Philippine Students Present Policy Solutions

May 07, 2013 / By Volume/Issue, Civitas International Programs, Volume 4, Issue 1

On April 13, 2013 eight teams of high school students gathered at University of Makati, Philippines for the 2013 National Project Citizen Showcase. The students, ages 13-16, presented policy proposals to address local issues of importance to themselves and their communities.

Read the rest of this entry »

In Memoriam: Ron Morris, 1940-2012

Dec 04, 2012 / Civitas International Programs, In Memoriam, Volume 4, Issue 1

Ron Morris, a master teacher who, after thirty years in the classroom, joined the staff at the Center for Civic Education, passed away from the complications of Alzheimer’s disease on November 24.   Read the rest of this entry »

Lebanese Students Tackle Public Policy Issues with Project Citizen

Oct 18, 2012 / Civitas International Programs, Project Citizen

On September 17, students from Amideast’s Access 7 program showcased the public policy proposals they developed through Project Citizen, adapted for use in Lebanon by the Lebanese Center for Civic Education.

Read the rest of this entry »

Venezuelan Preschoolers Learn Civic Values

Sep 24, 2012 / Civitas International Programs

Preschoolers in Caracas, Venezuela are learning about Foundations of Democracy in an innovative program conducted by Civitas Venezuela.

Preschoolers in Caracas, Venezuela are learning about Foundations of Democracy in an innovative program conducted by Civitas Venezuela.

Civitas Venezuela, the Center for Civic Education’s Civitas International Programs partner, is implementing “Learning to Coexist with Values,” a civic education program for preschoolers ages three to six. Preschoolers, teachers, and parents in Petare and Chacao, municipalities in the Caracas metropolitan area, are taking part in the program.

Read the rest of this entry »

South African Students Address Public Policy Issues in Project Citizen National Finals

Sep 20, 2012 / Civitas International Programs, Project Citizen

On September 8, 2012, the fifth annual Project Citizen National Finals in South Africa was held in the chamber of the Kwazulu-Natal Legislature in Pietermaritzburg. The chamber dates from 1889 and the room was once graced by presentations from Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kurdish Parliamentarians in Los Angeles on Civic Education Fact-Finding Trip

Sep 20, 2012 / Announcements, Civitas International Programs

LOS ANGELES—The Center for Civic Education is hosting a delegation of three members of parliament of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq, from September 20 to October 8, 2012. The parliamentarians are members of the Committee on Education and Higher Education. The objectives of the delegation are to learn about civic education policies and practices in the United States, to experience the U.S. educational system, and to consider next steps for reinvigorating and sustaining civic education in Kurdistan.

Read the rest of this entry »

Philippines Project Citizen Showcase

Sep 10, 2012 / Civitas International Programs, Project Citizen

More than seven hundred students participated in the 2012 Project Citizen showcase in Manila, Philippines. Las Pinas National High School was awarded “Best in Showcase” for their policy project on plastic waste.

Read the rest of this entry »

Project Citizen Piloted in Bihar

Aug 03, 2012 / Civitas International Programs, Project Citizen, Volume 4, Issue 1

Project Citizen Piloted in Bihar
Body Copy:
1500 students in India’s Bihar state participated in Learning Links Foundation’s Hindi adaptation of the Center for Civic Education’s Project Citizen curricular program. Pictured are students conducting field work in a rural community.
Full Story:
Sixty-six teachers and 1,500 students in government-run schools of India’s Bihar state recently participated in the Project Citizen curricular program, marking the first time Project Citizen was implemented in the Hindi language in this rural state. Working in collaborative groups, students in eighth and ninth grade identified problems in their communities and developed policy proposals to address these issues.
Learning Links Foundation (www.learninglinksindia.org), the Center’s Civitas International Programs partner, received support from the Public Affairs Office of the United States Embassy in India to conduct the program. Learning Links conducted professional development sessions for participating teachers in February 2012. The teachers then implemented the interactive, project-based curriculum with students in their classrooms. The students researched local issues, selected an issue to address, identified alternative policies for dealing with the issues selected, and developed policy proposals and action plans to promote those policies.
Upon completing their projects, the students presented their policy proposals to an audience of local leaders, educators, lawyers, and the media. Issues addressed by the students included: protection of women, strengthening governance, human rights issues, sanitation, environmental conservation, and harmony in society.
A student from Sakriya Naagrik commented, “Out of all the topics we received, our group chose to work on child labor. Children being exploited are children like us. We believe that they should get an opportunity just like us. We researched on the government policies that exist with regard to child labor and came up with our own set of proposed action such as providing the parents with employable skills or with jobs. This could help us in eradicating child labor and think instead about the children’s welfare.”
After observing the students’ presentations, Mr. Kartikeya, Indian Administrative Service Sub Divisional Magistrate, Danapur, spoke about how much society has to lose if citizens are passive. He observed that the students have already started at a young age the work that adults engage in while active in the fields of politics, social work, and government services. Emphasizing life skills, he shared how in today’s competitive world it is important to go beyond jobs, salaries, higher degrees, and a comfortable life, and display mental development, will power, resilience, confidence, and communication. Interacting with the students, he sensed that they displayed these qualities and skills.
Project Citizen, as it is used in India, is an adaptation of materials originally developed by the Center for Civic Education (www.civiced.org). Through the program, students learn how to monitor and influence public policy. Project Citizen has been adapted for use in more than sixty-five countries around the world.

About 1,500 students in India’s Bihar state participated in Learning Links Foundation’s Hindi adaptation of the Center for Civic Education’s Project Citizen curricular program. Pictured are students conducting field work in a rural community.

Students conduct field work in a rural community.

Students conduct field work in a rural community.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yes She Can!

May 29, 2012 / Civitas International Programs, Volume 4, Issue 1

The Deir Ammar Primary School for Girls in the West Bank’s Deir Ammar refugee camp hosted a public meeting on May 5, 2012, to support ninth-grade students in their effort to establish an athletic club for girls in the camp.
Read the rest of this entry »

Amara Benromdhane Receives Arab Human Rights Award

Dec 19, 2011 / Civitas International Programs, Volume 4, Issue 1

Amara Benromdhane, the Center for Civic Education’s long-time Civitas International Programs partner in Tunisia, and ten other prominent Middle Eastern leaders have received the 2011 Arab Human Rights Award from the Arab-European Center for Human Rights and International Law (http://aechril.org/).
Read the rest of this entry »

« Older Entries