Generation Citizen
Model & Strategy
Generation Citizen aims to strengthen our nation’s democracy by empowering young people to become engaged and effective citizens. The solution starts in our schools. Generation Citizen partners college students (called Democracy Coaches) with classroom teachers to teach an action civics course in which teens solve problems they are facing in their own communities. Over the course of the in-class program, students choose an issue they care about, develop a focused, strategic plan to address the issue, take real action and then reflect on their successes and challenges.
Through direct engagement in real-world advocacy, guided by near-peer college Democracy Coaches and teachers, students gain the civic knowledge, skills, and motivation necessary to effect change in their communities. Generation Citizen closes the civic engagement gap by teaching students how to harness the power of our democratic system to make a difference in their own lives.
Scott Warren, co-founder and Executive Director of Generation Citizen, grew up abroad and his passion for activism stems from his experiences living in Latin America and Africa. In 2002, Scott served as an observer in the first truly democratic elections in Kenya’s history, where he began to recognize the transformative potential of democracy. During college, Scott served as the National Student Director of STAND, a national student anti-genocide coalition. Scott also helped lead successful campaigns to divest Brown University, the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island from companies conducting business in Sudan.
Scott founded Generation Citizen his senior year at Brown with the aim of helping to create an authentic democratic experience for all youth across the country, keeping in mind the transformative power he first witnessed in Kenya. He is an Echoing Green Fellow and was recognized as one a Forbes “30 Under 30”.
IMPACT
Through GC’s action civics curriculum, students recognize the power of their individual voice to advocate for change in their communities. Evaluations have shown that GC students are not only increasing their civic knowledge and skills, but also their intended civic motivation (such as the likelihood of voting, volunteering, and participating in the political process).
In 2016, GC launched efforts to lower the voting age to 16 and was featured in The New York Times. They also published a white paper on Democracy Education, funded by the Ford Foundation, and expanded to Oklahoma City and Texas. GC also received a $500,000 grant from the City of New York to double its work in the city.
To date, GC has served 40,000 students and is on track to serve 13,000 additional students in the 2018-19 academic year.
Generation Citizen News
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RT @oasocialstudies: Why is it so important to complete the census? Check out this thread below 👇🏻 https://t.co/sPzUJHEFRZ
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We're bringing #ActionCivics to your living room! Stay tuned for weekly plans for families & teachers leading virtu… https://t.co/mbt01BIv5P
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RT @thesidler: S/O to @MetroLibraryOK Special Collections & Research Dept. for their work to be our local historians in this historic time.…
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#TBT to the time @nytimes featured Generation Citizen alum Ruba, who said: “Don’t just vote for anyone... Do some r… https://t.co/1XNT46BMIs
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RT @GovRaimondo: I’m looking forward to answering questions from RI’s students during our special press conference at 1 pm today. Watch liv…
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RT @nondocmedia: "Despite the challenges we’re facing now, the nonprofit sector remains uniquely positioned to ensure a more equitable and…
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RT @CivicExperts: "Equity in Civic education to me means to be fair and true" 11th grade, Patria Latorre Ramírez, Puerto Rico. #CivicsForU…
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RT @rickhess99: Amidst the #coronavirus pandemic, it’s abundantly clear that a effective response requires shared sacrifice & cooperation —…
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Check out our Oklahoma Executive Director, @amycurranokc's, take on what #COVID19 means for nonprofits via… https://t.co/MRzIKxUH48
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RT @jessica_lander: In Sum: Can you share with your students so they can take ownership of our #2020Census? AND can you tag 10 teachers so…
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RT @KenBurns: Friday, 4/3 1 ET. Let’s do this class together. Ken Burns Jeffrey Rosen Teach Remote History Class. Constitution During Amer…
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RT @The74: Analysis: At this time of school closures and remote learning, how to keep students engaged and tend to their social-emotional h…
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RT @CivicExperts: "Without civic education, we will be unable to understand what is happening in our government. If this lack of education…
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We're excited to invite teachers to @highresolves virtual celebration in honor of the launch of Composer. You'll se… https://t.co/xep5BYfegN
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RT @carlamassiel1: Today is Census Day! It only takes 10 minutes! Can you text 10 friends & make sure they do it?! An accurate count is ess…
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It's #CensusDay! Take 10 minutes to complete the #2020Census by mail, online at https://t.co/hAmHbJoaDi, or call 84… https://t.co/Sbd6TQPI1i
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RT @Soup4YoungWorld: Are you a parent or teacher looking for content while teaching online or at home? Check out @gencitizen #ActionCivics…
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We're bringing #ActionCivics to your living room! Stay tuned for weekly plans for families & teachers leading virtu… https://t.co/2MArOtRLf5