It’s time to mobilize–be a leader in your community!
Organizing an event or activity and directly engaging your local community or campus is one of the most effective ways to inspire action and bring attention to an issue. Many students think that being a part of the democratic process is challenging and complicated. You can help demystify the process and empower your peers.
We encourage you to get creative when planning your event or activity. The possibilities are endless. Here are some more ideas to help get you started.
Go big. Get your school to commit to a campus-wide civic engagement initiative.
Several nationwide efforts and opportunities are already underway:
Is your campus participating in the All-In Campus Democracy Challenge? The All-In Challenge is a nonpartisan initiative that supports colleges and universities working to improve civic learning, political engagement, and voter participation. If your campus isn’t already involved, you can get started by finding a faculty member or campus official and working with them to fill out the commitment form.
Has your campus joined the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE)? NSLVE helps colleges and universities analyze and aggregate their voter registration and turnout rates in national elections. If your campus isn’t on this list, here’s how you can get your campus to join.
Does your campus have an action plan for civic engagement? This can be in addition to or separate from participating in the All-In Challenge and NSLVE. The Students Learn, Students Vote coalition has created a comprehensive guide for how students can develop and implement these action plans.
Organize your own event or activity
You have the power to organize virtual events or activities such as webinars or online panels that spark action. Check out our list of Science Rising event planning resources on our website. If you’re looking for more ideas, check out the range of activities that were funded as part of the Science Rising Challenge Fund in 2020.