CIRCLE and Arthur Join Forces to Improve Civic Education
As part of our efforts to enhance civic education, CIRCLE has recently partnered with popular children’s television show Arthur, which is produced by WGBH, on incorporating civic skills and content into the program.
Our director Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg worked closely with the show’s creative team on several episodes focused on how kids can identify a problem in their community, discuss solutions, work together, listen to different opinions, resolve conflicts, and make a difference. Kawashima-Ginsberg also advised the team on a new game in which Arthur takes responsibility for cleaning up a local park.
Kawashima-Ginsberg recently spoke about the importance of introducing civic skills and concepts to youth from an early age as part of a panel about Arthur‘s contributions to civic education. Watch it here!
Media Literacy and Civic Literacy:
10 Ideas for the 2020 Election
October 21-25 was Media Literacy Week, and CIRCLE joined the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) for a series of conversations with young people about the connections between media literacy, civic education, and the upcoming 2020 election cycle.
As the election draws nearer and those conversations continue, we offer some ideas for ways to “do” media literacy: not just learn skills related to how to better understand and create media, but to use those skills to engage with the election and contribute to more diverse youth voices in democracy. Among our suggestions:
- Analyzing political candidate ads and information, especially on social media
- Creating media about the people and issues in a community that has few local media outlets
- Finding and verifying information about how, where, and when to vote, and creating media to share this information with others
Read more
Join Us at NCSS for a Workshop on How Schools Can Play a Role in Equitable Voting
 Are you going to the National Council for the Social Studies conference? Join us and our friends from the Civic Engagement Research Group for a pre-conference on the important role of schools in informed and equitable voting. Register today!
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Bright Spots: Local Leaders Inspiring Hope in America
On October 29-30, CIRCLE participated in the 2019 National Conference on Citizenship, which focused on local leaders changing civic life in the United States.
CIRCLE’s Director Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg and Director of Impact Abby Kiesa presented our Growing Voters framework, which proposes a focus on building stronger ecosystems for local electoral engagement. Additionally, as coordinator of the Teaching for Democracy Alliance, CIRCLE led a conversation about the role of k-12 institutions in such an ecosystem.
Read more about the Growing Voters framework.
CIRCLE in the News
– Teen Vogue – Getting Out the Vote Is Harder in Areas Where Young People Feel Forgotten
– High Plains Public Radio – Gen Z’s Voter Turnout In 2018 Topped Past Kansas Youth, But 2020 Isn’t A Given
– Teen Vogue –Gen Z Is The Most Progressive — and Least Partisan — Generation
– The Tennessean – Young people should be heard. That’s why registering to vote is important |
