Minnesota Civic Education Coalition - Kids Voting St. Paul
A project of: Arts and Cultural Heritage Grants Program-Civics Education (State Fiscal Years 2012-2013)
Kids Voting St. Paul
Quick Facts
Kids Voting St. Paul will introduce youth-friendly technologies to enhance civic learning, expand its veterans civic education initiative, increase the number of students participating in Kids Voting elections, pilot a state-wide KidVention, expand and leverage partnerships, and convene a civic education provider summit.
About the Issue
Minnesotans have been the beneficiaries of a robust civic society from those who came before us. Indeed, we proudly enjoy a national reputation for civic engagement. Modern commitment to that civic culture is weakening. The Minnesota Civic Education Coalition is concerned about several threats that point to the erosion of Minnesota’s civic culture and the health of the State:
- Growing lack of civility in political culture
- Lack of discernment in media consumption
- Emphasis on language arts, math and science education have crowded out civic education
Healthy civic culture is a heritage of ordinary citizens being intelligently involved in the decision-making process of communities and government at all levels. It is essential that Minnesotans supply our democracy with essential ingredients for success.
Project Details
Kids Voting will utilize various youth friendly technologies to enhance civic learning. Online voting efforts will be expanded and enhanced through the development and use of DoubleClick Democracy. This technology can be used throughout the state on election day as well as for student council elections and other educational programs. Kids Voting will also seek to leverage various social media, online evaluation tools, internet links to information sources for campaigns, candidates and voting procedures and other technologies to enhance state-wide civic education efforts.
Kids Voting will expand its successful Vote in Honor of a Veteran program. Students across Minnesota can secure and wear a button that has the name of a veteran they want their November 6, 2012 Kids vote to honor. Students wear the buttons to remind people to vote and to stimulate discussion about freedom, voting, veterans and civic responsibilities. Kids Voting partnered with the Minnesota Secretary of State to develop this program. Kids Voting will reach out to additional teachers, youth group leaders, school districts and parents to expand the program for Minnesota youth leading up to the 2012 and 2013 election. The website, www.youthhonoravet.com will be updated for online tributes to be posted by Minnesota youth.
Through various outreach efforts to local cultural and ethnic communities and through the start of a Kids Voting “hub” the organization will seek to increase students voting in the 2012 and 2013 election. Kids Voting Minneapolis and Kids Voting St. Paul will be building partnerships with state-wide Somali, African American, Asian and Latino communities. The Kids Voting “hub” space will be secured by May 2012 to allow for joint marketing, web development, 2012 and 2013 election planning, community civic meetings
and election ballot scanning.
Kids Voting will pilot a state-wide KidVention modeled after the program in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be an opportunity for Minnesota K12 students to participate in a mock political convention held at large local venue with Minnesota public officials.
The Minnesota Civic Education Coalition will organize and convene a second Minnesota Civic Summit -- geared primarily toward program practitioners -- as a way to connect people/organizations and build cooperation toward growing civic literacy in Minnesota.
Kids Voting staff will lead an effort with the Minnesota Civic Education Coalition partners to expand the reach of the Minnesota Civic Education Coalition. Through the development of a state-wide civic education stakeholder map, a state-wide communication and outreach plan and various community gatherings, the Civic Education Coalition seeks to increase and expand capacities of civic education organizations across Minnesota.