Project Citizen - Minnesota

We are very excited about an opportunity available to you and your students. This year, Minnesota is joining other states in Project Citizen, a national civic education program sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Center for Civic Education. Our office, The Minnesota Center for Community Legal Education, is coordinating the program in Minnesota.

What is Project Citizen?
Project Citizen is designed for students in grades 6-9. It promotes competent and responsible participation in government by engaging students in learning how to monitor and influence public policy. As a class project, students work together to identify and study a public policy issue, evaluate options, select a solution to the problem, and develop an action plan for it. The final product is a portfolio displaying the student's work.

Portfolio Competition
Students enter their class portfolios in the State Showcase on May 22, 2002. The portfolios will be displayed in the Rotunda of the State Capitol and be judged by legislators and other community leaders. The students will also have the opportunity to participate in simulated congressional hearings. The top ranked portfolio will be entered in the national competition, which will be held at the National Conference of State Legislatures' annual meeting in the Summer. For information on Minnesota's state competition contact Debra at 612/624.8112.

Project Citizen Guide
A 60-page instructional guide provides students with step by step instructions for identifying and studying a public policy problem and for developing their class portfolio. A limited number of free classroom sets of the Project Citizen Guide (30 student books and a teacher's guide, $150.00 value) are available.

Minnesota Graduation Standards
Project Citizen aligns with Minnesota Graduation Standards "People and Cultures: Community Service" and "Inquiry: Issue Analysis" You can download the packet that Jamie Domini (formerly from Hidden Oaks Middle School) created and used when she taught the Project Citizen class at Hidden Oaks. (Thanks to Jamie for sharing her packet.)

How to get involved
Contact Debra Berghoff at 612/624.8112 or bergh004@umn.edu

We hope that you will join us in this exciting program. We look forward to hearing from you.

I know my students will be involved politically and know what their government does and does not do. They are really aware of their power as citizens. Arizona teacher.

It taught me that if you want something changed, there are ways to do it, and now, I know how. Indiana student.