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
-
RT @nycpa: Join us on Thursday, July 16, to discuss the primary elections experience in preparation for the general election with @DeNoraGe…
-
RT @America_Forward: This week's #TipSheet includes updates on The Jobs for Economic Recovery Act; information on @ncldorg's Young Adult Le…
-
RT @nycpa: Join us on Thursday, July 16, to discuss the recent primary elections experience and how New York City can ensure an equitable g…
-
ICYMI: Our NY Executive Director, DeNora, shared her perspective with#GetConnected on @iHeartRadio! Listen to hear… https://t.co/ItY0UB70l1
-
"How do we build support for robust government intervention & action in a moment in which so few trust the governme… https://t.co/B8IXX0IDjG
-
RT @CivicYouth: In our pre-election poll of young people, 60% of youth surveyed feel like they're part of a group or movement that will #vo…
-
RT @YP4: On August 6th, join us in the workshop “Moving Towards Racial Equity” with presenter Angela Ortiz @gencitizen, as we strategize on…
-
.@MTV, @LogoTV & @TransLifeline teamed up to help hundreds of young Trans people change their IDs, breaking down a… https://t.co/1Jlm1L0qaj
-
RT @Vote16USA: We had a blast talking with 100+ youth leaders at today's @ymca Changemakers Institute session on how to make change on the…
-
Did you know we built a virtual #ActionCivics course you can do right from home? Each unit has a teacher lesson pla… https://t.co/IU3wU0CBe8
-
RT @DeNoraGetachew: ICYMI: The #DemocracyNinja was a guest on #GetConnected on @iHeartRadio discussing @gencitizen #youth #civicengagement…
-
RT @YP4: Our second Civic Engagement Training is TODAY! Register here: https://t.co/xfDGksoL9x #YP4CE2020 #BuildingPowertoWin https://t.co…
-
"Youth protesting racism can teach us at least three things about civic education," writes our Senior Director of P… https://t.co/jgM36eynpY
-
RT @YNPNaustin: 💡Member Org Spotlight💡 @gencitizen's mission is to provide a high-quality Action Civics education to students in #Central…
-
RT @CivicYouth: On major indicators of civic and political engagement, young people are more active in 2020. *Marching in the streets. *Re…
-
RT @uniteddemclubsf: TOMORROW AFTERNOON: Join us for a virtual yoga class in support of @gencitizen - bringing civics to life by champion…
-
RT @a_niyab: YOUR VOTE COUNTS, YOUR VOICE IS IMPORTANT, AND YOUR LIVES MATTER! THE FIRST STEP TO MAKING EFFECTIVE AND LASTING Change IS BY…
-
RT @CivicYouth: Our 2020 pre-election poll underscores that young people are engaged in the election, but they need information and resourc…
-
Did you know that some of our Student Leadership Board members have their own podcast? They're digging into stude… https://t.co/IVXGlCdq4m
-
RT @The74: Action civics “is a necessary reform and shift that needs to occur” because of the inequality & polarization in the U.S., says @…