveland Sasha says she’ll be out as soon asshe finishes her math homework.When Sasha comes out, she noticesthat Olga is still shoveling and thatmore than half of the driveway isshoveled. What does Sasha do?




HANDOUT: Vignettes

C A R I N GA person who is caring is kindand compassionate. A caringperson helps people in needand is willing to forgive others.

CaringKeisha receives a birthday gift fromher aunt. When she opens it, shesees that it’s a sweater that is not instyle. In fact, Keisha thinks it’s veryugly. What does she do?

CaringKyle’s father is late getting to Kyle’sbaseball game. He doesn’t see Kylehit a homerun. Kyle is angry at hisfather, who seems to be always latefor everything. After the game, hisdad comes up to apologize. Whatdoes Kyle do?

CaringImelda sits crying in the cafeteria.Nina wants to sit with her friendsbut she knows that it would proba-bly help Imelda if someone talked toher. What does Nina do?

C I T I Z E N S H I PA good citizen gets involved incommunity affairs, follows thelaw and works for a fair andjust democracy.

CitizenshipCarlos and Jacob are riding theirbikes through town. They see a signthat reads, “No bicycles on thisstreet.” If they go around to anotherstreet, they’ll be late to practice.What do Carlos and Jacob do?

CitizenshipJack used to take his sister, Leticia,to the park every Saturday. Theystopped going because some peoplelet their dogs off their leashes in thepark and Leticia was afraid. Jack hasno place to bring Leticia to play.What does Jack do?

CitizenshipLorna and Danielle enjoy canoeingon the river. In the past few weeks,they have noticed a lot of trash inthe river. Lorna is eating a snack inthe canoe and she throws her candywrapper in the river. What doesDanielle do?




ACTIVITY: Shared Values and Symbols(simple)

P R O C E D U R EBefore the meeting • Review activity direction and materials.• Display enlarged symbols around the room. • Make a poster using posterboard and markers listing American values: life,

liberty, pursuit of happiness, courage, justice, equality of opportunity, diversity,truth and patriotism. Display this poster in the front of the room.

During the meeting 1. Introduce the topic by saying that, as Americans, we share fundamental val-

ues of American democracy. (Use the poster as a reference.) Explain thatsome of these principals — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness —arementioned in the Declaration of Independence. Other values includecourage, justice, equality of opportunity, diversity, truth and patriotism.

2. Ask the group the meaning of each value. Ask if there are other values thatcould be added to the list. Add these as they are mentioned and discussed.

3. Draw attention to the pictures of the U.S. symbols that are on display. Passaround the copies of the coins and dollar bills. Discuss which values are rep-resented by the displayed symbols and those on the coins and bills.(Examples: The bald eagle that appears on the backs of some quarters sym-bolizes courage. The Statue of Liberty symbolizes liberty.) Initiate a discussionabout which American values may not be portrayed in our country’s sym-bols. Brainstorm ideas on how these values might be portrayed in symbols.

4. Ask the participants to design their own U.S. symbols using paper and mark-ers. Let participants explain which values their symbols represent.

DESCRIPTION Participants explore shared valueswithin the United States and identifysymbols that represent those values.They then create their own symbolsrepresenting American values.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Understand the importance of

Americans sharing and support-ing certain values.

• Recognize U.S. symbols thatreflect these values.

• Create their own symbols thatrepresent American values.

LEARNING AND LIFE SKILLSCritical thinking; responsible citizenship

MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICSCharacter

NATIONAL STANDARDS FORCIVICS AND GOVERNMENTThis activity is designed to meetthe following voluntary K-4 and 5-8standards from the NationalStandards for Civics andGovernment, published anddirected by the Center for CivicEducation and funded by the U.S.Department of Education and thePew Charitable Trusts.• Standard II.A. (K-4): Students

should be able to explain theimportance of the fundamentalvalues and principles of Americandemocracy.

• Standard II.B. (K-4): Studentsshould be able to identify someimportant beliefs commonly heldby Americans about themselvesand their government.

• Standard II.C. (K-4): Studentsshould be able to explain theimportance of Americans sharingand supporting certain values,principles and beliefs.

• Standard II.C. (5-8): Studentsshould be able to explain theimportance of shared political values and principles to Americansociety.

• Standard II. D. (5-8): Studentsshould be able to explain themeaning and importance of thefundamental values and principlesof American constitutional democracy.

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• Photocopies of coins and dollar

bills • Paper • Posterboard • Tape • Markers• Photocopy of handout Symbols of

the United States, with symbolsenlarged, if possible


SETTINGTables and chairs




ACTIVITY: Shared Values and SymbolsR E F L E C T I O NA C T I V I T I E S A N DI D E A SReinforce the concepts participantshave learned by asking the followingreflection questions.

S H A R E• What did you enjoy most about

doing this activity?• What was the easiest to do? What

was the most difficult?• How did you feel when you were

creating your symbol?

P R O C E S S• How did you decide which symbol

you were going to make?• How did you decide which values

your symbol represents?

G E N E R A L I Z E• What did you learn about U.S.

symbols?• What did you learn about

American values?

A P P LY• How does the symbol that you

created reflect American values?• Can you think of any additional

values that we all share which couldbe included in your symbol?

• Why is it important to showrespect for symbols that reflect ourvalues?

T R Y T H I S , T O O• Work in teams to create the

symbols.• Use clay to make statues.• Create a design for a new U.S. flag

for a sewing project.• Research each familiar U.S. symbol

in the library and on the Internetto find out more about the historyof the symbol.

• Play the national anthem or otherpatriotic songs such as America theBeautiful and discuss the lyrics.Youth could be encouraged to writetheir own songs that conveyAmerican values.

• Examine the two circulating U.S.coins that depict women—theSusan B. Anthony dollar (intro-duced in 1979) and the Sacagaweagolden dollar (introduced in 2000).Discuss why so few women appearon U.S. currency. Let youthresearch the lives of these twowomen.




HANDOUT: Symbols of the United States




ACTIVITY: The Great Seal of the United States (Challenging)

P R O C E D U R EBefore the meeting • Review activity directions and materials.• Become familiar with the Great Seal of the United States and what the sym-

bols on it represent by reading through the activity or by doing furtherresearch at the library or on the Internet. (If your time is limited, focus onlyon the front side of the seal.)

During the meeting 1. Distribute The Great Seal handout to each participant.2. Explain to participants the history of the Great Seal and its importance in

representing our nation’s values. Point out each symbol on the seal while talk-ing about its significance. a. Explain that the Great Seal is used to seal important government docu-

ments after they are signed by the President. It’s also found on theenvelopes of some important government letters. The design of the frontof the seal is the coat of arms of the United States. It appears on coins,stamps, stationery, publications, flags, military uniforms, public monu-ments, public buildings, passports and other items of the U.S.Government (U.S. Department of State 2003). Explain that anyone whohas a dollar bill has the Great Seal, because it appears on the back of adollar.

b. On July 4, 1776, three of the five men who created the Declaration ofIndependence—Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and ThomasJefferson—were assigned the task of creating a seal for the United Statesof America. Six years later, in 1782, the task was finally finished. It tookthree committees and 14 men to do it! Charles Thomson, Secretary ofCongress, selected the best features of all designs submitted. WilliamBarton, who had an active part in the third committee’s design, refinedthem.

DESCRIPTION Participants become familiar withthe Great Seal of the United Statesand discuss its symbols. They identify values represented by thesymbols on the Great Seal anddesign their own seal representingthese values.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Understand the importance of

sharing and supporting certainvalues.

• Recognize the Great Seal of theUnited States.

• Are able to identify the symbolson the seal and what they represent.

• Design and create their own seal.

LEARNING AND LIFE SKILLSCritical thinking; responsible citizenship

MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICS Character

NATIONAL STANDARDS FORCIVICS AND GOVERNMENTThis activity is designed to meet thefollowing voluntary K-4 and 5-8standards from the NationalStandards for Civics andGovernment, published anddirected by the Center for CivicEducation and funded by the U.S.Department of Education and thePew Charitable Trusts.• Standard II.A. (K-4): Students

should be able to explain theimportance of the fundamentalvalues and principles of Americandemocracy.




c. The seal reflects the beliefs and values of our country. When CharlesThomson presented the final report on the seal to Congress, he explainedthe symbols on the front side in this way:• The shield (escutcheon) and the eagle— “The Escutcheon is born on

the breast of an American Eagle without any supporters [figures repre-sented as holding up the shield] to denote that the United States ofAmerica ought to rely on their own Virtue” (U.S. Department of State2003, 5).

• Red and white stripes of the shield — “represent the several states…supporting a [blue] Chief which unites the whole and representsCongress.” The colors come from our American flag. “White signifiespurity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue, the colour ofthe Chief, signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice” (U.S. Departmentof State 2003, 5).

• Number 13 — The 13 arrows, 13 stripes of the shield and 13 stars inthe constellation represent the 13 original states.

• The olive branch and the arrows — These “denote the power of peace& war.” (U.S. Department of State 2003, 5).

• Constellation of stars — The constellation of stars represents a newcountry being formed amidst other nations.

• The motto (E Pluribus Unum) — Although it was not translated inThomson’s report, e pluribus unum means “Out of Many, One.” Thisrefers to the union of the 13 states into one country.

ACTIVITY: The Great Seal of the United States





3. If there is time, discuss the reverse side of the seal. This side is sometimesreferred to as the spiritual side of the seal.a. Pyramid — The pyramid has 13 steps with the year 1776 in Roman

numerals on the base. Thomson said that the pyramid signified strengthand duration (U.S. Department of State 2003, 5).

b. Eye of Providence — This eye appears at the top of the pyramid in a tri-angle surrounded by a Glory (rays of light). Above that is the motto,Annuit Coeptis, “He has favored our undertakings.” In Thomson’s reportto Congress he says, “The Eye over it & the Motto allude to the many sig-nal interpositions of providence in favour of the American cause.” (U.S.Department of State 2003, 5).

c. Novus Ordo Seclorum “A new order of the ages” — This motto signifies thebeginning of the New American Era (U.S. Department of State 2003, 6).

4. Another approach to discussing the seal would be to ask participants whatthey think each symbol represents before they are given this information. Youmay also want to discuss why a particular symbol may have been chosen forthe seal. For example, an eagle is an independent bird and thus, it would sym-bolize freedom.

5. Discuss the meanings of words such as strength, duration, providence, virtue,purity, innocence, hardiness, valour (valor), vigilance, perseverance and jus-tice. Explain that these are fundamental values of our democracy. It may behelpful to have a dictionary handy. Ask: “Why is it important to have sharedvalues? Which other values can you think of that have not been mentioned?”

6. Ask the youth to pretend that the President of the United States called andasked them to design a new seal for our country. (Participants may want towork independently or on small teams.) Ask them to think of symbols thatthey would want to include on their new seals. They should be ready toexplain which value each symbol represents. They can begin by sketchingdesigns and ideas on scrap paper. When they have a design that they arehappy with, they may reproduce it onto the paper plates or cardboard back-ings. Designs can be colored with crayons or markers, or they can be painted.

7. When designs are complete, let each participant share their seal with the restof the group. If a team designed a seal together, let each member contributeto the presentation.





S H A R E• What did you enjoy doing the

most in this activity?• What was the easiest to do? What

was the most difficult?• How did you feel when you were

creating your own seal?

P R O C E S S• Why do you think it took so long

(six years) to come up with adesign for the Great Seal?

• Do you think there were disagree-ments about what would go on theseal? If so, how do you think theywere resolved?

• Which problems came up whenyou were designing your own seal?

G E N E R A L I Z E• What did you learn about the sym-

bols on the Great Seal?• How does your seal reflect

American values?• Were any values not included in

our seals that we might want toinclude?

A P P LY• Why is it important to have some-

thing such as a seal that representsthe values of our country?

• Why is it important that the peo-ple of the United States haveshared values and principles?

• How can you reflect our country’svalues in your everyday life?

T R Y T H I S , T O O• An older group of young people

might want to pool their ideas andmake one large seal. This wouldrequire quite a bit of compromis-ing.

• Let youth do further research atthe library or on the Internet tofind out more about:• The key players in designing the

Great Seal: Benjamin Franklin,John Adams, Thomas Jefferson,Charles Thomson and WilliamBarton.

• The history of the designing ofthe Great Seal.

• Other symbols of our country:the Statue of Liberty, the baldeagle, Uncle Sam, the Statue ofJustice and the flag.

• Let youth make simplified shapeversions of their seals out of card-board, sponges or craft foam. Paintthe seals and use them to stampletters and envelopes. Participantscan pretend that they are sealingimportant government documents!

• Encourage participants to make upa new motto for our country. Canthey translate their mottos intoLatin?

• Standard II.B. (K-4): Studentsshould be able to identify someimportant beliefs commonly heldby Americans about themselvesand their government.

• Standard II.C. (K-4): Studentsshould be able to explain theimportance of Americans sharingand supporting certain values,principles and beliefs.

• Standard II.C. (5-8): Studentsshould be able to explain theimportance of shared political val-ues and principles to Americansociety.

• Standard II.D. (5-8): Studentsshould be able to explain themeaning and importance of thefundamental values and principlesof American constitutional democ-racy.

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• Plain white paper plates or card-

board backings for pizzas• Scrap paper • Pencils • Crayons, markers, paints and

paintbrushes (optional)• Photocopy of handout The Great

Seal for each participant







HANDOUT: The Great Seal

F R O N T

B A C K





Josephson Institute of Ethics. (2006). The six pillars of character. CHARACTER COUNTS! Retrieved February 12, 2007, from http://www.charactercounts.org/defsix.htm.

Knoblock, K. (1997). Character education: Teaching values for life (grades 3-4).Grand Rapids, MI: Instructional Fair, TS Denison.

Kretzmann, J. P. and J. L. McKnight. (1993). Building communities from theinside out: A path toward finding and mobilizing a community’s assets. Chicago:ACTA Publications.

U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs. (2003). The Great Seal ofthe United States. (No. 10411). Washington, DC: Author.

U.S. Government Printing Office. (2003). Symbols of U.S. government. Ben’sGuide to U.S. Government. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved April 5, 2007,from http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/index.html.

Chapter References

Chapter

4

K N O W L E D G E O F G O V E R N M E N T A N D O U R D E M O C R A C Y


Chapter 4 60


K N O W L E D G E O F G O V E R N M E N T A N D O U R D E M O C R A C Y



Chapter 461K N O W L E D G E O F G O V E R N M E N T A N D O U R D E M O C R A C Y

Instruction in U.S. government anddemocracy—at the national, stateand local levels—is an importantpart of increasing civic knowledge.American citizens should have anunderstanding of our government’sstructure, the powers and responsi-bilities of its different branches andlevels, and how it influences and isinfluenced by the greater society.Knowledge of government helps usbe politically engaged. The moreknowledgeable we are, the morelikely we are to understand impor-tant political issues. We becomesmarter voters.

Learning about government is usu-ally confined to the classroom.However, extracurricular programscan enrich this learning and bringgovernment to life by helping youngpeople explore democratic processes,procedures and issues through expe-riential activities.

“Let us never forget that government is our-

selves and not an alien power over us. The

ultimate rulers of a democracy are not a

President and senators and congressmen

and government officials, but the voters of

this country.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Young people often see governmentas boring, distant and unrelated tothemselves. A vital part of civic edu-cation is to demystify government—to show that the government ismade up of real people, and theaverage American citizen is inti-mately involved in howgovernmental officials are chosenand how decisions are made.Exposing youth to the human sideof politics—talking with electedofficials, visiting government build-ings, attending meetings—is a greatway to make government more per-sonal. Understanding governmentstructure and processes allows youthto see how the system works andhow they can make a difference.

Knowledge of ‘Government and Our Democracy


62


Chapter 4 K N O W L E D G E O F G O V E R N M E N T A N D O U R D E M O C R A C Y

ACTIVITY: Government Is Us (Challenging)

P R O C E D U R EBefore the meeting • Review activity directions and materials.• Make photocopies of the Group Rules handouts to distribute to all

participants.• Make sure that all participants have a writing utensil.• Bring newsprint and markers (easel optional).

During the meeting 1. Begin with a discussion about the importance of rules in the classroom and

at home. Let participants give examples of some of the rules their teachers orparents have established (e.g., raise your hand before you speak, no televisionuntil homework is completed). Next talk about rules or laws in your city,state and country. Discuss what would happen if there were no laws. Explainthat in the United States we elect—vote for—people who choose the laws.They are our representatives.

2. Explain the purpose of this activity: To set rules for the after-school groupthat everyone will follow for the remainder of the meetings. Give each partic-ipant a Group Rules handout and a pencil. Ask them to individually writerules that would help the club be a fun and safe place.

3. After everyone has completed the handout, explain that participants will electa representative for the club. (Each person can write the name of the repre-sentative of their choice; you can collect and tally the results.) After therepresentative is chosen, explain that he or she is the only one who actuallyhas the power to decide what the rules will be. Let the elected representativeread the list of rules that he or she wrote.

4. Ask: Does this mean that we should just let the representative use their ownrules as the rules of the club? How can we let our representative know whatwe want the rules to be? Discuss what the members must tell the representa-tive about their rule preferences.

5. Ask participants to read their rules and record them on newsprint (don’trepeat rules). Once everyone has shared, let participants vote on each rule (itmay be helpful to have participants keep their heads down during the votes).Have the elected representative record the rules that receive a majority vote.Explain that these are the official group rules. Post them in the room.

6. Explain that in our democracy, we elect representatives who have the powerto make laws. (At the national level, we have the U.S. Congress, made up ofthe House of Representatives and the Senate. At the state level, we also have aHouse of Representatives and Senate. At the local level, we have countyboards of commissioners, city councils and school boards.) We as a peoplehave a responsibility to let our representatives know what we want.Otherwise, these representatives could decide that their rules were going tobe everyone’s rules.

7. Explain that we have the responsibility to be active citizens. We can do thisby voting (when we’re adults) and writing letters to our representatives. Thegovernment is us!

DESCRIPTION Participants learn about representa-tive government by writing rules fortheir after-school club. They createrules individually, then choose rep-resentatives who have the power todecide what the rules for the groupwill be. Participants must communi-cate to their representatives whichrules they support or oppose.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Explain the purposes of rules and

laws.• Experience representative gov-

ernment.• Brainstorm ways to use their

voice in decision making.• Define active citizenship.

LEARNING AND LIFE SKILLS Self-responsibility; decision making

MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICS Knowledge of government

NATIONAL STANDARDS FORCIVICS AND GOVERNMENTThis activity is designed to meet thefollowing voluntary K-4 and 5-8standards from the NationalStandards for Civics andGovernment, published anddirected by the Center for CivicEducation and funded by the U.S.Department of Education and thePew Charitable Trusts.• Standard I.E. (K-4): Students

should be able to explain thepurposes of rules and laws andwhy they are important in theirclassroom, school, community,state, and nation.

• Standard V.F. (K-4): Studentsshould be able to describe themeans by which citizens can influ-ence the decisions and actions oftheir government.

• Standard II.A. (5-8): Studentsshould be able to explain theessential ideas of American consti-tutional government.

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• Several sheets of newsprint• Markers• Pencils • Tape• Photocopy of handout Group

Rules for each participant

TIME 30 to 60 minutes

SETTING Tables and chairs to accommodateall participants


S H A R E• What did you enjoy about this

activity?• What did you not like about this

activity?• How did you feel when I said that

the representative had the powerto decide which rules would befollowed?

• How did you feel when we votedon the rules?

P R O C E S S• Which problems came up when

you were trying to think of rules?• Do you think that it was a good

idea to vote on each rule?• What is the job of the

representative?• How did each of you play an

active part in this process?

G E N E R A L I Z E• What happens when a representa-

tive of our state or country doesn’tlisten to what the people want?

• How can people let their repre-sentatives know what they arethinking about an issue? (Letterwriting, petitions, meetings withrepresentatives, protests and othermeans.)

• What is active citizenship?

A P P LY• How can you make your voice

heard in our government today?• How can we be active citizens in

other areas of our lives (in schooland in our community)?




T R Y T H I S , T O O• Any decision-making activity

done with the group cooperatingtogether could be substituted forgenerating group rules. For exam-ple, the activity could be planninga (real or imaginary) field trip ordesigning a T-shirt.

• Let club members find out whorepresents them on both the stateand national levels.

• Identify an issue that club mem-bers would want to write to theirrepresentatives about. Let partici-pants write, call or e-mail theirrepresentatives on this issue.


Chapter 4 64 K N O W L E D G E O F G O V E R N M E N T A N D O U R D E M O C R A C Y


HANDOUT: Group Rules

List the rules that you would like to have for this group (for example, “no put-downs”).

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.




P R O C E D U R EBefore the meeting • Review activity directions and materials.

During the meeting 1. Review with participants the meaning of

being a good citizen from the activity, “AGood Citizen is. . ..”

2. Explain that to become a U.S. citizen, youmust either be born into it (have anAmerican parent) or become naturalized. Tobecome naturalized, you must pass a U.S. citizenship test to determinewhether or not you have the knowledge necessary to become an American.Additionally, to become a U.S. citizen, a person must:• Live in the United States for an extended period.• Be able to read, write and speak English.• Know and understand U.S. history and government.• Be of good moral character.• Have an attachment to the principles of the U.S. Constitution.• Have a favorable attitude toward the United States.

3. Explain that participants are going to take a sample U.S. Citizenship Test.Emphasize that these are sample questions from the test that people whowant to be citizens must take. Hand out copies of the sample test (or othertest you’ve prepared). Give participants time to take the test. Afterward, readthe answers aloud (see Answer Sheet). Participants can decide whether or notthey want to share how many answers they got correct!

4. Explain that to become a U.S. citizen, you must answer six out of ten ques-tions correctly. Give participants a moment to consider this, and then ask: • Do these questions determine whether or not you are a good citizen? • If you answered all of the questions correctly, does that make you a good

citizen? • If you answered some questions incorrectly, does that mean that you’re

not a good citizen? • How does this compare with what we said makes a good citizen?• What else needs to be asked to determine whether or not someone will be

a good citizen?5. Distribute the Oath of Allegiance for Naturalized Citizens handout. Explain

that every naturalized citizen must take this oath. Read the oath and let par-ticipants repeat after you to simulate the experience of taking the oath, if theywish. Review the oath with the participants and identify each of the responsi-bilities indicated for citizenship. Explain and discuss the meaning of eachresponsibility. a. Renunciation of foreign allegiance. People must decide that they will no

longer be loyal to their former country and must switch their loyalty tothe United States.

b. Support and defense of the Constitution and laws. People must be willingto support and defend our Constitution and laws.

DESCRIPTION Participants experience what peopledo to become citizens by taking asample U.S. Citizenship Test andreciting the Oath of Allegiance forNaturalized Citizens. It’s recom-mended that the activity, “A GoodCitizen is . . .” be completed first.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Review the meaning of citizenship

as discussed in the activity, “AGood Citizen is. . ..”

• Examine what individuals whowant to become U.S. citizens needto know.

• Compare what participants think isgood citizenship to what individu-als are asked to know when theytake the test to become a U.S. citi-zen.


MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICSKnowledge of government

NATIONAL STANDARDS FORCIVICS AND GOVERNMENTThis activity is designed to meet thefollowing voluntary K-4 and 5-8 stan-dards from the National Standardsfor Civics and Government, pub-lished and directed by the Center forCivic Education and funded by theU.S. Department of Education andthe Pew Charitable Trusts.• Standard V.B. (K-4) and Standard

V.A. (5-8): Students should be ableto explain how one becomes a citi-zen of the United States.

Use the handout U.S. Citizenship Sample

Test or visit the U.S. Citizenship and

Immigration Services web site at

http://www.uscis.gov/natzpilot to create your

own list of 10 questions. Photocopy this new

test and use instead of the handout.

ACTIVITY: So You Want To Be A U.S. Citizen? (Challenging)

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• Newsprint• Markers • Pens or pencils• Paper • Photocopy of handout U.S.

Citizenship Sample Test for eachparticipant (or see textbox on preceding page)

• Photocopy of handout Oath ofAllegiance for Naturalized Citizensfor each participant

TIME 45 minutes

SETTING Tables and chairs arranged in a circleor semi-circle




ACTIVITY: So You Want To Be A U.S. Citizen?

c. Allegiance to the Constitution and laws. People must be willing to be loyalto our Constitution and laws.

d. Service in armed forces when required by law. People must be willing toserve our country if the law requires it.

Discuss what participants think about these requirements. How do they thinkit feels to agree to some of them? Why do they think they are important? Askparticipants to consider everything that has been discussed to this point. Askthe question again, “What is citizenship?”


S H A R E• Which part of this activity did

you enjoy doing?• What did you like least about this

activity? • What are some reasons someone

would want to become a citizen ofthe United States?

P R O C E S S• What did you learn from doing

this activity?• What did you learn about what is

required to be a naturalized citizenof the United States?

• What are the similarities and dif-ferences between the test tobecome a good citizen and whatwe said is a definition of being agood citizen?

• Are there additional ways to findout if someone would be a goodcitizen? Why do you think citizen-ship is based on a test and timelived in the United States?

G E N E R A L I Z E• Why is it important to understand

how someone becomes a citizen andwhat it means to be a good citizen?

A P P LY• Is our definition of citizenship inclusive

of all groups? Are there people who areleft out of our definition based on race,gender, ethnicity or class?

• A common stereotype is that peopleof color, including Latinos, AsianAmericans, Arab Americans and oth-ers are “from somewhere else” and arenot “real” citizens. People of coloroften get asked, “Where are youfrom?” even when they and their fam-ilies may have lived in the UnitedStates for years—and even genera-tions. What do you think about thisstatement? How can we ensure thatwe are inclusive of all groups? Arethere times in the past where otherpeople may have been stereotypedwhen they came to the United States?

T R Y T H I S , T O O• Invite speakers to the meeting who

have become naturalized citizens. Askthem to talk about what becoming anAmerican citizen means to them.There may be parents of participantsin the club who have taken the citi-zenship test or are in the process oflearning about being a citizen. Askthem to talk about similarities anddifferences to their country of origin,including government and individualparticipation in government.

• Organize a good citizenship projectfor the community.

• Have the participants rewrite the Oathof Allegiance for Naturalized Citizens,putting it in their own words.




HANDOUT: U.S. Citizenship Sample Test

1. What is the supreme law of the land?

2. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

3. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?

4. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

5. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

6. Who is called the “Father of Our Country”?

7. Who is the President now?

8. Who is the governor of your state?

9. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

10. What ocean is on the west coast of the United States?




HANDOUT: U.S. Citizenship Sample TestAnswer Sheet*

1. What is the supreme law of the land?

2. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

3. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?

4. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

5. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

6. Who is called the “Father of Our Country”?

7. Who is the President now?

8. Who is the governor of your state?

9. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

10. What ocean is on the west coast of the United States?

Constitution

Bill of Rights

Senate and the House of Representatives

July 4, 1776

Africans (people from Africa)

George Washington

(Name of the current president)

(Name of the current governor)

Because there were 13 original colonies

Pacific Ocean

*Obtained as public domain from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (July 2007). The questions and answers for the test wereselected randomly from the official list of 142 Questions and Answers for New Pilot Naturalization Test from the U.S. Citizenship andImmigration Services (USCIS). For a full list of questions, visit the USCIS web site at http://www.uscis.gov/natzpilot. When giving the testto persons desiring citizenship, the examiner selects any ten questions at their discretion to be posed orally to the examinees. Accordingto the USCIS, most regional offices require a score of 6 out of 10 to pass.




Oath of Allegiance for Naturalized Citizens*

The U.S. Oath of Allegiance for Naturalized Citizens must be taken by all immigrants whom wish to become

U.S. citizens.

The current oath is as follows:

I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any

foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen;

that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies,

foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the

United States when required by law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the

United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction

when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of

evasion; so help me God.

*Obtained as public domain from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (July 2007).




ACTIVITY: Citizenship Bowl (Challenging)

P R O C E D U R EBefore the meeting • Review activity directions and materials.• Download and create flashcards by printing them off on heavy stock and

cutting them into cards (at http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/M-623.pdf). Or, let participants make flashcards of all of the questions for theCitizenship Test (from http://www.uscis.gov/natzpilot).

• Give participants extra time to practice for the Citizenship Bowl. • Make signs for the tables for the bowl labeled Team 1 and Team 2.

During the meeting 1. Review the word citizenship with participants, encouraging them to define and

give examples. 2. Review the steps to become a U.S. citizen: You must either be born into it (have

an American parent) or become naturalized. To become naturalized, you mustpass a U.S. Citizenship Test to determine whether or not you have the knowl-edge necessary to become an American citizen. Other requirements include:• Live in the United States for an extended period.• Be able to read, write and speak English.• Know and understand U.S. history and government.• Be of good moral character.• Have an attachment to the principles of the U.S. Constitution.• Have a favorable attitude toward the United States.

3. Mention that one of the marks of a good U.S. citizen is to be knowledgeableabout our government and our government history. Explain that participantswill attempt to learn the answers to the sample questions on the U.S.Citizenship Test and then take part in a Citizenship Bowl.

DESCRIPTION Participants who were introduced tothe sample questions of the U.S.Citizenship Test now take part in acontest to answer the questions onthe same test. Do this activity after“A Good Citizen is . . .” and “So YouWant to be a United States Citizen.”

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Discuss the meaning of citizenship. • Examine different definitions of cit-

izenship.


MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICS Knowledge of government

NATIONAL STANDARDS FORCIVICS AND GOVERNMENTThis activity is designed to meet thefollowing voluntary K-4 and 5-8 stan-dards from the National Standardsfor Civics and Government, pub-lished and directed by the Center forCivic Education and funded by theU.S. Department of Education andthe Pew Charitable Trusts.• Standard V.A. (K-4) and Standard

V.A. (5-8): Students should be ableto explain the meaning of citizen-ship in the United States.

• Standard V.B. (K-4) and StandardV.A. (5-8): Students should be ableto explain how one becomes a citi-zen of the United States.




ACTIVITY: Citizenship Bowl

4. Have participants pair up. Divide up the USCIS Civics Flash Cards and distrib-ute to teams. Team members can practice asking each other the questions usingthe flashcards. When the participants are done studying the flashcards, have allthe teams exchange flashcards. Continue this procedure on a rotating basis untilall participants have practiced all of the cards.

5. When teams are ready, start the Citizenship Bowl. There are two ways (at least)to do this. Initiate one bowl game with eight participants, while the rest of theparticipants act as the audience. Divide players into two teams of four (Team 1and Team 2). Arrange two tables in front of the group parallel to each other,and give each team member a bell. The facilitator will read a question. The firstperson to ring the bell will get a chance to answer the question as soon as thefacilitator recognizes him or her. If the person answers correctly, their team gainsa point. If the person answers incorrectly, the other team may answer the ques-tion. Continue the game until a predetermined score or time is reached.

6. Another bowl option is to have several bowls going at once. This will allow formaximum participation. Participants can be assigned to be scorekeepers andmoderators for each bowl. Divide up flashcards and hand them out to youthmoderators. Institute a time limit so that everyone is done at once. The teamswho scored the highest on each bowl are the winners.

7. Celebrate with prizes for everyone, if you wish.




MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration

Services (USCIS) Civics Flash Cards • Heavy stock paper• Scissors• 8 or more desk bells• Tables and chairs• Paper for signs• Tape• Markers• Prizes or awards (optional)

TIME Practice for the Citizenship Bowl cantake place at several after-school ses-sions depending on the amount ofparticipants and extent of theirknowledge. The Citizenship Bowlitself will take about 30 minutes.

SETTING Tables and chairs arranged depend-ing on which type of CitizenshipBowl you choose (see Steps 5 and 6in “During the meeting”)

ACTIVITY: Citizenship BowlR E F L E C T I O NA C T I V I T I E S A N DI D E A SReinforce the concepts participantshave learned by asking the followingreflection questions.

S H A R E• How did it feel to be part of the

bowl?• Did you enjoy the part that you

had in the bowl?• Was there anything that you did

not like about the bowl?

P R O C E S S• Which problems came up during

the bowl?• How did you deal with these

problems?• Why is it important to know what

it takes to be a good citizen?

G E N E R A L I Z E• What did you learn from being in

the Citizenship Bowl?• Have you had any similar experi-

ences?• Do you think the questions on the

citizenship test are hard or easy?• Do you think that it’s necessary to

know all of the answers to be agood citizen?

• Do you think that some of thequestions are more important thanothers?

A P P LY• How can you practice being a

good citizen in your home, school,community or here in the after-school club?

T R Y T H I S , T O O• Invite speakers to the meeting who

have become naturalized citizens.Ask them to talk about what

becoming an American citizenmeans to them. There may be parents of participants in the clubwho have taken the citizenship testor are in the process of learningabout being a citizen. Ask them totalk about similarities and differ-ences to their country of origin,including government and individ-ual participation in government.

• Invite parents, guardians or otherfamily member to be the audiencefor the Citizenship Bowl.

• Redesign the Citizenship Bowl soparticipants can rotate on and offthe team, or use other innovationsto involve all after-school membersand encourage participation.






U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Oath of allegiance for naturalizedcitizens. Retrieved July 20, 2007, from http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Questions and answers for new pilotnaturalization test. Retrieved July 20, 2007, from http://www.uscis.gov/natzpilot.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. U.S. Citizenship and ImmigrationServices (USCIS) Flash Cards. Retrieved April 9, 2007, fromhttp://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/M-623.pdf.

Chapter References


Chapter 5 74


C O M M U N I T Y - B A S E D S E R V I C E L E A R N I N G

Chapter

5


Chapter 5



75C O M M U N I T Y- B A S E D S E R V I C E L E A R N I N G

S E R V I C E L E A R N I N GAnother term used in the academicand youth development field is servicelearning. Service learning takes a moreacademic approach to community ser-vice. It links classroom academics torelated community service. Billig andFurco (2002) describe service learningas a method of teaching and learningthat involves having classroom stu-dents perform community service toachieve academic goals. Overall, theliterature (Knox, Wangaard andMichaelson 2003) describes four stepsto a service-learning project:Preparation or researching and findinga community need; action or carryingout the project; reflection throughjournal writing, reading and discus-sion with others; and celebrationthrough certificates, parties, assem-blies and thank-you cards.

Community-Based Service Learning

“Cleaning up a river bank is service. Reading a book about environmental conservation is

learning. Youth reviewing results from water studies, presenting the scientific information to a

pollution control agency and discussing the impact these results may have on future pollution

control issues and our own behaviors is community-based service learning”.

— Angelia Salas, November 2006, 4-H Teen Peer Mentoring and Service Learning Subgrantee

Orientation and Training

C O M M U N I T Y S E R V I C E Community service, a well-knownterm in community programming,has its own definition. It has beendefined as the voluntary action of anindividual or group of individualswithout pay. Examples of this type ofservice are food drives, adopt-a-high-way programs, tutoring, teachingyounger children or raking yards forelderly neighbors. It is action in thecommunity, involving communitymembers—youth, adults and fami-lies—coming together to work on acommon interest or community need. The term community service has dif-ferent meanings in many differentsituations. Some may consider it ser-vice without pay, however, in mostcommunities, youth and adults arerequired to do community servicethrough the court system for variousoffenses. This has led some youngpeople to wonder if they want to beidentified with community-serviceactivities.


Chapter 5 76 C O M M U N I T Y- B A S E D S E R V I C E L E A R N I N G


K E Y C O M P O N E N T S O FC O M M U N I T Y- B A S E DS E R V I C E L E A R N I N G Combining the definition of commu-nity service and service learning andputting it in the context of a commu-nity is what community-based servicelearning is all about. Definitions forcommunity-based service learning areemerging; however, they all seem tohave several key components. TheMichigan Community ServiceCommission states that community-based service learning is composed ofactivities that meet genuine commu-nity needs and that require theapplication of knowledge, skills andreflection time.

Community-Based Service Learning

“62% of teens surveyed, say that the issues that really matter to them are the ones that have

personally touched them or someone they know.” — MTV 2006

To be effective, it’s important thatyouth are actively involved in theprocess. They can be engaged withassessing community needs, designingprojects to address community needsand reflecting before, during and afterthe service experience. In addition,service activities are designed to meetlearning objectives, not just to do ser-vice. When activities are designed tomeet specific objectives, youth gainskills and knowledge including:

• An understanding of the value ofhelping others.

• Life skills.• Reinforcement of what is learned in

the classroom.• Teamwork, cooperation and diver-

sity skills. • Self-esteem from positive results of

their service. • A sense of citizenship. • Experiences in the work world.



Chapter 577C O M M U N I T Y- B A S E D S E R V I C E L E A R N I N G

Gender IssuesWhen thinking about organizingcommunity-based service-learningactivities, consider the role of gender.“Girls may prefer planning andimplementing as a group since leader-ship for girls may involve lesshierarchical, more collaborative deci-sion making” (Lyons et al. 1990 ascited in Denner and Griffin, 135).“Many girls see themselves as changeagents, concerned with making theworld a better place for themselvesand their families,” so they may beeager to get involved with serviceactivities (Denner and Dunbar 2002;McKay 1998; Ms. Foundation 2000;all as cited in Denner and Griffin,135) and “doing service for othersmay increase the struggle of someadolescent girls to care for others andalso care for themselves” (Gilligan1990, as cited in Denner and Griffin,135-136).

Boys seem to have other needs. In astudy, boys who participated in ser-vice learning exhibited positivechanges in self-esteem. (Switzer et al.1995, as cited in Denner and Griffin).Boys will become more engaged incommunity service activities when theproject uses their talents or interests(Denner and Griffin), which maymean that it’s especially important toinvolve them in the decision-makingprocess. Some community-based ser-vice-learning activities may provideboys with the opportunity to experi-ence being relational caregivers(Denner and Griffin), which theymay not have an opportunity to do intheir everyday lives.




Five-Step Community-BasedService-Learning Model

Various models could be used to helpexplain the steps for a community-based service-learning project.Michigan 4-H Youth Developmentuses a five-step approach adaptedfrom one developed by Allan Smith,program leader, CSREES(Cooperative State Research,Education and Extension Service),USDA. This model places a greateremphasis on the reflection componentof the steps to community-based ser-vice learning than some do.

“Young people need to be partners in every step of the model to ensure youth

voice.” — Cyndi Mark, Program Leader, Michigan 4-H Youth Development




Step 1. Assessing Needs: Gatheringinformation to assess or determine ifthe project is needed.

Step 2. Planning and Preparing:Using the information gathered toplan the tasks, responsibilities, duedates and other nuts-and-bolts typesof components in a community-basedservice-learning project. Involve theparticipants carrying out the service inthe design of the intentional learningobjectives.

Step 3. Experiencing MeaningfulService: Moving into action to carryout the projects

Step 4. Reflection: Taking what waslearned about the process of carryingout the project either as an individualor a group and reflecting on what waslearned in the experience. There aremany ways to do this step, includinggroup discussion, journals and webpages. Think of ideas for building thisin before, during and at the end ofthe project. Reflection can be brokendown more specifically to include:• Sharing: Discussing what hap-

pened. Sharing what actuallyhappened during the event withpositive interaction and learningfrom group members.

• Processing: Thinking about andsharing what was learned and whatwas important, including whichproblems or issues occurred, similarexperiences of the group membersand how participants felt about theexperience.

*For more information on how the model is used with a volunteer program, read the Volunteers’ Guidein Yea! Youth experiencing action: A community service learning guide and visit the “4-H Citizenship,Leadership and Service” section of the Michigan 4-H Youth Development web site athttp://web1.msue.msu.edu/msue/cyf/youth/differen.html.

• Generalizing: Doing more in-depth reflection and having groupmembers think about which lifeskills they learned during the expe-rience.

• Applying: Applying what waslearned to other experiences. Youngpeople think about how they canuse the life skills and knowledgethey have learned in other situa-tions in their lives with their peers,their families and in their commu-nity. For example, in most groupservice projects, young people learnto work as team members. This lifeskill can be used in the classroomor on a job. However, to under-stand this they need to reflect ontheir learning.

Step 5. Celebration: Taking time tocelebrate the completed service project.

Five-Step Community-BasedService-Learning Model*




ACTIVITY: Instant Service Project (Simple)

P R O C E D U R EBefore the meeting • Review activity directions and materials.• Decide if helpers are needed and how they will be utilized.• Write the following questions on a sheet of newsprint:

•• What is the problem or issue that you are working on?•• What are the goals of your project?•• Which resources do you need to complete your project?•• What is the best solution to the problem or issue, and which steps will

you take to achieve this solution?

During the meeting 1. Divide participants into teams of two or three. Instruct each team to walk

around the meeting place and observe details. Explain that each team will dis-cuss what they think could be improved in the facility. Then teams do a projecton the spot based on the change they would like to see. If teams have difficultygenerating ideas, give suggestions: straightening bookshelves, cleaning chalk-boards, decorating the walls or writing the 4-H pledge for everyone to see.Don’t encourage teams to discuss their projects with one another before starting.

2. Before they begin their projects, display the newsprint with the four questionsregarding project planning. Let each team either write their responses to thesequestions on newsprint or simply discuss these questions with theirteammate(s).

3. Let the teams perform their projects. Some teams may begin work that conflictswith what others are doing. This should illuminate the importance of planningand knowing ahead of time what others are trying to accomplish. If problemsarise, let participants try to resolve them on their own. All teams must completetheir projects; this should encourage cooperation and negotiation skills.

DESCRIPTION Participants learn about communityservice learning by organizing “com-munity” service projects that can bedone on the spot.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Identify community needs in their

immediate environments.• Work with peers to plan and exe-

cute a service project.

LEARNING AND LIFE SKILLSPlanning/organizing; service learning

MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICSCommunity-based service learning

NATIONAL STANDARDS FORCIVICS AND GOVERNMENTThis activity is designed to meet thefollowing voluntary K-4 and 5-8 stan-dards from the National Standardsfor Civics and Government, pub-lished and directed by the Center forCivic Education and funded by theU.S. Department of Education andthe Pew Charitable Trusts.• Standard V.D. (K-4): Students

should be able to explain why cer-tain responsibilities are importantto themselves and their family,community, state, and nation.

• Standard V.E. (5-8): Students shouldbe able to explain the relationshipbetween participating in civic andpolitical life and the attainment ofindividual and public goals.

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• Newsprint• Markers • Depending on ideas for service

projects, some additional materialsmay be needed (e.g., markers andposterboard, if a team chooses todecorate the room)

TIME 45 minutes

SETTING Indoors at regular meeting site





S H A R E • Ask the teams to share their

projects and their results with thegroup.

P R O C E S S • How did your team decide which

project to do? • Which roles did each team member

play? • How did the other teams’ plans

affect yours? • What did you do if their goals

conflicted with yours?

G E N E R A L I Z E • Explain that their projects were

examples of community service-learning projects. Ask: Why is itimportant to have a plan beforedoing a community service-learn-ing project?

• Why is the word learning includedin the term community servicelearning?

• What did you learn from perform-ing your project?

A P P LY• Which kind of service-learning

projects could you do in your community?

ACTIVITY: Instant Service Project




ACTIVITY: Putting Your Neighborhood on the Map (Simple)


PART IDuring the meeting 1. Divide participants into teams of three or four. (When working with a group

from a broad geographic area, divide teams by those who live in the same gen-eral neighborhoods.) Give each team a sheet of posterboard, markers and craftmaterials. Ask teams to draw maps of their neighborhoods on posterboard, bigenough to include important places (e.g., their homes, schools, parks, police sta-tions, fire stations, banks and grocery stores). Allow 20 to 30 minutes fordrawing and decoration.

2. Next, ask teams to write or draw onto their maps two things that they do intheir neighborhoods which make them feel good. Then ask them to draw, writeor circle two things that they like about their neighborhoods. Finally, have themdraw, write or circle two things that they would change in their neighborhoods.Participants can do this in teams, by consensus or as individuals.

DESCRIPTION In this two-part activity, participantsdraw a map of their neighborhoodand talk about its strengths andweaknesses to identify communityissues. They brainstorm communityservice-learning project ideas andput together a plan of action toaddress a selected issue.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Draw maps of their neighbor-

hoods, including importantbuildings and institutions.

• Identify strengths and areas forimprovement in their communities.

• Brainstorm and plan a communityservice-learning project.

LEARNING AND LIFE SKILLS Service learning; problem solving

MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICS Community service learning; issues

NATIONAL STANDARDS FORCIVICS AND GOVERNMENT This activity is designed to meet thefollowing voluntary K-4 and 5-8 stan-dards from the National Standardsfor Civics and Government, pub-lished and directed by the Center forCivic Education and funded by theU.S. Department of Education andthe Pew Charitable Trusts.• Standard V.D. (K-4): Students should

be able to explain why certainresponsibilities are important tothemselves and their family, com-munity, state, and nation.

• Standard V.E. (5-8): Students shouldbe able to explain the relationshipbetween participating in civic andpolitical life and the attainment ofindividual and public goals.





S H A R E • Ask the teams to share their maps

with the whole group. Have themexplain their maps and the addi-tional things they drew or circled(see Step 2).

P R O C E S S • What were the first things you

drew on your maps? • Which places did other people in

your team draw that you wouldn’thave drawn?

• Was it easier to come up withthings you like about your neigh-borhood or things that you wouldlike to change?

G E N E R A L I Z E • Are there similarities between the

teams regarding things that you likeabout your neighborhoods andthings you want to change?

• Ask more broadly: What are thegood things about your neighbor-hood?

• What are the things you would liketo change?

A P P LY• Who is responsible for changing

things in your neighborhoods? • How can you change things in your

neighborhood? • Share information with the group

about how the particular issues thatthey identify can be addressed byindividuals, groups or organizationsand public policy makers.

ACTIVITY: Putting Your Neighborhood on the Map




ACTIVITY: Putting Your Neighborhood on the Map

PART IIDuring the meeting 1. Ask the group to focus on the things about their communities that they would

like to change from Part I. Let everyone repeat the things that they would liketo change and record all responses on a sheet of newsprint. Give the group achance to discuss or clarify any of the issues they list.

2. Next, give each person two stickers. Ask participants to place their stickers nextto the two problems they would most like to work on with the group. The issuethat has the most stickers next to it will be the one that the group focuses on.

3. Explain that now that the group has identified a community problem, theyneed to think of ways to address this problem. Give participants 2 to 3 ideabubbles each. Ask them to draw pictures of ideas that would make the selectedproblem better. Give participants time to draw scenarios that depict actions thataddress the problem. These pictures represent potential community service-learning projects.





S H A R E • Ask each participant to share their

idea bubbles with the group andexplain their drawings.

P R O C E S S • What do you think about the ideas

we came up with? (Be respectful ofindividuals when discussing ideas.)

• How did you decide which actionsmight make the chosen issue better?

• How can we decide which activityto do as a group to address thisissue?

G E N E R A L I Z E • Are there differences between work-

ing alone and working with agroup?

• What is good and bad about both?

ACTIVITY: Putting Your Neighborhood on the MapA P P LY• Have the group select a community

service-learning project based onone or more of the ideas generatedby participants. (Either repeat thesticker exercise from Part II or voteby a show of hands or secret ballot.)Ask which resources the groupneeds to work on this project andwhat they are going to do—exactly.Give each participant a Plan ofAction handout and use it to guidethe discussion. Take time to gothrough each of the items on thishandout, record participantresponses on newsprint and eitherhave the group copy the responseson their handouts or post thenewsprint and make copies of acompleted Plan of Action handoutfor the next meeting.

T R Y T H I S , T O O• After planning the community ser-

vice-learning project, let the grouptake action to carry it out!Afterward, have the group evaluatewhat they have done and thinkabout ways that they could improvetheir work in the future.

• Use the identified community issueas the topic for a project in whichparticipants can research informa-tion in the library or online,interview community members orwatch relevant movies or documen-taries. Participants can take notesand report what they have learnedat the next meeting prior to choos-ing a service-learning project.

• Take a walk around the immediateneighborhood before starting thisactivity. Ask the group to observethings they like about the neighbor-hood and things they would changeif they could.

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• Several large pieces of poster-

board • Idea bubbles—construction paper

cut into large cloud shapes (2 to 3for each participant)

• Scissors• Markers• Other craft materials, such as stick-

ers, glitter, cotton balls• Newsprint• Tape• Inspirational stickers (2 for each

participant)• Photocopy of handout Plan of

Action for each participant

TIME 90 minutes, divided into two parts

SETTING Tables or a hard surface on whicheach of the teams can draw




HANDOUT: Plan of Action

Project name:

Description:

Our goal for the community:

Our goal for our own learning:

Number of youth to be involved:

Knowledge and skills needed:

Resources needed:

Who does what?

When?

Who supervises?

How we know our project is a success:




Billig, S. H. and A. Furco, eds. (2002). Service learning through a multidiscipli-nary lens. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing Inc.


Denner, J. and A. Griffin. (2003). The role of gender in enhancing programstrategies for healthy youth development. In F. A. Villarruel, D. F. Perkins, L.M. Borden and J. G. Keith, eds. Community youth development: Programs, policies, and practices.

Knox, A., D. B. Wangaard and S. R. Michaelson. (2003). Service-learning:Planning and reflection, a step-by-step guide. Milford, CT: School for EthicalEducation.

Mark, C. B., D. Henning, C. Owen, N. Radtke, L. Schick and C. Smiggen.(2000). YEA! Youth experiencing action: A community service learning guide(4H1553). East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Extension, 4-H YouthDevelopment.

MTV. (2006). MTV releases results from Just Cause research study provides insighton motivating young people to volunteer. Retrieved April 10, 2007, fromhttp://www.mtv.com/thinkmtv/research/pdf/Just.Cause.FNL.APX.pdf.

Chapter References


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P U B L I C P O L I C Y A N D C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T

Chapter

6

Chapter 6



Chapter 689P U B L I C P O L I C Y A N D C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T

While the rate at which youth areparticipating in community service ishigh, youth interest in politics is at anall-time low. This appears to be a con-tradiction: How can young people beinterested in fixing problems in theircommunity without a care for howthese problems are being addressed bypeople in positions of power? A possi-ble explanation is that youth don’tunderstand the public policy processor how to influence it.

Public-policy making is a combina-tion of decisions, commitments andactions made by those who are inpositions of power or who affect gov-ernment decisions. Policies generallytake the form of laws or ordinances,plans or courses of action. Someexamples of public policies are theadoption of a vision for the commu-nity, a comprehensive plan, a budgetor a policy relating to a specific issue,such as allowing or prohibiting skate-boarding in a public area.

Almost every issue in our communityis affected in some way by public policy. If the sidewalks in a neighbor-hood are in disrepair, the citygovernment could make a policy tofix them. If a school doesn’t haveenough textbooks, the school boardcould make a policy to buy more. Ifsomeone wanted to take a dog for awalk in a local park, there may be

Public Policy and Civic Engagement

“Cherish therefore the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too

severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inatten-

tive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, judges and governors shall

all become wolves.” — Thomas Jefferson

policy that prohibits pets in that area.Understanding who makes these poli-cies requires a basic knowledge ofgovernment; understanding how toinfluence them requires skills in policymaking.

Policy making can sound like a com-plicated and overwhelming prospect.But influencing public policy can beas simple as telling the school princi-pal that there should be ten moreminutes of recess every day. There aretwo primary ways to make and influ-ence public policy: Getting elected orappointed to a public office or com-municating with somebody in aposition of power. Since most youngpeople are not public officials, thebest bet for youth participation in thepolicy-making process is to communi-cate to public officials their thoughts,opinions and recommendations.There are a variety of ways for youthto make their ideas heard to policy-makers:• Writing a persuasive letter or

petition.• Presenting ideas at a meeting of

policy makers.• Taking part in community

organizing or activism.• Developing ballot initiatives.• Organizing marches or

demonstrations.• Using the media as a tool to

educate and influence.

It’s important to be creative whenengaging in the policy-makingprocess. All over the world, youthhave used protests, rallies and letterwriting to make historic changes.Combining current trends of highparticipation in community servicewith these proven avenues of youthengagement in public policy is thenext step in civic engagement. In thisway, youth can become fully engagedas citizens in our democracy.


Chapter 6 90 P U B L I C P O L I C Y A N D C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T


ACTIVITY: Bill Becomes a Law (Challenging)

P R O C E D U R EBefore the meeting • Review activity directions and materials.• Create five index cards with the roles of the House, Senate, committees, and

President/Governor written on them, one role per card, as follows: •• House of Representatives – More than half must vote in favor of a bill for

it to be passed.•• House Committee – Decides whether or not to vote on the bill in the

House.•• Senate – More than half must vote in favor of a bill for it to pass.•• Senate Committee – Decides whether or not to vote on the bill in the

Senate.•• President/Governor – Signs or vetoes a bill once both the House of

Representatives and the Senate have passed it.• Create “bills” on index cards, one per card (see sample ideas in textbox follow-

ing). Choose content that is interesting and relevant to participants (e.g.,“There should be 30 extra minutes of recess per day.”). Include content likelyto bring out both positive and negative reactions.

• Place “bills” face down on the chair in the middle of the semi-circle.

DESCRIPTION Participants simulate the lawmakingprocess and learn how citizens canparticipate. This activity can be tai-lored to the federal lawmakingprocess or your state’s lawmakingprocess.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Understand the lawmaking process.• Simulate the lawmaking process.• Understand how citizens partici-

pate in the lawmaking process.

LEARNING AND LIFE SKILLS Responsible citizenship; decisionmaking

MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICS Public policy; knowledge of government

NATIONAL STANDARDS FORCIVICS AND GOVERNMENT This activity is designed to meet thefollowing voluntary K-4 and 5-8 stan-dards from the National Standardsfor Civics and Government, pub-lished and directed by the Center forCivic Education and funded by theU.S. Department of Education andthe Pew Charitable Trusts.• Standard I.A. (K-4): Students

should be able to provide a basicdescription of government.


• Standard V.E. (5-8): Studentsshould be able to describe themeans by which Americans canmonitor and influence politics andgovernment.

Ideas for sample bills

• Kids have to wear helmets whenever they ride bicycles.

• Vending machines will not be allowed in schools.

• There will be an extra hour of (subject) class every day and no (subject) class.

• Everyone in the school must volunteer every week (at a soup kitchen or other

community organization).

• No one should be allowed to own a gun.

• Bullies are not allowed to have recess.

• Kids who wear glasses should not be allowed to hang out with kids who don’t

wear glasses.

• The United States will not be able to start a war.

• Kids are limited to 30 minutes of computer use per day.

• People who are guilty of lying will go to jail for one week.




ACTIVITY: Bill Becomes a LawDuring the meeting 1. Explain that the group is going to discuss how decisions are made that

affect the laws in our country. Ask participants to name a law. After severalexamples, ask if anyone knows how these laws came to be.

2. Distribute the handout How Laws Are Made to each participant. Explainthat in government, an idea for a new law is called a bill. For a bill to become a real law, five groups/individuals must approve it: The House of Representatives, a House Committee, the Senate, a SenateCommittee, and finally the President/Governor. Briefly explain what each group/individual role is in the lawmaking process, using the index cards previously prepared.

3. Divide participants into a House of Representatives and a Senate. Pick about one-third of the members of each House and Senate groups to act ascommittee members. Ask them to sit at the pre-configured tables. Give eachgroup the index card that describes their role. Note: You can act as thePresident/Governor, or assign someone this role. The President/Governorshould go to the podium/table.

4. Explain that the group is going to play the role of the government anddecide if bills should become laws. Refer to the How Laws Are Madehandout to remind everyone how the process works. Explain that there are a set of bills that the group needs to decide upon. Let the House and Senatecommittees alternate picking bills from the chair in the center of the semi-circle. Let them briefly talk about the bill idea in the committee group, andif they approve it, have them join the rest of the House/Senate to vote on thebill. If it’s approved, pass it to the other (House/Senate) committee, andrepeat the process. If at any point the bill is tabled or defeated, simply put itaside and move on to the next bill. If both groups approve the bill, then thePresident/Governor decides whether to sign or veto the bill. If it’s signed,announce that the bill has become a law, and post it on the wall with tape.





S H A R E • Ask the group to share their reac-

tions from the activity.

P R O C E S S • Were there any bills that someone

wanted to see passed but whichwere defeated?

• What was it like when thePresident/Governor vetoed a bill?

• Was it difficult to make a billbecome a law?

G E N E R A L I Z E • Where did the bills come from?

Where do bills come from in reallife? (Explain that average citizenscan write bills and encourage repre-sentatives in the House or theSenate to introduce them.)

• Is it difficult for bad laws to getpassed using this process? Why?

A P P LY• How can we share our ideas with

our representatives in the House orthe Senate?

• What are some of your ideas forreal laws?

• What would you have to do then toget your ideas made into real laws?

ACTIVITY: Bill Becomes a Law

T R Y T H I S , T O O• Have the group write a letter to the

local congressperson concerning areal issue See the “Writing a Letterto a Member of Congress” section ofChapter Eight for a sample letter.

• The group can elect a memberfrom among them to serve asPresident/Governor for this activity.

• Let the group come up with theirown ideas for bills, either before theactivity or after they have decidedon several of the prepared bills.

• Include the two-thirds overrideprocess into the activity if thePresident/Governor vetoes the bill(this should be explained prior tothe simulation).

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• Index cards• Tape• Markers or pens • Photocopy of handout How Laws

Are Made for each participant

TIME 60 minutes

SETTING Four large tables total for Housemembers, House committee mem-bers, Senate members and Senatecommittee members; and a smalltable or podium for thePresident/Governor. These should bearranged in a semi-circle. A chair isplaced in the middle of the semi-cir-cle (for bills).




HANDOUT: How Laws Are Made*Let’s pretend the voters from Senator Jones’ state (constituents) want a law requiring seatbelts on school buses. He and

his staff write a bill, which is a draft (early version) of the proposed law. The bill is then passed out to each Senator. A

Standing Committee (a small, permanent group made up of legislators who studies and reports on bills) reviews the bill

and does one of three things:

1. Sends the bill back with no changes.

2. Makes changes and sends it back.

3. Tables the bill – In other words, they can do nothing.

If the committee sends it back with no changes, then the bill goes on the Senate’s calendar to be voted on. When that

day comes, the bill is voted on and over half of the senators (51 of 100) must vote yes to pass it.

If the bill is passed by the Senate, it then moves to the other branch of Congress, the House of Representatives. The bill

goes to a House committee, which studies the bill, and then is voted on by the representatives. Just as in the Senate,

over half of the representatives (218 of 435) must vote yes to pass the bill.

If the bill is passed in both the Senate and House, the bill goes to the President of the United States. If the president

signs the bill, it then becomes a law. It may also become law if the president does not sign it for 10 days. If the president

rejects (vetoes) the bill, it can still become a law if two-thirds of the Senate and two-thirds of the House then vote in

favor of the bill.

A bill may begin in either the Senate or the House of Representatives. So, Representative Smith could introduce a bill of

her own just like Senator Jones. This bill would take the same steps only it would begin in the House of Representatives

instead of the Senate.

*Obtained as public domain from U.S. Government Printing Office (July, 2007).

IN THE SENATE OFTHE UNITED STATES

BILLProhibiting the manufacture,sale, delivery, or importationof school buses that do nothave seat belts. No personshall manufacture, sell,deliver, or import any school

IN THE SENATE OFTHE UNITED STATES

LAWProhibiting the manufacture,sale, delivery, or importationof school buses that do nothave seat belts. No personshall manufacture, sell,deliver, or import any school

SENATE

HOUSE

SENATE COMMITTEE

HOUSE COMMITTEE

PRESIDENT




ACTIVITY: Petition Mission (Simple)


During the meeting 1. Ask participants what they do when they want

something from somebody. Allow for someresponses. Ask what they do when they wantsomething from a parent or a teacher. After sev-eral responses, explain that the group is going toexplore a different way to ask for something froma person with authority.

2. Ask the group what the word authority means.Authority is the power to control, command and make decisions. Ask the groupif they know anybody who has authority. If they are unhappy with the waysomeone uses authority, what can they do?

3. Divide participants into small teams of four or five each. Let them choose anauthority figure that they all know (they may want to choose you or anotherperson). Ask teams to brainstorm some requests they would like to make of theauthority figure. After about a few minutes of discussion, ask teams to chooseone request that they want to make of the authority figure.

4. Act as the authority figure and ask one person from each team to come forward(one at a time) and make the chosen request. Give a short, negative answer tothe request. (“Sorry, that’s not possible.”)

5. Explain that a great way to communicate with an authority figure is to write apetition. A petition is a letter sent to someone with authority, asking for a favoror a right. It is signed by a group who all agree with what the petition is asking.Give the Petition handout to each team. Lead teams through each step to fill itout. Make sure they all sign the petition!

6. Role play, as in Step 4, but this time let all the members of each team approachyou (the authority figure) and present their petition. Give a response that posi-tively reinforces their request, such as, “Thank you for your request. It seemslike you and your team have put a lot of thought into this issue. I will read thisover and give you a response.”

DESCRIPTION Participants learn what a petition isand how it serves as a way of com-municating with decision makers andauthority figures. They think aboutreal-life requests that they wouldmake of authority figures and prac-tice writing a petition.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Know what a petition is.• Identify individuals and/or groups

with authority.• Consider rights and benefits they

would like to have.• Write a petition.

LEARNING AND LIFE SKILLS Responsible citizenship; communication

MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICS Public policy




For younger groups, you may need to

help participants fill out the petition

form and generate requests.

• Standard V.E. (5-8): Studentsshould be able to describe themeans by which Americans canmonitor and influence politics andgovernment.

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• Several photocopies of handout

Petition

TIME30 minutes

SETTINGTables for each of the teams





S H A R E • Ask the group to share their

reactions from the activity.

P R O C E S S • How did it feel to be the one per-

son who made the request of theauthority figure?

• How did it feel to be part of theteam that made the request of theauthority figure?

• Which way of making a request wasmore effective? Why?

• Why is it important to have peoplesign the petition?

G E N E R A L I Z E • When we want something from an

authority figure, why is it better tohave the support of many people?

• Which other issues could you writea petition for?

A P P LY• Which other people or group could

we write petitions to? • How can you use what you learned

today to make changes?

ACTIVITY: Petition MissionT R Y T H I S , T O O• Let participants write and deliver a

petition to a real authority figure(for example, teacher, principal,community leader). Make sure it’srespectful.

• Go to the Library of Congress website (http://thomas.loc.gov) andsearch for real bills in Congress.Search for issues that might beinteresting to your group. Prepareseveral bill summaries before theactivity. Give participants thechoice of which bill they would liketo support or oppose with a peti-tion. Let the group send thepetition or write a letter (see“Writing a Letter to a Member ofCongress” in Chapter Eight) to aU.S. member of Congress.




HANDOUT: PetitionTITLE OF PETITION:

A petition of ___________________________________________________________________________________(Name of group or individual that writes the petition)

Addressed to ___________________________________________________________________________________(Name of the person that you will give the petition to)

We would like to tell you about the following issue:

What do you want?

Agreed upon by the following people:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.




Camino, L. and S. Zeldin. (2002). From periphery to center: Pathways foryouth civic engagement in the day-to-day life of communities. AppliedDevelopmental Science, 6(4), 213-220.


Center for Civic Education. (2003). National standards for civics and government.Retrieved April 5, 2007, from http://www.civiced.org/stds.html.

The Library of Congress. (n.d.). Thomas. Retrieved April 9, 2007, fromhttp://thomas.loc.gov/.

Mohamed, I. A. and W. Wheeler. (2001). Broadening the bounds of youth devel-opment: Youth as engaged citizens. Chevy Chase, MD: The Innovation Center forCommunity and Youth Development and The Ford Foundation.

U.S. Government Printing Office. (2003). How laws are made. Ben’s Guide toU.S. Government. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved April, 9, 2007, fromhttp://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/lawmaking/example.html.

Chapter References

I S S U E S A N D G O V E R N M E N T

Chapter

7A F T E R - S C H O O L A C T I V I T I E S F O R C I T I Z E N S H I P , L E A D E R S H I P A N D S E R V I C E

Chapter 7 98




Chapter 799I S S U E S A N D G O V E R N M E N T

It can be difficult to develop andmaintain an interest in things likegovernment, community service andcitizenship just for the sake of know-ing about them. Some people enjoymemorizing the structure of govern-ment and the names of variousgovernment officials. Indeed, this is akey part of being civically engaged,but for many people it often takesmore to spark an initial interest.When we begin to think about civicengagement in the context of issuesand problems that affect our lives andthe lives of people around us, theideas of government, community serviceand citizenship become more real andmeaningful.

Issues and Government

“Government happens in the context of issues.”

— Elizabeth Moore, Michigan State University Extension Public Policy Specialist


Chapter 7 100 I S S U E S A N D G O V E R N M E N T


K E E P I T F O C U S E D O N T H E I S S U E SUnderstanding and awareness of pub-lic and community issues is a keycomponent of civic engagement. Tostand up for the rights of oneself andothers, it’s first necessary to look atwhere these rights are not being fullyrespected. It’s also important to lookat how things can be improved uponeven in instances where there are noclear problems.

When we come across a point or mat-ter in our communities over whichthere is a desire for change, we arepresented with an issue. Issues rangefrom minor concerns (for example,whether or not to install a street light)to problems and concerns of greaterconsequence (for example, what to doabout poverty). If a decision can bemade to affect the matter, then thematter becomes an issue.


Issues of public importance affect allof us, to varying degrees of signifi-cance. Everyone in a community hasan interest in how an issue is decided,whether they know it or not. Thisinterest often takes the form of taxesthat people pay to finance publicspending. For example, a city maydebate whether to install anotherstreet light. The outcome of this deci-sion may mean very little to somepeople, but may be a critical safetyissue to those who live near the pro-posed street light. But as taxpayers,everyone has an interest, since it’stheir money that will pay for thestreetlight. The taxes used for buyingand installing the streetlight couldhave been spent instead on basketballhoops or dog-walking paths. Publicand community issues are often amatter of money and a question ofwho pays for what.

“The majority of young people are convinced that supporting a social

cause is something they should do. However, there is a strong disparity

between interest and involvement, an ‘activation gap,’ and there is signifi-

cant room for growth.

Less than a third do something on a weekly basis and interest far exceeds

involvement, as 38% describe themselves as very interested, but only 19%

are very involved.”

— MTV, 2006.




B E C O M I N G I N F O R M E DIssues grab us. Some of us becomeinterested because of the personalconsequences decision making canhave; some of us become interestedout of compassion for others; andsometimes these two motivationsoverlap. To understand which issuesour communities face, we have toresearch, ask questions, explore andthink critically. Even if we areunaware of an issue, it can still impactus. There are a variety of ways to learnabout community issues, and theactivities in this chapter offer a num-ber of approaches. After we have an understanding ofsome key issues in our communities,the next step is to identify whichissues we want to work on. Theseshould be issues that we considerimportant and are passionate about.The problems that we focus on willserve as the vehicle for learning howlocal government works and howcommunity action happens.

C O N N E C T I V I T YWe live in an increasingly intercon-nected world. It’s no longer sufficientto understand an issue or problem inthe context of our neighborhood, cityor country. What happens on theother side of the world can affect ourlives here in the United States, just asour actions can have consequences forpeople in other cities, states andnations. This reality creates many chal-lenges for civically minded individuals:we can’t simply be concerned solelywith the events of our own town orcity.

An understanding of how issues gobeyond boundaries is key to getting tothe bottom of them. A good way ofdemonstrating the connectivity ofissues is to examine how prominentnational and international issues andnews stories affect us in our communi-ties. From there, we can brainstormhow we can, in turn, affect the issues.For example, how does the problem ofworld hunger affect our neighbor-hoods? There may be local concerns ofmalnutrition and poverty; there maybe local organizations established withthe mission of combating hunger; andtax dollars in our communities pay forfood aid to foreign countries. Thebroader question is how can we, inour communities, affect world hunger?

To answer, we can use what we knowabout government, policy and servicelearning. Examples of taking action tocombat world hunger would be writ-ing to congressmen and women toincrease aid to poor countries, organiz-ing a fundraiser to benefit aninternational charity or educatingcommunity members about worldpoverty.





ACTIVITY: You Have to Represent (Simple)


During the meeting 1. Ask the question, “Who makes laws?” After fielding responses, add that people

who make laws are called legislators. There are different legislators for eachschool, city, county, state and country. Ask if anybody knows the name of a leg-islator, then give the names of some of the local, state or national legislatorsfrom your area.

2. Discuss with the group who can be a legislator. In most cases, anyone who is 18years or older can become a legislator and make laws—a teacher, lawyer, doctor,businessperson—anybody. Even high-school students have been elected as legis-lators for their schools and towns. Explain that legislators are elected by voters.

3. Ask for two volunteers. Give each volunteer one profile from the CandidateProfile handout. (Give one volunteer Candidate Profile A1 and the otherCandidate Profile A2.) Explain that each volunteer is a legislative candidate. Thegroup must vote for one or the other by raising their hand. Let volunteers readtheir profiles and, afterwards, ask the group to vote for their favorite candidate.Announce the winner. Ask for two new volunteers and repeat with new pairs(B1 with B2, C1 with C2 and D1 with D2).

DESCRIPTION Participants learn who can be a legis-lator and how candidates use issuesto influence elections.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Define the term legislator and

understand who can be a legislatorand how they are elected.

• Understand the importance of voting.

LEARNING AND LIFE SKILLS Responsible citizenship

MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICS Issues; knowledge of government



• Standard III.E. (K-4): Studentsshould be able to identify themembers of the legislativebranches and the heads of theexecutive branches of their local,state, and national governments.

• Standard V.E. (5-8): Studentsshould be able to explain theimportance of political leadershipand public service in a constitu-tional democracy.





P R O C E S S• How did you decide who to vote

for? • Why did you choose the candidate

that you did?

G E N E R A L I Z E • Why is it important to vote? • What if only half the group voted—

would the decision still be the same? • When we vote in real elections, how

can we make the best decision aboutwhich candidate to vote for?(Explain that legislators get electedby knowing what voters want andmaking decisions that benefit theirvoters.)

• As a candidate, how can you knowwhat voters want?

• As a voter, how can you let yourlegislator know what you want?

A P P LY • What do you think you would have

to do if you decided you wanted tobe a legislator? (Explain that to beelected as a legislator, you have torun a campaign. Your campaign ishow you make people want to votefor you.) How can you make peoplewant to vote for you?

ACTIVITY: You Have to RepresentT R Y T H I S , T O O• Gather information on candidates in

real (recent or upcoming) elections.Explain to the group who the candi-dates are, which offices they arerunning for and what each office isresponsible for. Present each candi-date’s (abbreviated) platform. Havethe group vote (by ballot or handraising) for the candidate they prefer.Also, try assigning real-life candi-dates to participants and let themresearch information about the candidate.

• As a follow-up, contact the localpolling station to arrange a visit forthe group. Coordinate a tour of thefacility, an explanation of the votingprocess and an opportunity for par-ticipants to simulate voting usingreal ballots or voting machines.

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• Photocopy of handout Candidate

Profiles, cut into individual profiles


SETTING No tables necessary




HANDOUT: Candidate ProfileI am running for the U.S. Senate. I will end all wars thatthe United States is involved in. Instead of spendingmoney on wars, I will spend it on helping the poor. I willmake sure that everyone can get health care if they aresick or injured.

A1

I am running for the State of _________________ House ofRepresentatives. I will build a new state prison to lock upmore criminals. I will pass a law that makes people wearhelmets when they ride bikes. I will ban vendingmachines from schools.

B1

I am running for the City Council of ________________. I will build a new park in the city with basketball and volleyball courts and baseball, football and soccer fields.I will fix all the sidewalks in the city and make it a $100fine for littering in a public place.

C1

I am running for the School Board of ___________________School. I will require an extra hour of math everyday forall students. I will make the school day 30 minuteslonger, and make recess shorter. I will buy 100 new computers for the school. I will hire more hall monitorsto make school safer.

D1

I am running for the U.S. Senate. I will protect the UnitedStates from terrorism and attack any country that is athreat. I will lower taxes and make sure that everyonecan get a good job.

A2

I am running for the State of ________________ House ofRepresentatives. I will give more money to schools sothat they can hire more teachers to help kids learn. I willpass a law that makes schools stop bullies. I will createmore jobs for people.

B2

I am running for the City Council of ________________. I will build a youth center in the city with a library, com-puters and video games. I will install more street lightsand hire extra police officers to make the city safer.

C2

I am running for the School Board of __________________School. I will let students run in the hallways. I will let students go on a field trip every week. I will buy newschool buses. I will add an extra recess every day.Students also won’t have to study English.

D2




ACTIVITY: The Campaign Game (Simple)

P R O C E D U R EBefore the meeting • Review activity directions and materials. • Arrange for a city councilmember to visit the

group. Send a letter to the official at least fourweeks before the desired meeting date. (See“Sample Letter to a Public Official to Request aMeeting” in Chapter Eight.) Follow up with atelephone call to the official’s office soon aftersending the letter, and make a second call nearthe meeting date to confirm. Make sure to senda thank-you letter afterward.

During the meeting 1. Ask the invited councilmember to speak about his or her responsibilities, work,

campaign, career path and city issues. Give the group sufficient time to askquestions.

2. Explain to the group that they are all going to organize mock campaigns to runfor a legislative position in their city government, part of the city council.Participants have to convince people to vote for them by coming up with ideasfor laws and rules, designing campaign posters and giving a short speech tellingwhy they would be good council members.

3. Give everyone a copy of the Platform handout. Explain that a platform is a listof things a legislator would want to do or their ideas to help the city. Haveeveryone fill in ideas that they have, rules they would like and things theywould change for their city if elected. If the group struggles to come up withideas, give examples (build new parks, have a 4th of July parade, give moremoney to libraries, etc.).

4. Next, using posterboard, markers and other decorations, let everyone maketheir own campaign poster. The posters should be catchy and include names,slogans and ideas from platforms.

5. Ask participants, one at a time, to give a short speech, using their posters toexplain platforms and telling the group why they deserve votes.

6. Make sure to collect the participants’ completed Platform handouts for the nextactivity, “City Planning.”

DESCRIPTION Participants meet with a city councilmember. They run a mockcampaign for a local governmentoffice and create their own legislativeplatform ideas.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Create their own mock campaigns

with platforms.

LEARNING AND LIFE SKILLS Responsible citizenship;planning/organizing

MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICS Issues; knowledge of government;public policy

NATIONAL STANDARDS FORCIVICS AND GOVERNMENT This activity is designed to meet thefollowing voluntary K-4 and 5-8 stan-dards from the National Standardsfor Civics and Government, pub-lished and directed by the Center forCivic Education and funded by theU.S. Department of Education andthe Pew Charitable Trusts.• Standard V.H. (K-4): Students

should be able to explain andapply criteria useful in selectingleaders in their school, community,state, and nation.

• Standard III.F. (5-8): Studentsshould be able to explain howpolitical parties, campaigns, andelections provide opportunities forcitizens to participate in the politi-cal process.

It would be helpful to do the activity

“Putting Your Neighborhood on the

Map” in Chapter Five before trying

this activity, so that the group is aware

of community issues.





P R O C E S S• How did you decide what to put on

your platform? • Did you choose your ideas based on

what you want or on what youthought others would want?

• After hearing everyone’s speech,which candidate(s) would you bemost likely to vote for (other thanyourself)? Why?

G E N E R A L I Z E • How can we decide who to vote for

in real elections? • Where can we learn about what dif-

ferent real-life candidates believe andwhich opinions they have on issues?

A P P LY • What do you think you would have

to do if you decided you wanted tobe a legislator? (Explain that to beelected as a legislator, you have torun a campaign. Your campaign ishow you make people want to votefor you.) How can you make peoplewant to vote for you?

ACTIVITY: The Campaign GameT R Y T H I S , T O O• If it’s more convenient and/or rele-

vant, invite a member of the villagecouncil, township or county govern-ment to present at the meeting.

• Instead of conducting mock cam-paigns, organize elections for theafter-school club government. Haveoffices for president, vice-president,secretary and treasurer. Encouragemembers to make themselves candi-dates and organize campaigns.

• Let participants organize aparty/forum where everyone givestheir speeches and presents theirposters.

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• Pencils • Posterboard• Markers• Other craft materials for decoration • Photocopy of handout Platform for

each participant






HANDOUT: PlatformLAWS I WOULD LIKE TO THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO

IDEAS FOR MY CITY HAVE IN MY CITY CHANGE IN MY CITY




ACTIVITY: City Planning (Challenging)

P R O C E D U R EBefore the meeting • Review activity directions and materials.• Complete “The Campaign Game” activity with the group to get them

thinking about issues in their city that they support and oppose.

During the meeting 1. Explain that everyone has been elected to the city council. They are all now leg-

islators! Explain that, as legislators, to pass laws and policies, they have to workwith other legislators. This often involves compromise. Compromise meanskeeping some of your ideas and changing some ideas so that they fit with thelarger group.

2. Break participants into two teams and give each the City Policies handout. Askteams to use their platforms from “The Campaign Game” activity to come upwith a list of five ideas for change for their city. Teams should appoint a recorderto write the ideas down on the handout. Provide guidance for each team as theygo through the process of compromising.

3. Once each team has come up with a list, swap lists between the two teams.

DESCRIPTION Participants practice consensus build-ing and compromise by generating alist of policies for their city. This activ-ity should be done after “TheCampaign Game” activity.

ACTIVITY OBJECTIVESParticipants:• Build consensus to create city

policies.

LEARNING AND LIFE SKILLS Planning/organizing; cooperation

MAJOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TOPICS Issues; public policy; character

NATIONAL STANDARDS FORCIVICS AND GOVERNMENT This activity is designed to meet thefollowing voluntary K-4 and 5-8 stan-dards from the National Standardsfor Civics and Government, pub-lished and directed by the Center forCivic Education and funded by theU.S. Department of Education andthe Pew Charitable Trusts.• Standard I.H. (K-4): Students

should be able to explain why lim-iting the powers of government isimportant to their own lives.

• Standard II.D. (5-8): Studentsshould be able to evaluate, take,and defend positions on issues inwhich fundamental values andprinciples are in conflict.

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT, HANDOUTS• Completed Platform handouts

from the previous activity• Pencils• 2 photocopies of handout City

Policies





S H A R E• Which ideas are the same on both

team lists? • Which ideas are different?

P R O C E S S • How did your team decide which

ideas to put on the list or keep offthe list?

• What was frustrating about compromising?

• What can your two teams do to create one final list?

G E N E R A L I Z E • In government or in our communi-

ties, how can people with differentideas work together to make change?

• Why is it important to limit individ-ual’s or group’s power to make rulesand laws?

A P P LY • Let the two teams work together to

come up with a final list of five laws.

T R Y T H I S , T O O• Present the ideas that the group

came up with for change to anactual city council. Deliver the ideasto the city council through the mail.Or, let youth participants attend thecouncil meeting and present theirideas. Visit your city governmentweb site to find out how to arrangea presentation at a council meeting.

ACTIVITY: City PlanningTIME 30 to 45 minutes

SETTING Table and chairs




HANDOUT: City PoliciesWe declare the five following policies for our city:

1. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Councilmember signatures:




Breckenridge, L. and S. Stokley. (2001). America’s Legislators Back to SchoolWeek—elementary school lesson plans. Trust for representative democracy. Denver,CO: National Conference of State Legislators.

Center for Civic Education. (2003). National standards for civics and government.Retrieved April 5, 2007, from http://www.civiced.org/stds.html.

Mohamed, I. A. and W. Wheeler. (2001). Broadening the bounds of youth devel-opment: Youth as engaged citizens. Chevy Chase, MD: The Innovation Center forCommunity and Youth Development and The Ford Foundation.

MTV. (2006). MTV releases results from Just Cause research study provides insighton motivating young people to volunteer. Retrieved April 10, 2007, fromhttp://www.mtv.com/thinkmtv/research/pdf/Just.Cause.FNL.APX.pdf.

Chapter References


Chapter 8 112


I N V O L V I N G F A M I L Y A N D T H E C O M M U N I T Y

Chapter

8



Chapter 8113I N V O LV I N G F A M I LY A N D T H E C O M M U N I T Y

It’s important to spread the word inyour community about 4-HAfterschool programs. You’ll increaseparticipation by letting youth andtheir parents who could benefit fromthe programs know how to getinvolved. You’ll achieve academic,government and business communitysupport that may result in better facil-ities, funding and/or volunteerparticipation. By making 4-HAfterschool highly visible and show-ing its value to the community, you’llhelp ensure the future of after-schoolprogramming.

The web sites www.4husa.org andwww.4hafterschool.org have resourcesto enhance your promotional efforts.Visit the Media Resources section todownload graphics, sample newsreleases and get great ideas to try inyour area.

Here are some ideas for how to promote your program:

1. Engage youth and adults. Ask youthand mentors to form a publicitycommittee to generate ideas andcreate a plan for publicizing theprogram.

2. Get your story in print. Draft a newsrelease and send it to local newspa-pers, newsletters and communityweb sites. Think about places otherthan the main newspaper, such asschool, residential community andlocal business newsletters as well.

3. Hold special events. Hold a high-

Promoting Your 4-H Afterschool Program

profile special event to bring atten-tion to your program, such as aLights On Afterschool! event or afamily activity night.

4. Take photographs. It’s easy to use adigital camera to document themany memorable moments in yourprogram. Send them to the localnewspaper along with a newsrelease about an interesting project.Create a scrapbook to display whenyou participate in communityevents. Use photographs to illus-trate brochures and posters.Challenge youth to create collagesthat can be displayed in locallibraries or stores. High-resolutiondigital photos are best, but high-quality prints also are acceptable.Remember to get parent/guardianpermission to use the photos. Goto 4husa.org or 4hafterschool.orgfor a sample permission form.

5. Participate in community events.The youth in your programs areyour best salespeople. Have themdemonstrate the many activitiesthey experience in your 4-HAfterschool program by setting uptables at art shows, food festivalsand farmers markets or marchingin holiday parades.

6. Create a web site. Involve youth increating a web page on your pro-gram. Make sure you includephotos and quotes from youngpeople and timely content such as acalendar of events or stories aboutprojects you’re working on or haverecently completed.

7. Contact radio or television stations.Ask youth and mentors to contactradio and television stations topitch stories about your programs.

8. Give presentations. Communitygroups and government bodies arealways interested in having guestsshare their activities. Ask youth togive presentations about what theydid and learned while participatingin your program.

9. Prepare an impact report.Periodically, prepare a brief reportabout the impact and outcomes ofthe program. Share this report withkey decision makers and potentialfunders in your community.


Chapter 8 114 I N V O LV I N G F A M I LY A N D T H E C O M M U N I T Y


C O M M U N I T Y S E R V I C E -L E A R N I N G P R O J E C T SAn excellent way to increase the visi-bility of your 4-H Afterschoolprogram is to get your group engagedin community service-learning pro-jects. Not only is this a way for youthto begin seeing themselves as mem-bers of the community and learningabout their responsibility as citizens,it’s also a way for community mem-bers to learn about the activities ofyour 4-H Afterschool program. SeeChapter Five for more informationabout how to start a community ser-vice-learning project.

Some community service ideas thatwork especially well with 5- to 8-yearolds include:

• Leading bingo games, singingfavorite tunes, talking with resi-dents and bringing small pets onvisits to adult foster care or retire-ment homes. Youth could also puton a skit or a puppet show.

• Painting trash barrels and benchesat community parks and countyfairgrounds. They can also paintover graffiti at these sites.

• Planting flowers and trees in ceme-teries and local parks and atcommunity centers and countyfairgrounds.


• Painting and filling clay pots withplants for delivery to elderly or ail-ing people.

• Making and hanging decorationsand artwork at community centers,facilities for people with disabilitiesand hospitals.

• Making sandwiches for local soupkitchens.

• Preparing and performing puppetshows at libraries, hospitals andcommunity festivals.

• Trick-or-treating for canned goods.• Donating their used books, toys

and clothes to a local charity. Theitems could also be sold at a groupgarage sale and the profits given toa local charity.

• Being pen pals with overseas U.S.military personnel. (Younger 4-H'ers may need help from oldermembers.)

• Hosting a party to welcome newyouth into the community.

• Collecting litter in a park or alongsidewalks.

• Decorating a bulletin board at acommunity center or library.

• Collecting new or gently used toysfor a shelter.




Community service ideas that workespecially well with 9- to 12-year oldsinclude:• Collecting backpacks and school

supplies for children who can'tafford them.

• Making bird feeders and setting upbird feeding stations at hospitals,schools and community sites.

• Brainstorming issues in the schoolor community to research and thenpresenting findings to school, cityor county officials with the goal ofdoing a service project to solve theproblem.

• Researching after-school programissues (for example, respect for fel-low after-school team members)and making posters to display con-cerning the issue.

• Setting up pen-pal relationshipswith children from another countryor another part of the United Statesand sharing ways to help neighbor-hoods.

• Starting an after-school literature orreading club with younger children.

• Painting trash barrels and benchesat community parks and countyfairgrounds.


• Planting flowers in cemeteries andlocal parks and at community cen-ters, facilities for people withdisabilities and hospitals.

• Collecting hats, scarves and mittensand using them to decorate a holi-day tree for a local shelter.

• Making cards for Veterans Day.Celebrating with veterans at a vet-erans organization or veteranshospital.

• Collecting new sleeping bags andteddy bears for homeless children.Purchasing and decorating bear-sized T-shirts with fabric paint,then visiting a shelter to give thedonated items to children. Sharinga meal with residents and doingstory time together as a group.

• Becoming a pen pal with an elderlyor shut-in resident in the commu-nity.

• Helping serve dinner at a homelessshelter.

• Working as volunteers at theSpecial Olympics.

• Gathering gently used books andtoys that have been outgrown anddonating the items to children infoster care.




Working closely with policy makersenhances young people’s civic compe-tency and gives the program moreexposure. Policy makers can beimportant allies in expanding theresources available to support after-school programs. By showing policymakers the educational, social andpolitical benefits of the 4-HAfterschool program, they will bemore inclined to support after-schoolprogramming in general and push forexpanded resources for these pro-grams.

One option for making contact withpolicy makers is to write letters insupport or opposition to public policyproposals. These letters will make pol-icy makers aware of the group’sinterest in public policy and theirexperience in learning about civicengagement. Another way to foster arelationship is to invite policy makersto meet with the after-school group.Following are two sample letters forinitiating these types of outreach.

Relationships With Policy Makers




Relationships With Policy MakersWriting a Letter to a Member of Congress

To Your U.S. Senator: To Your U.S. Representative: The Honorable (full name) The Honorable (full name)(Room #) (Name) Senate Office Building (Room #) (Name) House Office BuildingUnited States Senate United States House of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515

Dear Senator Smith: Dear Representative Smith:

Begin by clearly stating who you are and the purpose of your letter. As the activity leader, you will need to research currentlegislation beforehand and paraphrase it, using terms that are understandable to your group. You can find current legisla-tion in Congress at http://thomas.loc.gov and http://www.gpoaccess.gov. Example:

My name is John Doe, and I am a member of the 4-H Afterschool program at Anytown Elementary School in Anytown,USA. Our group is learning about and practicing civic engagement to become better citizens in our democracy. I amwriting today to urge you to support/oppose (choose one the following prefixes with the appropriate number, ex.House Bill, H.R.1069):

House Bills: "H.R._____" Senate Bills: "S._____"House Resolutions: "H.RES._____" Senate Resolutions: "S.RES._____"House Joint Resolutions: "H.J.RES._____" Senate Joint Resolutions: "S.J.RES._____"

Make one or two points in support of your position. Include facts and statistics to strengthen your argument. Informationrelating to legislation can often be found in the text of bills or resolutions; further research can be done with books andnewspapers, by going online, or through interviews. Example:

Gang violence is a serious problem in many communities in the United States. There are an estimated 24,500 gangs inthis country. Youth in gangs commit 11 percent of all crimes and are three times as likely to commit a violent crime com-pared to youth who are not in gangs. In my neighborhood in Anytown there are several gangs, and children in myneighborhood don’t feel safe.

Close your letter by restating you purpose and by asking for follow-up. Example:

H.R. 1069 will help improve the gang situation in the United States. Can I count on your support for H.R. 1069 and forAmerica’s youth? Please let me know if I can count on your support in Congress.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,




Relationships With Policy MakersSample Letter to a Public Official to Request a Meeting

Date

Councilman John DoeAnytown City Council Building 1234 Main StreetAnytown, USA 12345

Dear Councilman Doe,

On behalf of the 4-H Afterschool program at Anytown Elementary School, I am writing to invite you to attend one ofour meetings to talk with our young people. Our group has an interest in civic engagement, and part of that is learningabout how government works. It would be a great opportunity for our members to meet with you and learn more aboutthe human side of government and politics. We believe that this experience would go a long way toward increasing civicinterest and participation in our young people.

We would appreciate it if you could visit our group at Anytown Elementary School and talk for approximately 30 minutesabout the responsibilities of your office, the type of work that you do and how you became involved in politics. Wewould also like to have time for a brief question and answer period at the conclusion of your remarks.

Thank you for your consideration of this request. We will be in touch with your office regarding a mutually convenienttime to meet. If you have any questions, please contact me at (123) 555-1234.

Sincerely,




Another way to publicize the activitiesof a 4-H Afterschool program is toget others involved. Invite family andcommunity members to join in theprocess as youth learn about localissues. Encourage young people to doresearch projects on communityissues, interview policy makers ormembers of public organizations ormake visits to government buildings.There is ample opportunity for adultinvolvement in these activities, andthe collective attitude of adult-youthpartnerships has been shown tostrengthen civic engagement. The fol-lowing is a sample letter to parents orguardians encouraging their participa-tion in their child’s research projecton a community issue.

Involving Families and Community Members




Involving Families and Community Members

Sample Letter to Parent/Guardian in Support of a Research Project

Dear Parent/Guardian,

As part of your child’s participation in the 4-H Afterschool program at Anytown Elementary School, he/she is learningabout civic engagement. An important part of being civically engaged is identifying and understanding issues in thecommunity. Your child’s group has identified gang violence as an issue that they would like to learn more about. Prior tonext week’s meeting, all of the club members are doing research on this issue to better understand it and to share theirfindings. You can help your child research this issue in a variety of ways:

• Talk with your child about this issue.• Visit the local library to find books or articles related to this issue.• Browse the Internet to find resources related to this issue.• Identify someone who knows something about this issue for your child to interview. • Take a walk in your neighborhood to help your child learn more about this issue.

Thank you for your participation in helping your child learn more about civic engagement!

Sincerely,




Michigan State University Extension, 4-H Youth Development. Community ser-vice activity ideas for 5- to 8-year-olds. Retrieved April 5, 2007, fromhttp://web1.msue.msu.edu/cyf/youth/commserv/commserv5-8.html.

Michigan State University Extension, 4-H Youth Development. Community ser-vice activity ideas for 9- to 12-year-olds. Retrieved April 5, 2007, fromhttp://web1.msue.msu.edu/cyf/youth/commserv/commserv9-12.html.

Chapter References

A P P E N D I X A

Resources


Appendix A 122




Appendix A123R E S O U R C E S

Advanced Public Speaking Institutehttp://www.public-speaking.orgExtensive resources on various dimensions of publicspeaking that can be adapted for younger audiences.

American FactFinder, U.S. Census Bureau.http://factfinder.census.govEnter your city, town, county or zip code to get a factsheet with social, economic and housing characteristicsof your community.

CHARACTER COUNTS! Josephson Institute of Ethicshttp://www.charactercounts.org/defsix.htmProvides information and resources connected to the SixPillars of Character.

Contacting The Congresshttp://www.visi.com/juan/congressAn up-to-date database of congressional contact information; useful for writing letters to members of Congress.

Cyberschoolbus Global Teaching and Learning Project,United Nationshttp://www.un.org/cyberschoolbusOffers a global education perspective through numerousresources and curricula. Topics include poverty, racialdiscrimination, world hunger, indigenous people, peaceand human rights.

Elementary Research Techniques, Saint Paul PublicSchools Educational Technology Department, St. PaulMinnesotahttp://connect.spps.org/Elementary_Research_Techniques2.html Provides a useful model for helping elementary-agedyouth conduct research projects.

Lights On Afterschool, Afterschool Alliancehttp://www.afterschoolalliance.org/lights_on/index.cfmA variety of resources to help promote your after-schoolprogram, including sample advertisements and posters,invitations to the public and to policy makers and tipsfor getting press coverage.

Michigan 4-H Youth Development: 4-H Citizenship,Leadership and Service — Community Servicehttp://web1.msue.msu.edu/cyf/youth/differen.htmlProvides community service-learning activities and ideasfor youth 5 to 19 years old.

Process Speech Writing Model, Basic Public Speaking,2nd Editionhttp://www.capital.net/~bps2/ProcessSpeechWriting.pdfA one-page handout that provides a clear, concise modelfor organizing a speech.

Public Adventures, National 4-H CooperativeCurriculum System, Inc.http://www.n4hccs.org/citizenship An active citizenship curriculum designed to help youthcontribute to the world around them and develop a life-long commitment to civic engagement.

This Is My Home, Human Rights Resource Center,University of Minnesotahttp://www.hrusa.org/thisismyhomeK-12 activities, lesson plans and other resources to helpteach about human rights and implement a humanrights project in your school.

Thomas, The Library of Congresshttp://thomas.loc.govAllows you to perform keyword searches to explore legis-lation in the current Congress.

Tolerance.orghttp://www.tolerance.org/Resources and activities for promoting tolerance andencouraging an appreciation for diversity.


124


N O T E S


7 1 0 0 C O N N E C T I C U T AV E N U E

C H E V Y C H A S E , M D 2 0 8 1 5 - 4 9 9 9

P H O N E • 3 0 1 - 9 6 1 - 2 8 0 0

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4-H and MetLife Foundation have partnered for more than a decade to provide meaningful opportunities for youth across America. In 2007, MetLife Foundation expanded its support of 4-H to improve the quality of after-school programs, infuse civic engagement into the after-schoolsetting and increase the number of youth engaged in high quality after-school programs.

4-H Civic Engagement

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Transcript of 4-H Civic Engagement