This checklist will help you make sure that you’ve done everything you need to stay on track to complete your Civic Action Project (CAP)!
Session 1: Why Do I Have to Learn Civics and Government?
Jot down a definition of “public policy” based on Angie Aramayo’s explanation.
Don’t forget: Take advantage of the representatives, organizations, and information (like websites) that already exist to help you access the levers of power!
Note the four levels of government that have made different policies related to COVID-19. (Hint: these are listed after Ms. Aramayo’s presentation.)
Homework:
Complete the chart tracking federal, state, and local COVID-19 policies.
List three issues that you care about that are in the news.
Session 2: Standing Up – The Civil Rights Movement
Write down the name of one person featured in the “I Have a Right to Vote!” video who you hadn’t heard of before.
Don’t forget: Students were at the forefront of pivotal moments in the civil rights movement!
How did this video and the conversation with Nolan Williams Jr. help you think more deeply or differently about what you’d like to do about the issue(s) that you care about that you identified before?
Session 3: Strategies of the Civil Rights Movement and Lessons for Today
Make a note of two important facts you learned from the reading on the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Don’t forget: As the primary sources show, organizers of the Montgomery Bus Boycott used many different strategies to spread the word and build support for their cause.
Which of the strategies (civic actions) they used do you think would be most effective today?
Homework: Identify and be prepared to share two issues or problems that really matter to you.
Session 4: Getting Started on Your Civic Action Project
Write down one or two insights or suggestions from Casey, Sari, and Sriya that you thought were most helpful as you prepare to tackle an issue that matters to you.
Don’t forget: Use the Proposal Planner to help you narrow down the specific focus of the issue you want to work on, especially once you’ve researched the issue.
Note the example that Keri gave to show how one Los Angeles student narrowed down their topic. They went from wanting to work on homelessness (a HUGE issue) to focusing on living conditions and safety in homeless shelters (something they could really affect).
Once you’ve gone through the interactive presentation on cause and effect, come up with one question to ask your classmates and your teacher that will help you apply the steps in the presentation to your CAP issue.
Homework:
Read one of the following texts about a proposed policy.
Session 7: Communicating Your Message for Civic Action
Think about what you would tell the grandchild in the scenario about what it was like to live through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Don’t forget: A story is so much easier to share and to appreciate when there’s a human being at the heart of it. And from there, you can connect it to policy in a powerful way.
What was important (and effective) about the way the well-to-do man in the video changed the blind man’s sign?
As Samer Badawi stressed in this session, creating a narrative that can lead to a change in public policy comes from what you already know. So make a sign that will move people to an understanding of something that you care about.
Homework: Complete at least one Civic Action Planner. Not sure how to start on that? You can find examples of civic actions in the online Toolkit.
More on branding, marketing and social media
Session 8: Office Hours with CAP Youth Board Members
**Check with your teacher to confirm**
Use this time well! The CYB members are here so you can pick their brains.
Ask at least one question during office hours. (Especially if you didn’t manage this last time!)
