The 2011 Community Matters Campaign:

Reimagining Great Citizenship

What skills, knowledge and values do great citizens need in the 21st century? Take our quiz!

1. The National Assessment of Educational Progress measures student proficiency across many disciplines, including civics education. In 2006, 25,000 students nationwide were assessed on their understanding of democratic institutions and the ideals of our democracy. How many 8^th graders could explain the historical purpose of the Declaration of Independence?

    a. 10%
    b. 28%
    c. 55%
    d. 80%

2. How many civics classes are required for high school graduation in Washington State?

    a. 0
    b. 1
    c. 2
    d. 3

3. What is the relationship between civics education and general academic success?

    a. Students who have greater academic success are more likely to be engaged in their communities.
    b. Students who are more engaged in the communities have greater academic success.
    c. neither a nor b
    d. both a and b

How can I get involved?

• Take the great citizenship survey and help us re-imagine civics education.
• Play the Great Citizenship Game online – tell us what skills, knowledge and values you think great citizens need.
• Host a Great Citizenship Game dialogue! The more you play, the more we all win! You assemble the people, and we’ll send all the information and a facilitator to lead your group discussion. Click here to learn more about the dialogues or to sign up to host one.
• Deliberate with fellow voters in the Living Voters Guide. Explore the pros and cons and decide your position on state wide and local initiatives and ballot measures.
• Attend and watch CityClub forums. Click on the links below for more information and to register today!
  • September
    • 14: CMC Launch – The Journey Home: Supporting our Returning Veterans
    • 30: Education Series – The Best Teachers for our Children
  • October
    • 13: Health Care Series – Health By the Numbers
    • 18: Whose Ballot is it Anyway? with Seattle Works 
  • November
    • 17: Finale event – a Conversation with Maya Enista-Smith

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What does it matter?

CityClub and Guiding Lights Network are launching an initiative to revitalize civics education because, currently, it’s absent from most students’ school experience. We feel this is a serious problem for our democracy. We’re committed to advocate and develop programming for renewed civics education, but we need your help to create a smart platform for what it should look like. The community input we receive from this year’s Community Matters Campaign will directly inform that platform.

CityClub will convene participants both online and face to face to discuss what we can and need to do individually and communally to overcome barriers and achieve positive results. At the end of the campaign, we will report back to participants and community leaders. Our goal is to create dialogue, buzz and inspiration to act; to engage our whole community with the data, urgency and opportunity for positive change, and as a result, to develop a more engaged community.

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What are the campaign elements?

Forums and Debates – In Person and Online – We will present in-depth, non-partisan information and opinion in King County offered by experts, community leaders and policymakers. Each program will be rebroadcast on cable television statewide, and available for streaming on the CityClub live and past events pages. Register today for upcoming events!

Living Voters Guide – Again this year, CityClub is partnering with the University of Washington Center for Communication and Civic Engagement and Department of Computer Science and Engineering to create a “living voters guide” to be developed by and for the public on initiatives and ballot measures on the fall ballot. Through community deliberation, participants will create opinion statements and recommendations for fellow voters.

New this year, LVG will include all state and county level initiatives, referendum and ballot measures.

Dialogues: The Great Citizenship Game – We will host approximately 25 facilitated conversations—conducted live at diverse community gathering places including community centers, churches, non-profit organizations, businesses and residences. Citizens are invited to weigh in on their personal observations and recommendations. Participants will play a game to determine the ingredients necessary for great citizenship, discussing and compromising as they form consensus and ultimately informing a larger conversation on reimagining civics education based on their outcomes. 

• Are you interested in hosting a dialogue at your office, community center, or home? Click here to learn more about the dialogues or to sign up to host one.

Community Report – A report to policymakers, media and the public announcing the People’s Choice Awards and summarizing common ground observations and recommendations from participating individuals and organizations over the campaign’s duration. The report will be documented and archived on CityClub’s website and disseminated to journalists, community leaders and voters.  Click here to read last year’s report and stay tuned for our report launch in early 2012!

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Thanks to our:

2011 CMC sponsors:

2011 Community Matters Campaign co-presenting organizations: 501 Commons,  Alliance of Nonprofits, Guiding Lights Network, Humanities Washington, Leadership Tomorrow, League of Education Voters, League of Women Voters, Municipal League of King County, Seattle Housing Authority, and Seattle Works.