Sometimes the most influential voices are those of the upcoming generations and kids who live and work locally. Project Citizen is an educational opportunity for students' voices to be heard on topics they are passionate about. As seniors approach graduation and go out into the real world, this project helps them practice and develop skills like critical thinking, public speaking, and collaboration with others, while also gaining more knowledge about how public policy works.
This project is the core of Civics, taught by Mr. Allen and Mrs. Renner-Singer, at Cascade High School. The students must start the project by brainstorming an idea of a problem that impacts their community at either a local or state level in a small group.
“You have to put a lot of things together and work with a lot of different people to get an outcome of something and working with other people is really helpful,” said Baylee Unger (12).
Ideas this year ranged from homelessness in the community to the construction of a pedestrian bridge to ensure pedestrian safety. Students spent many class periods thinking and planning what they would like to see changed or improved. However, the students had to keep in mind the costs, the probability of it happening, and the legal regulations for or against it, and the people they must contact to gain additional information.
Mr. Allen shared stories of previous Project Citizen groups that presented ideas to the city and state leaders and officials that then were put into action. For example, the flashing pedestrian crossing lights on Hwy 2 came out of a Project Citizen presentation. DW Henson (12) and his group noticed that the bollards at both ends of Front Street downtown restricted emergency vehicles from entering the main street easily. They came up with the solution of replacing the heavy concrete bollards with hydraulic ones so the fire department and other first responders could access the street much quicker.
After the problem was selected, students had to research this issue and identify possible solutions. Through this, they learned how to communicate with their local officials or people in decision-making positions while also becoming more informed and active participants in their communities and governments.
This is an event that many schools do not offer their students anymore, but it provides students with an opportunity to practice using their voice to make a difference in the world, even if it just starts in their community.
Liam Aponik (12) and his group presented the issue of homelessness in the county. After extensive research, the group agreed the solution to this particular issue is “to build more homes and getting the homeless who needed it into drug rehab,” explained Aponik. While the solutions presented by the students may never go into effect, finding a solution to a problem is an important skill that students will practice throughout the rest of their lives.
When the presentation night arrived, nerves were running high, and the pressure was on. However, Cascade students were prepared with speeches, information and answers to any questions the spectators might have.
The weeks of research and preparation came together for each group as they presented their projects to the local officials. The officials invited to judge the presentations included members of the school board, city council, the mayor, superintendent, and our Washington state representative.
Not only do these members of state/local government listen with the intent to create positive change, they also grade the presentations. “It was a little scary...I think just presenting to both the mayor and the senator. That made me nervous. [My favorite part] was working as a group to come up with an issue, that part was fun,” Henson said. The presentations also gave students more confidence to communicate, present and advocate for change in something they have gained passion for.
Project Citizen not only provides students with a unique academic experience, but the project is also a powerful teaching tool for developing real word skills that will help them in their future careers and lives. The real-world problems they chose taught students about the importance of the government’s role and the impact their voices can have when they put their plans into action.
“It’s one of the cores of citizenship. Learning how to operate in your community and then giving back to your community and that's really what project citizen is all about.
“It’s one of the cores of citizenship. Learning how to operate in your community and then giving back to your community and that's really what project citizen is all about. Students are learning how to interact with the government, how to make phone calls, how to talk to people, how to do research and figure out the problem and then giving back to the community in the form of figuring out a solution for it,” said Mr. Allen.
The process teaches students skills they can carry on through their lives and that will be vital for the experiences they encounter from graduation on.
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