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Civic Participation

People-Powered Politics at the City Level: Searching for True Citizenship

Alessandra Orofino | Posted 05.21.2013 | Impact
Alessandra Orofino

Precisely because of the magnitude of the problems they face, cities are increasingly emerging as the most fertile grounds for creating change. They are the laboratories in which many of the world's most intractable challenges will be solved.

Alternative Spring Break Gives CPS Students Voice Through Community Service

Shawn Healy | Posted 06.08.2013 | Chicago
Shawn Healy

Student voice has been largely absent from the debates of the last year centering on teacher contracts and school closings.

Improving Millennials' Civic Health -- and the Country's

Michael Hais and Morley Winograd | Posted 04.10.2013 | College
Michael Hais and Morley Winograd

A recent report on the state of Millennials' civic participation indicates that the generation's interest in taking part in political activities is constrained by the underlying skepticism of many Millennials about the transparency and fairness of the country's current political system.

Civic Engagement 101: Your Go-to Guide

Rand Strauss | Posted 04.10.2013 | Politics
Rand Strauss

Civic engagement takes many forms, and it's important to assess which strategies are best for your cause. Here are a few steps to get started on the path to being an engaged citizen.

In Troubled Times, a Democratic Revival

Scott J. Peters | Posted 03.25.2013 | College
Scott J. Peters

The Dream Freedom Revival's performance is one example of what Imagining America is all about: catalyzing and organizing a revival in American higher education that emboldens scholars and students to join with others in their communities to do the public work of democracy.

Future City Tactical -- 12 Musings From Detroit 2012

Jason Lorimer | Posted 03.06.2013 | Impact
Jason Lorimer

Why do so many communities fail to grow in good economic times and remain durable in downturns? What are the gaps between our immediate surroundings and our ability to significantly affect them for the better?

Impact Investment and the App Store

Jason Lorimer | Posted 02.20.2013 | Impact
Jason Lorimer

I believe those investing in the durability of communities can learn from the advent of App Stores. The most cost-efficient and effective solutions will rise up where constraints exists and creativity thrives.

President Obama's Next Four Years

Janet Ritz | Posted 01.16.2013 | Politics
Janet Ritz

Lost in the election's afterglow for Democrats and deep funk of Republicans is the hard work to be done and how the president's success -- which, by definition, is the country's success -- depends on how many of us will have the president's back for the next four years.

What Is Comprehensive Immigration Reform?

Bill Ong Hing | Posted 01.15.2013 | Politics
Bill Ong Hing

The debate over immigration reform often boils down to a tug-of-war between those who want more enforcement and those who want a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. But comprehensive reform requires addressing far more than these two issues.

I'm Sorry, Mr. President

Ilana Ross | Posted 12.16.2012 | College
Ilana Ross

Four years later, I feel like I've disappointed the president more than he's disappointed me. I've turned off the news and ignored countless emails from Joe, Michelle, David Plouffe, somebody named Susan at the DNC.

Celebrating America's Newest Citizens

Sayu Bhojwani | Posted 11.20.2012 | Politics
Sayu Bhojwani

On September 17, the U.S. celebrated Citizenship Day, recognizing those who have become U.S. citizens. It is a day that unites all Americans, in commemoration of our immigrant heritage and our commitment to the United States.

Taking the President Seriously About Citizenship

Peter Levine | Posted 11.19.2012 | Impact
Peter Levine

Communities with more civic engagement in 2006 suffered less from unemployment during and after the Great Recession, even when other possible explanations were factored in. Nonprofit organizations played an important role.

Teacher Bashing

William E. White | Posted 09.02.2012 | Home
William E. White

I am fed up with teacher-bashing. It seems everyone is willing to belittle teachers. But these same critics are not willing to step forward and do the job themselves.

The Citizen's Assembly: A Civic Infrastructure for Progressive Social Change

Harold A. McDougall | Posted 08.29.2012 | Politics
Harold A. McDougall

The current generation of protesters must be urged to develop an organizational structure, supple as well as sophisticated, that does not repeat the mistakes of the past.

Becoming Aware of Civic Unawareness

Bob Kerrey | Posted 07.26.2012 | Home
Bob Kerrey

Civic education is vital in preparing students for the responsibilities and obligations of democratic citizenship. But a third of native-born American citizens fail the history and civics exam administered to immigrants who are seeking U.S. citizenship.

Participatory Budgeting Lets Citizens Experiment With Economic Democracy

Michelle Chen | Posted 06.16.2012 | Politics
Michelle Chen

Who'd have thought that voting to add trash cans on the street or renovate public housing could be a democratic milestone?

L.A.'s Redistricting War and the Health of Our Democracy

Madeline Janis | Posted 04.24.2012 | Los Angeles
Madeline Janis

I love the fact that hundreds of people are attending the hearings to express their views on how to best represent the incredible diversity of interests in Los Angeles.

Understanding a Diverse Generation

Peter Levine | Posted 01.23.2012 | College
Peter Levine

No one knows how many young adults will vote in 2012. But we can be virtually certain that college students will vote at twice the rate of their peers who have no college experience.

The Spirit of Changing History

John Bridgeland | Posted 06.21.2011 | World
John Bridgeland

Three young Egyptian women spoke movingly this morning about their part in Egypt's revolution. Americans should listen to their voices to understand what's at stake across Northern Africa.

Being Immigrant, Becoming American

Sayu Bhojwani | Posted 05.25.2011 | Politics
Sayu Bhojwani

When faced with bureaucracy, xenophobia, and the persistent sense that you don't belong, it takes perseverance to reach full citizenship on paper.

The Road from Tucson

Lorelei Kelly | Posted 05.25.2011 | Politics
Lorelei Kelly

We speak our world into existence, so we'd better say some good things about it. After the tears, the best that we can do for John, Gabe, Dorothy, Christina, Dorwin and Phyllis is to carry on stronger than before.

Next Generation Democracy: Open Web Platforms, Local Activists and the US Coastguard

Ben Berkowitz | Posted 05.25.2011 | Technology
Ben Berkowitz

From the evolution of Linux to the distributed mechanisms of the US Coastguard, a new book shows us that inclusive decision making can reshape democracy for the 21st century.

The People Have Spoken... Well, at Least Some of Them

John Milewski | Posted 05.25.2011 | Politics
John Milewski

Everyone has a story to tell about why the midterm elections went the way they did, and it's not surprising that in most cases the narrative presented affirms the storyteller's particular world view.

Crashing the Tea Party Joyride

Lorelei Kelly | Posted 05.25.2011 | Politics
Lorelei Kelly

The Tea Party has pointed out how absent we've been in building a common narrative about modern American citizenship. But the American people long for a novel, not a sitcom. It's time for the rest of us to step up.

Educating Youth for Better Politics

Peter Levine | Posted 05.25.2011 | Politics
Peter Levine

A few months ago, after months of debate and negotiations, health insurance reform passed Congress: the biggest social reform in decades. Yet youth--...