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
At the end of the program, 91% of students report that they believe that challenging injustices is important.
Evaluations have shown that Generation Citizen students are not only increasing their civic knowledge and skills, but also their intended civic engagement, such as the likelihood of voting, volunteering, and participating in the political process, and their collaboration skills.
Generation Citizen News
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Your support will allow us to reach tens of thousands of students across the country. Join the movement to help us… https://t.co/VJuiCgOTiW
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RT @icivics: "if people want to advocate for themselves and the issues important to them, they must understand it." -Bonnie Mills Teachable…
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ICYMI: GC Executive Director of #MA @ariellej72 was recently interviewed with @LowellHigh teacher @jessica_lander… https://t.co/4wpPYOevyU
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"Participating in GC had a profound impact on me and my classmates... we didn’t know how important it is to be civi… https://t.co/dK3pGxBOjS
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Why does youth voice matter? Some of our student leaders shared why! #ActionCivics #Democracy… https://t.co/4q2pDtp5Cf
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Here at GC we are wrapping up our most successful year yet! Interested in learning more? Subscribe to our newslette… https://t.co/p8sBnt3YnZ
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Just finished reading your Sunday morning #news and in need of some #democracy inspiration? Look no further:… https://t.co/zKyu9uKxgo
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Your support will allow us to reach tens of thousands of students across the country. Join the movement to help us… https://t.co/FD193UCwUs
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Here at GC we are wrapping up our most successful year yet! Subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about how you… https://t.co/y19SXgBYyE
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"I would like you all to keep in mind how important it is to encourage our youth to be civically engaged. We are th… https://t.co/4aTlUosWgk
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High School student, Anyhara Garcia, submitted public testimony to @NYCCouncil Education and Youth Services Committ… https://t.co/Xjl9HPGMMl
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ICYMI: #NYC Program Associate Eli Emigh shares what the push for #localchange can teach us about international poli… https://t.co/ZicAxgAVZy
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Check out this awesome testimony from our #NY Executive Director @DeNoraGetachew about youth civic engagement oppor… https://t.co/9h4SQKAfaT
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Toinght #Oklahoma democratic candidates for Commissioner of Labor @FredDorrell and @voteforsam_org will participate… https://t.co/jzvfm0Dwfh
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RT @jessbrooks1574: Why #actioncivics matters - #LowellHS teacher @jessica_lander and @ariellej72 of @gencitizen talk w/ @MeghnaWBUR about…
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RT @eleanorslegacy: “Our curriculum is action oriented. We’re going into classrooms and teaching students that their voice matters.” - @DeN…
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RT @SalzilloMaureen: @DelSestoMiddle Students received certificates from @gencitizen for their achievements @Arzinia_Gill @chris__maher @M…
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RT @LetsFixThisOK: Reminder that tomorrow at 6pm is the debate between Democratic candidates for Labor Commissioner, hosted by @nondocmedia…
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RT @jessica_lander: Honored to be interviewed by @MeghnaWBUR on @WBUR's @RadioBoston with @gencitizen to discuss th… https://t.co/JrsVq5upxd
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Tomorrow the #Oklahoma democratic candidates for Commissioner of Labor @FredDorrell and @voteforsam_org will partic… https://t.co/EHVFelOVcT