Brown Leadership Institute - Leadership and Civic Engagement: Democracy at a Crossroads (Residential)

A healthy democracy depends upon widespread civic participation. Ideally, all citizens are prepared to address issues of public concern on community, state, and/or national levels. To be an effective advocate and change agent, however, one must first understand the fundamentals of civic participation and the tools of engagement. Unfortunately, too few opportunities exist for youth to learn about civics in and outside the classroom. In fact, a group of Rhode Island students recently filed a class-action lawsuit against the state for failing to teach civics.