CIRCLE O NLINE S EMINAR F EBRUARY 2014 S ESSION 5

Week 1: Introduction To All Together Now Findings What are strategies to create space spaces in and out of the classroom for controversial issues discussion? –Examples: Responsive Classroom program, small circle groups, employ tools for students with different personality types so all voices are heard How do we engage youth who may not self select into engagement opportunities? –Linking youth engagement with youth employment opportunities – Out of school time (OST) programs can impact youth disconnected from formal educational institutions

Week 2: What is the State of Youth Civic Learning and Engagement? Higher Ed Supporting Youth Work & CBOs –Using the community engagement office at respective universities –Connecting directly with nonprofits who can reach diverse populations. Example: Harvard's Phillips Brooks House Association Local Government Collaboration with CBOs –Question about how policy impacts civic engagement at a local level –Example: Los Angeles City Councilmember Nury Martinez works with the National Council for Jewish Women, the Mary Magdalene Project, and more to address local issues of human trafficking.

Week 3: Exploring the Practice of Engaging Youth Youth Leadership in City Decision Making –Examples: city initiatives that bring in the perspectives of young people were discussed (including examples in Cambridge, MA, Chicago and New York City), such as youth participating in budget committees. Involving and Teaching Youth about Deliberation –Strategies included: mock congress (CloseUp), Power Structure Analysis (Sociedad Latina), and media literacy skills.

Week 4: Stitching Together a Field of Diverse Efforts Using different languages across fields –Crowdsourcing content, asking if processes are representative before moving forward Collaborations with Family –Mark Favors (Youth Civic Leadership Academy) talks about inviting parents as chaperones (noting that often parents lack confidence for civic action) –Elizabeth Matto discussed her research (with Tim Vercelloti) which found positive outcomes (boost in political knowledge) for students who read news articles and went home to engage in discussion with parents.

CIRCLE R ESOURCES Find fact sheets, interactive map, and more with national and state info on the CIRCLE website: Contact CIRCLE staff with questions or requests

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