The Active Citizen Project Timothy Yovanovich 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher at Zionsville West Middle School

Goal of the Active Citizen Project The goal of this project is for students to end up with a clear understanding and strong belief that all people can help shape public policy through determined action. Students will learn how to identify public policy issues, determine which ones they have interest in, and actively work to make a change for the good of our society.

Step 1 – What is Public Policy? As a class, we will answer this question, discuss it, and look at some examples. Public policy is what government (any public official who influences or determines public policy, including school officials, city council members, county supervisors, etc.) does or does not do about a problem that comes before them for consideration and possible action. Schools – Town – County – State – National

Step 2 – Brainstorm ideas. We will spend time together as a class and throw some ideas up on the board of issues we might want to pursue. Then, we will work silently alone and write about other ideas on our own. We will come back to the board in a final phase of brainstorming, and see if the silent time of critical thinking and writing helped spur some new ideas, or expanded any we already had.

Step 3 – Choose something and commit to working on it. Everyone should chose something that they really have an interest in and would like to spend time on. This is important because it may be the first time a person is exposed to being an active citizen and promoting a public policy.

Step 3 (Continued) – Examples of What Students Have Chosen for Their Project Pathways for pedestrians, bicycles, etc. Mental health services (identification and the lack of services) School safety & general rules (officers, backpacks, dress code) School busses (late busses after ECAs, bus-tracking app for families) Reducing waste (at school lunches & all levels of government) Nutritional improvements (school lunches & state policies) LGBTQ+ rights and lack of representation in school curricula Voting machine security & gerrymandering of legislative districts President Trump’s tariffs and the effect on Indiana Indiana Central Time Zone

Step 4 – Plan on communicating for a successful project. The words we use and the way we use them are of utmost importance. We need to be consistent in the way we format our emails, always writing in a professional and deferential manner. Treating everyone as an important professional with courtesy can go a long way to achieving a good first impression and a lasting relationship. It may lead us to meeting people with more power who can help us get things done. We will only use the school’s email system. Format: Salutation, Introduction of self & project, get to the questions quickly and directly, thank the person for their time, & formal closing.

Step 4 (Continued) – Plan on communicating for a successful project. Phone calls will always be scripted out beforehand, so that we can easily keep track of the important business items and simply focus on speaking in a professional manner and responding to the person on the other end of the phone with confidence. We will only use the school’s phone system. Text messages would always follow a phone call or email, and would only come with the initiation or agreement of the person contacted. Texts should always follow the same format as an email, yet in a highly-truncated version. Introductions should lead a text and be formal, and you should always identify yourself at the end of your first few text messages. Any text messages should be sent through the school’s email system, not on a student’s personal phone.

Step 5 - Figure out what skills and knowledge we need before we start. What other groups or persons have already done work on this issue? What has already been done on this issue? What research do you need to do before you speak to someone? If you can’t find enough on the internet, seek out public library records and courthouse/town hall records. Who might the best contacts be? How can you reach the people in power who can help you make a change?

Step 6 - Begin actively working on the project. Start calling and emailing! Now you are being an active citizen who is helping our society make a change for the better! Remember to plan out the phone calls. Record notes of every phone call. Work in teams when possible, using a speakerphone to talk and splitting up responsibilities. When you write an email, always show it to a team member and then run it by an adult or your teacher for help. Adults or teachers can usually help you with the tone of your email, so that it is received the best way possible.

Step 7 – Adjust your plans. Make changes. Things change, so your plan will change with it. Do you need to leave the school to attend a town meeting or other government meeting? Do you need to contact a person such as an engineer or accountant who has specialized knowledge of the issue? Do you need to change your focus, or do you need to actually change your goals? Sometimes you learn and change your mind about the best solutions to a problem, and that’s great! It’s a sign of intelligence and open-mindedness, and it’s exactly the kind of thing we want our elected officials to do for the public good.

Step 8 – Be persistent and look to add allies to your cause. It’s never easy to change public policy. Even the “easy” things take time and energy. Stick to it. It’s always easier when you have someone else with you who is fighting for the same changes you are, so find allies and keep on working. Remember, things take years sometimes. You are in for the long-haul.

Publish Keep notes of everything you do. Make sure you organize your notes regularly. Also, you will write an argumentative essay in English class about this project. This essay will give you the basis for publishing. Where will you publish? It’s your job to find out. This depends upon if your project is local, statewide, national, or international. Certainly we can publish on the school’s Twitter and Facebook and the old- fashioned website. From there, we will decide if to publish in the local newspapers, TV stations, et cetera.