Civics For All
Civics For All
The DOE believes civics education is an essential part of every student’s core academic experience. We launched the Civics for All initiative to strengthen opportunities for students to develop skills and knowledge related to democracy. The goal is for all our students to be engaged community members who can think critically and are empowered to chart the course that our city and country take. Civics for All helps schools support students in making connections between history, current events, and democratic structures.
Civics Week
This year Civics Week will be taking place March 7-11, 2022. Civics Week is a time for schools across the city to celebrate youth voice, civic empowerment, and the importance of registering to vote. Civics Week includes efforts to get every young person to understand that their voice matters and that they can create change as active participants of their community.
Student Voter Registration Drive
As an integral part of Civics Week each year, the DOE hosts an annual Student Voter Registration drive for U.S. citizens who are 16 years of age or older. This year’s student voter registration drive will take place in NYCDOE high schools from March 7-11.
SoapboxNYC
SoapboxNYC is a public speaking competition that calls on students to speak out about issues that affect them and their communities. Students create and advocate for solutions to improve their schools, communities, and the lives of other young people. Watch the Welcome to Project Soapbox video(Open external link) to see the event in action.
Resources for Schools
Teachers and administrators who want to learn more about Civics for All and Civics Week should visit the Civics for All InfoHub page(Open external link).
Resources for Students
Civics for All Comics
Action Activists comics
The NYCDOE Civics for All and Social Studies team collaborated with Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey, the authors of the well-regarded and highly popular Action Presidents and Action Philosophers series, to create Action Activists(Open external link) and Action Activists #2(Open external link).
Action Activists is intended for middle school students. It can be used to teach about how our system of government works and how students can become civically engaged as a part of the Civics for All initiative. The resources linked in the resource guide have been curated to support teachers in using Action Activists in the classroom.
Registered comic
The NYCDOE Civics for All and Social Studies team collaborated with Good Trouble Comics to create Registered(Open external link), a comic retelling of the passage of the 26th Amendment.
