Project Citizen

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Project Citizen is a curricular program for grades 5-12 that promotes competent and responsible participation in local and state government. The program helps young people learn how to monitor and influence public policy. In the process, they develop support for democratic values and principles, tolerance, and feelings of political efficacy.

The Nebraska Legislature is proud to administer this program for the Center for Civic Education under its Warner Institute for Education in Democracy.

Project Citizen focuses on the role of state and local governments in the U.S. federal system. The curriculum engages an entire class of middle grade students or members of a youth organization, in a series of structured, cooperative learning activities that are guided by teachers, organization leaders and adult volunteers. Working in four cooperative teams, the students learn to interact with their government through a five-step process that includes:

  • 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 governme

Students' work is displayed in a class portfolio containing a display section and a documentation section.

Project Citizen has a process-oriented student text designed for use in middle grade classrooms and youth organizations. The teacher's guide includes directions for leading students through the five-step process and developing a portfolio. It also provides instructions and evaluation procedures for conducting a simulated legislative hearing.

The Project Citizen program is administered with the assistance of a national network of state and congressional district coordinators in every state and is conducted with the assistance of the National Conference of State Legislatures. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Education by act of Congress.