Get Ready for the Civic Challenge!

AT THE CIVIC CIRCLE, we combine two powerful forces in the lives of youth: democracy and the arts.

Starting this Monday, May 12, we are launching a campaign that will invite you to stand up for democracy by supporting our work, and by sharing your commitment to the civic principles at the heart of our program.

The arts and democracy are inextricably intertwined. The freedoms we enjoy in our democratic society give artists the space to create works that bring untold stories to light, challenge convention, and dream a better world. The arts also build bridges, cultivate community, and lift the voices of those whose stories are not always told.

When Civic Circle students create civic songs, poems and art pieces, they gain confidence, connection, and self-expression. But they also build democracy skills, including empathy and tolerance, news literacy, public service, election engagement, and leadership. That’s a potent combination.

THE CIVIC CHALLENGE will take two forms. We’ll be inviting you to bring in new allies by sharing our newsletter and social media posts, and support our programs so we can continue this work amid funding cuts to the arts, humanities, education, and youth programming.

But we’ll also be inviting you to share in writing (or in song, poetry or visual art!), why the seven “steps to democracy” at the heart of our program are important to you. As a reminder, these are: civility (Listen!), truth (Learn!), voting (Choose!), volunteering (Join!), advocacy (Speak!), organizing (Act!), and public service (Lead!). All have come under assault in recent months. This is your chance to tell the world why these democracy tenets matter to you!

AS A WARMUP for The Civic Challenge, we invite you, in one paragraph or less, to answer the question:

“Why is it essential to live in a democracy?”

We ask this question because a dwindling number of young people believe democracy is, indeed, essential. What would you like to tell them?

Please email your answer to [email protected], or post it on one of our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, LinkedIn), where you will find today’s Civic Challenge warmup post. (Simply comment!) If you prefer to share a short video, song, poem, or drawing, please submit that, instead. We will be shouting out and sharing your submissions!

If you would like to get a jump start on supporting our increasingly urgent mission to leverage the arts to empower students to understand and participate in democracy, please click HERE. If you prefer Venmo or another payment method, please click HERE.