Giving young people a voice builds their confidence, self-esteem and motivation and encourages them to develop an interest in current events. It helps them to develop and express their own opinions while listening to others, and to appreciate the importance of researching topics unfamiliar to them. It is an important way of developing their…

Citizenship enables young people to learn about their rights and responsibilities, to understand how society works, and develop knowledge and understanding of social and political issues. Through citizenship education young people are encouraged to take action on issues of concern to themselves and to play an active part in the democratic process,…

The goal of this training manual is to encourage citizenship training for individuals with developmental disabilities when such training is indicated. It is intended to be used by interdisciplinary teams and trainers throughout the service delivery system. The manual begins by outlining a philosophy of service delivery, listing some of the basic…

The purpose of Law Day is to call the citizenry's attention to the principles and practices of U.S. law and justice. Activities held by community groups and schools to celebrate Law Day include mock trials, debates, essay and poster contests, and films. This guide was developed to assist community groups or classes to participate in the observance…

Although all of public education prepares students for the responsibilities of citizenship, the goal of providing students with the knowledge and skills necessary to assume their roles as leaders in the state of Texas and in the nation in the 21st century rests primarily with the social studies. This framework provides information that local…

This lesson describes the current government of Hungary and its underlying political and electoral systems. The lesson is structured with: (1) background on the parliamentary model of government, political parties, and Hungary's unique electoral system; (2) a summary of the six major political parties in Hungary and voter information for the 1990…

This book presents a comprehensive approach to values education and moral education. It draws on old and new approaches and methods to help young people grow up with clear values, good character, moral integrity, and the knowledge and skills to be good citizens. This comprehensive model utilizes traditional approaches for inculcating and modeling…

This document from Campus Compact aims to present information regarding the newest and best resources for service learning. In addition, the document excerpts, from various sources, definitions of service learning and program characteristics of effective service learning. Definitions of service learning include the following: A teaching method…

This publication includes practical suggestions for emphasizing responsibility in social studies classes for grades 9-12, and is a companion to "Building a Foundation for Citizenship," which outlines steps for establishing a citizen/character education program in North Carolina public schools. Strategies for teaching the social studies…

Describes one high school's response to challenges posed by the New York State Participation in Government course. Describes the course that requires students to assume an active role in examining government policies. Suggests that community leaders speak to students on why and how to become involved and make a positive impact. (DK)

This book informs a broad audience who promote and participate in the naturalization process, covering issues related to the law, regulations, and procedures. Ten chapters include the following: (1) "The Citizenship Decision" (e.g., benefits of becoming a U.S. citizen and challenges in the process); (2) "Citizenship…

"The Complete Guide to Service Learning" is the go-to resource in the fast-growing field of service learning. It is an award-winning treasury of service activities, community service project ideas, quotes, reflections, and resources that can help teachers and youth workers engage young hearts and minds in reaching out and giving back. Author, and…

CIVITAS is a curriculum framework that sets forth a set of national goals to be achieved in a civic education curriculum, primarily for K-12 public and private schools. It is a framework that proposes to specify the knowledge and skills needed by citizens to perform their roles in U.S. democracy. There are two major sections in the framework. It…

This monograph explains the need for graduating high school seniors to demonstrate minimum competence in citizenship and suggests performance-related assessment tasks to help school authorities determine whether these competency requirements have been met. Minimum citizenship competencies are interpreted to include essential skills and concepts…

As part of the Basic Citizenship Competencies Project, this guide is intended for parents and suggests ways to assess what they can do to help their children practice and develop competent civic behavior. The objective of the entire project is to assist educators, parents, and community leaders in identifying basics, clarifying goals, making…