I often tell people, I’m sure your job is great, but mine is better—and I mean it. Each day, I get to work with some subset of over 325 organizations that are members of the CivxNow Coalition, learning what they do and why they do it. It’s inspiring and humbling. That is why I’m so excited about the second-ever National Civic Learning Week (CLW). The week provides an opportunity for our field and the amazing humans that drive it to take a curtain call, celebrate the importance of our work, and broaden and deepen our powerful movement.
Because I have a bird’s-eye view of what many partners are doing, organizational friends asked me for ideas on how they should celebrate the week. I’m heartened by the fact that a movement as diverse as ours—one that includes in- and out-of-school actors, museums and cultural institutions, people with different viewpoints and life experiences, etc.—provides many onramps for engagement. Our movement’s diversity is our strength.
With this knowledge, I encourage our partners and now you to showcase what you do and do what you’re good at throughout CLW. There’s not one way to celebrate; there are many. And, what’s more, you don’t have to do this alone or start from scratch. We have many resources that can help you.
If you’re an:
- Educator, think about spotlighting your lessons or student work. Check out the Educator Toolkit your peers from small and large districts across the country created, including classroom-ready activities, messages, and other useful tools.
- Employer or a community member, share how civic learning is important to you.
- Elected official, take this moment to focus your colleagues on this important issue.
- Organization, this one-pager lays out the goals our coalition members articulated for CLW. It includes links to ideas that can take you as little as 10 minutes to execute.
We ask that all partners use our marketing kit, which includes graphics, sample posts, and action ideas that your organization can easily deploy. You may also wish to attend one of the many thoughtful events our partners are leading.
As I think about CLW, my mind goes to one of the favorite books I read my daughter when she was younger. In Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who, the mayor of this tiny town, Whoville, that exists on a speck, calls out to this one young person who isn’t effectively using their voice with an impassioned plea. In Dr. Seuss’s words, “This is the time for all Whos who have blood that is red to come to the aid of their country!” he said. “We’ve GOT to make noises in greater amounts! So, open your mouth, lad! For every voice counts!”
The line always reminds me that all our voices don’t have to be the same or leveraged the same way, but together they contribute to a beautiful chorus that can make an enormous difference. So, whether you’re an organization or an individual, I encourage you to leverage your creativity and voice and celebrate with us in March. It will make an enormous difference for a field whose time has come.
See you at Civic Learning Week!
Ace Parsi
Director of Coalition Engagement, iCivics
