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LWV of Greater Pittsburgh
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Pittsburgh PA 15219
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HomeCivic Education in Schools and Community

Civic Education in Schools


and Community


Our mission is to foster more active and informed citizens by providing nonpartisan, reliable resources and educational opportunities that advance the understanding of our representative government, elections, and voting.

CIVIC EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

High School Outreach--  VIRTUAL CLASSROOM Presentations

We have a new digital presentation entitled, #Make Government Work for YOU!" The High School Voter Outreach committee is NOW SCHEDULING VIRTUAL 2021-22 classroom lessons via ZOOM presented by our experienced volunteers.
This nonpartisan, 40-minute presentation includes civic education and voter registration. 

You may PREVIEW our classroom presentation here.

Please contact us for more information and to schedule a visit at: civic.education@lwvpgh.org

CIVIC EDUCATION MODEL 2021 from the
League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh
If you are a League member interested in starting your own High School Voter Outreach program or
if you would like to download the resources we use,
please click here to view or download LWVPGH CIVIC EDUCATION MODEL 2021-2022 PDF
Please copy this link to share:  www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=831952

Accordion Widget
See More About Our High School Outreach
See More About Our High School Outreach

Over the past four years, we have presented in-person and virtual classroom lessons to at least 1800 students and received at least 1200 voter registrations--with the help of our dedicated presenters and committed volunteers.  Because we promote Turbovote.org during our virtual classroom lessons, an exact count of new voter registrations during COVID has not been easy. The advantage of Turbovote is that multiple and ongoing reminder text messages about voter registration status and each current election are sent to the students who sign up.

 

Our outreach includes many digital resources, including infographics, tutorials, and virtual classroom lessons. We also have digital resources for teachers, including open-ended questions to extend student learning and resource websites.


We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students and teachers about our program. 



On October 26, 2021, the Civic Education Team shared their High School Outreach presentation
to the general membership--with a unique twist. 

"The Youth Vote" WQED Video

In February 2020, before schools closed, High School Voter Outreach volunteers visited Brentwood High School to present their voter registration/civic education program. 

Brentwood won the 2020 GOLD Governor's Civic Engagement Award, and along with the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh, was featured in a PA Department of State webinar on August 20, which promoted best practices in youth voter outreach.

Visit the

VOTER RESOURCE LIBRARY for a wide variety of classroom and

voter resources including unique graphics, other helpful documents, and hyperlinks to reliable, trustworthy websites.

Slideshow
HS feedback

Invite a team of trained presenters to your classroom to help your students participate in our democratic government. Virtual Lessons are currently being scheduled for 2021-22. Contact us at civic.education@lwvpgh.org

If you will be 18 by May 17, 2022, you can register to vote NOW!


If you have a Pennsylvania Driver's License or PennDOT ID, you can REGISTER ONLINE at VotesPA.com. You may also use the last 4 digits of your Social Security # if you download your signature.  Register Now!


You can also apply with a paper application.  Download and Print Application or apply in- person at your County Elections Office or a PennDOT office.


Step-by-Step Digital Tutorial "Voter Registration in Allegheny County TUTORIAL" here .  "Voter Registration in Pennsylvania TUTORIAL" here .


 Comprehensive Voter Instructions on the "Make a Plan to Vote" and "Mail-in Voting" pages.

See our new Gen Z Votes! page here

Are you a Teacher, School Counselor, Parent or Grandparent?  Do you have an 18-year-old in your life?

Give them the gift of democracy!

The events of 2020-21--the pandemic, disrupted school schedules, economic vulnerabilities including access to technology, food insecurity, and a chaotic news cycle--have affected students.  This much seems certain.  Young people want to be seen and heard.  

Help young people take ownership of the power that comes from the rights and responsibilities of turning eighteen. Our democracy is strong when young people are engaged in shaping the future!  This graphic has a link and also QR code for easy voter registration.  Share the 18th Birthday card with QR CODE with the young people in your lives!
18th Birthday Card PA                18th Birthday Card US

To share this infographic on social media, please copy this link: 

In PA:  www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=907645
In US:  www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=907636

Find DIGITAL RESOURCES for TEACHERS (and other life-long learners!)


ARE YOU A TEACHER looking for classroom-ready Civic Education virtual content for your students? 

ARE YOU A CONCERNED CITIZEN who is a life-long learner?


We have done some of the research for you on sites like iCivics, Bill of Rights.org, the Constitution Center, and others. On the VOTER RESOURCE LIBRARY page, especially under "Civic Education Classrooms", you will find infographics, website links, lessons and resources to save you time and to provide some essential civics education to your students. All students need context and a foundation in civic education in order to understand their role as citizens in our representative democracy.  ACTIVE and INFORMED CITIZENS make our democracy strong!

FACT OR FICTION INFOGRAPHIC Copy link to share: www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=749530


Facts for Citizens 2021 Digital" Facts for Citizens", a directory for contact local, state and federal elected officials, and more.



Resources for Civic Education Websites, lessons, and more for teachers and students.

College and University Outreach

Our volunteers share the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh's digital resources
with College and University staff to amplify our reach to students through school
social media, websites and email to students.

"Teasers" provide short social media messages with links to relevant infographics and other documents.  Getting these resources directly to college and university students helps them to find reliable and trustworthy election, voting and government information.

"How to Be a Citizen Activist" Presentation
From August through November, 2021,  members of the Civic Education Team were invited to college-university campuses to present "How to Be a Citizen Activist": 101 Years of Advocacy and Action by the League of Women Voters".  

The presentations at Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, La Roche University, Chatham Pennsylvania Women in Politics--in partnership with the Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP), and Duquesne University were in-person.  Most were livestreamed,  recorded, and shared in campus newsletters.

The League's grassroots, bottom-up process of study and consensus, to Position to advocacy and action were explored.   Specific actions students could take to become better "Citizen Activists" were framed as being every citizen's duty. 
"Empowering Voters, Defending Democracy"

PA GOVERNMENT WEBPAGES

PA PUBLIC SCHOOL System:
Learn about what is happening
with the School Funding Trial
and understand the
Fair Funding formula. The
different public school options 
are explained; Comprehensive, 
Magnet, Charter and Cyber.
Get involved.
See more here.

HARRISBURG WATCH:

The League of Women Voters has always advocated on behalf of ballot access, fair election law, and issues of

transparency and good government. In 2021, the LWVPA will focus on
four issuesin the Pennsylvania
General Assembly.

See more here. 

ELECTIONS in Pennsylvania:

"For over a century, the League of Women Voters has fought to protect the rights of eligible voters and expand access for those who have been left out of our democratic process. To that end, LWVPA supports effective election laws that ensure that elections are accessible, trasparent, fair, secure, and recountable, promote universal voter participation, and provide voters with meaningful choices when they go to the polls."

See more here.

 

Pennsylvania's STATE COURT System:

Pennsylvania has a unified court system that is designed to handle the wide variety of cases that arise in the state. Cases begin in the lower courts and may be appealed all the way up to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

See more here.

 

CIVIC EDUCATION IN COMMUNITY

Voter Resource Library

NEED for DIGITAL RESOURCES
What Our Time with COVID Taught Us 

Our Civic Education in Schools team started 2020 strong, with plans for a full schedule of in-person high school classroom presentations and voter registration drives.


But when the schools shut down mid-March, we joined the rest of the world in learning to shift our efforts to digital. The result was not just a team of volunteers ready to "Zoom" into virtual classrooms with a live, digital presentation, but also an ever-expanding library of 50+ web-ready, educational materials and infographics!

During the 2020 fall election season, we shared our digital resources found in the VOTER RESOURCE LIBRARY with broad coalitions of community partners.  We continue this essential service today.


NEED FOR PRINTED VOTER MATERIALS

    We Also Learned About Our Resilient Communities
Did you know that because of COVID and other factors, a segment as large as 40% of our community does not have access to reliable technology?  To respond to this need our team:

--Created and distributed grant-funed, printed voter materials.  Ready-Set-VOTE! door hanger bags of materials for over 2000 individuals resulted in new voter registrations--like the 187 student registrations at Pittsburgh Public Schools. These bags contain voter registration forms and instructions, but also our unique Civic Education infographics with topics like Why Vote in Municipal Elections, Fact or Fiction and Know Your Rights on Election Day .

--For the 2021 Municipal Primary, printed voter materials for 1200 individuals were created and distributed.

--For the Municipal General Election on November 2, 2021, 1000 Ready-Set-VOTE! bags have been distributed to school and community partners.

 Ready Set Vote Bag


January 2022 Newsletter