A Civics Lesson for Our Young
With each election, we bemoan the percentage of registered voters who actually vote, as well as the number of those unregistered; at times, we are dismayed at how uninformed the electorate often appears; and we are downright angered that non-performing, ineffective officeholders are returned to Office, term after term, and better candidates are not voted in.
We all want our issues addressed; we all want substantive, positive and lasting change realized, and yet, the question is: are we sufficiently engaged to achieve better results?
Perhaps a solution starts with us and with our schools.
Perhaps it starts with families teaching their children, starting at a young age, about the right to vote, the struggle to obtain and retain that right and the responsibility of citizenship.
Perhaps it starts with schools teaching basic Civics, and organizations instructing in the art of Politics.
All of this is up for more in-depth discussion and action, however for right now, at this moment, COAL suggests that we start teaching our kids with this election. Please consider the following articles as source material and food for thought, but please talk to your children about this election, consider taking them with you to a candidates forum, and please allow your children to accompany you to vote (you are allowed to have your kids in the voting booth with you). Please consider explaining your choice of candidate in terms kids will understand (it may even help you to finalize who you want to vote for).
COAL believes this is a fundamental component of increasing engagement, and that this is a long-term investment in our future; let us start making that investment now.
- 8 Ways to Teach Kids about Democracy, Citizenship, and Voting (rebekahgienapp.com)
- TALKING POLITICS: WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR KIDS (childrensmn.org)
- Grow a Good Citizen: How to Teach Your Kids About Voting Try these 7 tips for kicking off the voting conversation with your littlest citizens: (kindercare.com)
- Politics For Kids: How To Talk To Your Child About Politics (lingokids.com)
For this election: Civics101