Civic Action
What are effective ways to take action in the digital age?
Offering youth opportunities to take informed action enables them to apply their learning to real world contexts, develop civic knowledge, build civic skills, gain experience working with others, and deepen their civic commitments. Now, in the digital era, youth can draw on digital media and online platforms to respond to issues of shared concern and mobilize others to bring about change in a variety of ways.
Educators can play a key role in supporting youth to analyze issues fully in order to identify relevant and effective tactics and strategies for action, as well as learning the skills needed to tap into the power of digital media to participate in a variety of ways. Explore the resources on this page to learn more about ways you can help your students take action.
Encouraging Students to Take Action
In this video, ninth grade teacher Matt Colley’s students work in small groups to research and plan an action project focused on a contemporary problem.
Supporting Informed & Equitable Voting
Educators also play an important role in supporting youth to understand the mechanics of voting and elections, to learn about election related issues from multiple perspectives, to mobilize others to vote, and to get involved in elections regardless of their eligibility to vote. Explore the Teaching for Democracy Alliance’s self-assessment matrix as well as their collection of resources to learn about a range of non-partisan approaches.
This video from We the Voters gives educators and students a quick overview of the history of US voting rights and what obstacles might prevent people from voting.
In this video from KQED and PBS, students can explore what keeps young people from voting and how to get more young people to vote.
Here, KQED and PBS explore whether the process of voting is too difficult.
This 2-day set of lesson plans created by CERG demonstrates how educators can support informed and safe voting in a nonpartisan manner. The lessons can be taught consecutively or independently. Click here to download the lessons for your school or classroom.
Digital Civics Classroom Resources
The resources in the ACTION module invite students to carefully consider a broad range of tactics and strategies to address issues important to them. Students are also invited to extend their definition of what it means to take civic action in the digital age.
Digital Media and Struggles for Justice
In this video, the Black Youth Project explores what it means to take action in the digital age. Use this video with your students alongside the accompanying curriculum resources.
Resources
Teaching for Civic Engagement (by Matt Colley, Teaching Channel)
Democracy in Action [Lesson Plan] (by Maryann Wolfe, Educating for Democracy in the Digital Age)
The Taking Action Project [Lesson Plan] (by Jessica Tyson, Educating for Democracy in the Digital Age)
10 Questions for Change Makers (Democratic Knowledge Project)
Civic Action Project (Constitutional Rights Foundation)
Teaching About Voting and Elections:
Educational Standards that Support Teaching about Voting and Elections (CERG)
Elections in Action (Mikva Challenge)
Democracy Doesn’t Pause (Generation Citizen)
Voting and Elections: Resources for a Civil Classroom (Learning for Justice)
Rep Us Project (CIRCLE)
Voting Rights in the United States (Facing History and Ourselves)
A New Generation of Young Voters Emerges (Facing History and Ourselves)
Introductions to Project-Based Learning:
Project Based Learning: Start Here (by Jennifer Gonzalez, Cult of Pedagogy)
Getting Started With Project-Based Learning (Hint: Don’t Go Crazy) (by Andrew Miller, Edutopia)
The Revolutions Project (PBLWorks)
Background Info
Civics Education and Student-Driven Civic Action (by Karen Lee, Edutopia)
How Can Teachers and Students Discuss the 2020 Election? (by Leah Bueso and Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Teaching Channel)
Tch Tips: 4 Ways To Integrate Civic Learning Throughout The Year (by Erica Hodgin, Teaching Channel)
Taking Informed Action to Engage Students in Civic Life (by Meira Levinson and Peter Levine, National Council for the Social Studies)
Ideas for Student Civic Action in a Time of Social Uncertainty (Educator Innovator)
Slacktivism for Everyone: How Keyboard Activism is Affecting Social Movements (by Jennifer Earl, Salon)
Should Schools Teach Students to Vote? YES! (by Diana Hess, National Council for the Social Studies)
Educating About Elections in a Partisan Age (by Abby Kiesa, Leah Bueso, Erica Hodgin, and Joseph Kahne, Social Education)
Growing Voters (CIRCLE)
Learning to Vote (by Jim Dillon, SmartBrief)