iCIVICS LAUNCHES ITS FIRST EVER STUDENT-LED SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN, DESIGNED TO ENGAGED STUDENTS NATIONWIDE IN A CONVERSATION ABOUT CIVIC ACTION

#CivicsForUs, a social media effort led by the iCivics ​Youth As Civic Experts Network, will ask students across the country how civic education can be more relatable and equitable for all.

Boston [Feb 26, 2020] -- On March 2, the iCivics Youth As Civic Experts Network -- a nationwide network of civically engaged and community-oriented students who are working to make civic education work for all students -- will launch #CivicsForUs, a social media campaign designed to start a conversation among young people about how civic action and education can be more relevant and equitable to all students, no matter their backgrounds.

The campaign will begin with a student-led Tweet-Out through which members of the Youth As Civic Expert Network from all over the country will use the hashtag #CivicsForUS across every social media platform to ask their peers a series of thought-provoking questions about civic engagement. #CivicsForUs is ​an awareness campaign through which students will start talking with their own local networks in the hope of inspiring a larger national discussion in which students share first-hand why equitable civic education that is relevant to them is needed right now.

The goal of the campaign, which will run through June 2020, is designed to elevate student voice and connect students with each other over a problem with which the civic education field is now challenged: How to get more young people civically engaged and active.

The national campaign will be led by students in the Youth As Civic Expert Network in grades 8-12 from California, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Puerto Rico.

Starting March 2, students will use #CivicsForUs to ask a series of questions:

• How can we improve civic education so that all students can use what they learn in class in real life?
• What does equity in civic education mean to you?
• What do students in your community need to know in order to be informed and engaged citizens?
• Why do you need to learn about politics, government, civil rights, and social justice issues?

#CivicsForUs and the Youth As Civic Experts Network are part of a larger effort funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, through iCivics and Generation Citizen, that is designed to engage students in conversation about equity in civic action and education so that adult decision-makers can learn from youth feedback to inform policy writing and school curriculum, and change the way they engage with students to create civic experiences that benefit every student. The effort also includes the inaugural Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship, a year-long program for 12 high school students from across the country, who are meeting regularly to explore how to make civics more inclusive and relevant.

“Students need relevant civic education that meets the unique needs of their community and centers their lived experiences so that they are prepared to be fully empowered citizens upon graduation. That's not happening right now,” said Amber Coleman-Mortley, iCivics Director of Social Engagement and Fellowship Program Director. “Our students are going out in their school communities and encouraging their peers to share how they feel about their civic education experiences so that hopefully, they can learn from each other -- and we can learn from them.”

More details about the #CivicsForUs campaign can be found at ​www.iCivics.org/civicsforus​.