Civics 101: Getting youth involved with Generation Citizen

Generation Citizen is a community organization that works diligently to help mold students in public schools into active, civically engaged citizens.  They attempt to show students how important their voice is in the democratic system, with the hope that those students will go on to make it a better system for the next generation.  Recently, we had the chance to see Stephanie Eisemann and Stephanie Witek, two S-L students from Northeastern, facilitate in their classroom.

Sitting in the back of the room, my colleagues and I quietly observed as high school students worked collaboratively with their school Wellness Committee to ensure that there is some sort of healthy relationships workshop in Boston Public Schools.  I was impressed, and not only because of the lofty goals that these students had set.    They had laid out a comprehensive plan; including laying out action steps and targeting the community members that could help them accomplish their goals.  By the end of their project, the students at the Community Academy of Science and Health hope to have a mandatory assembly every year in Boston Public Schools to discuss healthy relationships, as well as smaller discussion-based meetings on the same topic. 

                From looking around at this site visit, Generation Citizen is obviously helping to get students involved in the democratic process. What I was not necessarily expecting was the deep impact that serving at Generation Citizen was having on the students from Northeastern.

Stephanie Eisemann was placed with Generation Citizen in the fall of 2012, her freshman year at NU, as part of the Civic Engagement Program.  She has apparently enjoyed her work there, as she has maintained a relationship with Generation citizen ever since.  Her work has even inspired her to pick up a minor in Political Science, which will hopefully keep her involved in the Democratic process for years to come.  Stephanie Witek is newer to the program, having just begun to serve with Generation Citizen through her service-learning Connections and Decisions class.  Despite only beginning to serve with Generation Citizen this fall, it seems that the programming she has facilitated has inspired her to pick up a social activism minor.

If you are interested in volunteering with Generation Citizen as a Democracy Coach, please click here: http://generationcitizen.org/apply-here/