3/30 Athenaeum at 1pm - We the People: Preparing Students and Voters as Citizens for 2012

Join us on Wednesday, March 30, at 1pm for “We the People: Preparing Students and Voters as Citizens for 2012” presented by Kara Lindaman.

Winona State University’s American Democracy Project is collaborating with the Minnesota Campus Compact and the Center for Democracy and Citizenship to launch the two-year “We the People” project “which will develop student citizen leaders through a series of events designed to build their skills, connections, commitment and capacities to lead efforts addressing the issues they care about most. While students value leadership development and civic engagement opportunities offered at their campuses and in local communities, they also yearn for more opportunities to gather regionally and statewide, and the staff and faculty who work with them often request more events such as those proposed here. This project responds to that desire and builds on the distinctive strengths of both partner organizations to provide students with trainings and experiences that will support their leadership in all aspects of life.

The Minnesota We the People Project will engage at least 150 college and university students from across Minnesota in four regional workshops offered in Spring 2011 at campuses interested in hosting, followed by a weekend Student Citizen Leadership Summit held at a retreat site in Fall 2011. A variety of follow-up activities led by the participating students—with consultative support from Minnesota Campus Compact and the Center for Democracy and Citizenship available to them—will reach at least 1000 additional students. Through evaluation forms at the end of each event, surveys, and other follow-up communications, we will measures results. Indicators of success will include at least 80% of participants reporting increased ability to communicate their public narrative; increased capacity to build relationships with others who are different; a new framework for citizen leadership; personal growth; new ideas and intentions for action; and a better understanding of the organizational resources available to support them moving forward.”