We the People: Project Citizen is a project based civic education program for middle and high school students. It emphasizes responsible participation in local and state government. The program involves students in understanding public policy. In the process students develop an appreciation and feelings of civic empowerment.

Entire classes of students can work cooperatively in small groups to effect change in their community. A process is used here the students identify a problem area. They then research the problem, evaluate alternative solutions, and create a political action plan to enlist local or state authorities to change, or develop a policy. Participants develop a digital portfolio that documents their work, and upload it to a website where it can be shared with other classes. See the 2012 Project Citizen Digital Showcase.

Plainfield's Maxson Middle School won the May 26, 2010 NJ State Project Citizen Showcase

The Project Citizen curriculum focuses on the role of the state and local governments. It involves a whole class of middle and high school students in cooperative leaning activities that are guided by their teachers. Students learn how to interact with government agencies to effect change by following the following steps:

• Identifying a problem in their community that requires a public policy solution
• Gathering and evaluating information on the problem
• Examining and evaluating alternative solutions
• Developing a proposed public policy to address the problem
• Developing an action plan to get their policy adopted by government

Upcoming events:

• Project Citizen workshop, December 5, 2012
• Project Citizen Showcase for grades 3-12, June 4, 2013

SEE "WORKSHOPS AND INSTITUTES" FOR FURTHER INFORMATION