The Citizens Campaign, in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, has developed an innovative high school curriculum program called Leadership Civics. The course teaches students the value of civic engagement at the local level, and the leadership skills that will empower them to become active citizens in their communities. The course, designed for High School Juniors and Seniors, follows a structured curriculum that introduces students to the power centers of local government, citizens’ legal rights to participate and contribute to local decision-making, and how they, as regular citizens, can become community problem-solvers. Building on this knowledge of local governance through readings, discussions, and activities, students will then have an opportunity to practice these skills by taking on a leadership project that will propose an actual solution to an issue of local concern.
Throughout the course, students develop a host of skills related to leadership in government and politics. More generally, students improve their research and teamwork skills, as well as developing knowledge about their community and their ability to directly affect the world around them. With guidance from The Citizens Campaign, students interact with local officials, community members, and media representatives, thus creating viable networks through which their work and ideas may gain support. In this way, Leadership Civics gives students the opportunity to build their civic knowledge through actual participation in government and politics, and therefore takes the mystery out of political decision-making and sets a standard of success for our youth.