Build 2 Lead program Civic Champions is a course where high school aged youth learn about the power of advocacy within the various levels of government, the “School-to-Prison Pipeline,” the systems of education, healthcare, and criminal justice, and form Youth Executive Committees that assist in helping to launch and or facilitate restorative practices in participating partner schools.
Currently, there are two cohorts of Civic Champions at Thomas Jefferson High School and TAF@Saghalie.
Civic Champions at Thomas Jefferson missed several days of instruction during the month of February due to testing, but the students were still able to learn about the different branches and levels of government. They identified the leaders in their community and state. This led students into expanding their knowledge on debates and candidates at different levels of government. Students have been watching different debates from the first televised presidential debate to recent local debates, comparing and contrasting the experiences while also forming their own opinion on what they want to see from upcoming candidates. The students are primed to enter into an election season with a stronger sense of what is going on behind the scenes and what to look out for.
Civic Champions at TAF@Saghalie have begun diving into the heart of the curriculum. Students have been learning about the system of healthcare, sharing their own experiences as well as their misconceptions. Students are navigating new territory as they learn about health insurance, deductibles, premiums, and co-pays. Students have shared their disbelief in the system and have begun to identify gaps in their own communities and homes. The class has discussed potential solutions and supports to narrow the racial disparities in healthcare.