The Importance of Civics Education

With the celebration of Bill of Rights Day last week the Los Angeles Times ran an excellent op-ed about the importance of civics education while reflecting on the drafting of the Bill of Rights. Below is a link to the article:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-estrincroddy15-2009dec15,0,6328460.story

Some of the highlights:

"Research shows that students who have the opportunity to participate in simulations such as legislative hearings, mock trials and, yes, even constitutional conventions not only learn more but develop greater civic skills and interest in politics.

Although we need to make sure our children are proficient in math and reading, it is vitally important to the future of our democracy that they also learn what it means to be a competent and involved citizen."

Long story short, what you do by being involved in Kids Voting Kansas REALLY matters, and is helping to strengthen our democracy!

Happy Bill of Rights Day!

On this day in 1791, following ratification by 3/4 of the states, the first 10 amendments to our Constitution became law. Anti-federalists grew concerned at the brevity of the newly drafted Constitution, and sought a means to ensure protection of the people from tyranny and oppression. In 1789, James Madison, a New York delegate to the Constitutional Convention, proposed a set of 12 amendments to the constitution. On October 2, 1789, the 12 proposed amendments were sent to the states for their ratification, of which 10 were eventually ratified.

These ten amendments give Americans some of the most fundamental rights we recognize today.

I- Freedom of speech, press, religion

II- Right to Bear Arms

III- Conditions of quartering for soldiers

IV- Right to protection from unwarranted search and seizure

V-Rights afforded to those facing criminal prosecution

VI- Right to a speedy trial

VII- Right to trial by jury

VIII-Right to freedom from excessive bails and fines

IX- Enumeration Clause

X- States rights under the Constitution

Take some time today to reflect on your rights, and Happy Bill of Rights Day!

Source: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_history.html

New Interim Kids Voting Kansas Coordinator Selected

Kids Voting Kansas has selected Angel Romero to be the new Interim Director for the organization. As the son of a military service-member, Angel has lived around the world, but finally found his way to Junction City, KS where he graduated high school in 2006. Angel is currently a student at Washburn University where he will graduate in may with a B.A. in Political Science. After that, Angel currently plans to attend law school.

Angel is excited to help move the organization forward, and wants to hear from any and everyone with ideas to share. Feel free to email him at kvk@kspress.com.

Chase’s Facebook Charity Challenge

Recently, JPMorgan Chase announced that they are giving away $5 million to the charities/non-profits that receive the most votes via facebook. Kids Voting Kansas has a facebook page, as well as the parent organization Kids Voting USA. Please vote for Kids Voting Kansas and Kids Voting USA, Inc (MD) today!

Click on the link: Chase Community Giving. Select Kids Voting Kansas and Kids Voting USA, Inc (MD). Make sure you are a fan on both pages as well. Remember you can vote for the same organization every day until you use up your 20 votes.

Please help these worthy programs receive a Chase donation today!!

Citizen Now! Academies off to a Great Start!!

Thanks to the continuous statewide sponsorship from Cox Communications, Kids Voting Kansas is hosting six Citizen Now! academies across Kansas. The first of these was held in Lawrence, Kansas on November 7th. The events are open to high school juniors and sophomores and is a way for them to start thinking about citizenship and democracy in a new way. Throughout the day, students have the chance to interact with elected officials, and meet other young people from their area who are interested in becoming more involved in the democratic process.

The Lawrence event featured a variety of government and elected officials including: Hon. Judge Joe Pierron, Kansas Court of Appeals; Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh; Douglas County Clerk and Elections Officer Jamie Shew; Kansas Senator Tom Holland; Kansas; Douglas County Commissioner Jim Flory; Kansas University Graduate Teaching Assistant Angela Crawford; Lawrence Journal-World Representative Ruthi Rapp; as well as video welcome from Governor Mark Parkinson.

Washburn University senior Angel Romero, Jr. did a fabulous job of organizing and hosting the event. As a political science major his enthusiasm for democracy is unwavering and he was inspiring to all participants. "We want to give them ideas so that when they leave they can take the information back to their schools and communities and motivate other people in the high schools," Romero said. Also assisting with the days events were Kids Voting Kansas Coordinator Julie Holmes and Kids Voting USA Executive Director Rachel Willis.

The next academy will be held in Manhattan on November 21st. Any Riley or Geary county high school student interested in attending can contact their Social Studies teacher or the Kids Voting Kansas office for a registration form.

KVK Board Member Named the CHAIRMAN OF KIDS VOTING USA

Kids Voting USA announced the election of Dr. Diana Carlin as Chairman of the Board of Directors.   Dr. Carlin is a professor of communication studies and former dean of the Graduate School and International Programs at the University of Kansas, where she has been a faculty member since 1987.  Her research is in political communication with an emphasis on political debates, youth involvement in politics, speechwriting and women in politics. Carlin served on the advisory board for the Commission on Presidential Debates from 1987-2000 and created DebateWatch, a voter education program for the Commission, through a grant from the Ford Foundation. Carlin and her research partners recently published a book on the DebateWatch project. Carlin is serving her second term on the Kids Voting USA board.  She also has served on the Board of Directors of Kids Voting Kansas since 1993 and served as chair from 1999-2004. 

 

Other members of the Kids Voting USA Board of Directors are: Mary Petty, vice chair, St. Petersburg Times; Javier Aldape, secretary-treasurer, the E.W. Scripps Company; Geoff Gonella, past chair, Cornerstone Governmental Affairs; Peter Harkness, Governing magazine; Pamela Johnson, Reynolds Journalism Institute, University of Missouri; and Mark Morneau, Gannett Co., Inc.

Kids Voting USA Moves to Topeka, Kansas

The Kansas Press Association (KPA) has won a contract to manage the Kids Voting USA organization.  KPA assumed management of Kids Voting USA’s day-to-day business operations May 1^st. Rachel Willis, formerly executive director of Kids Voting Kansas, is the new Kids Voting USA executive director.  This arrangement is very much similar to the agreement that KPA has with the Kids Voting Kansas organization. KPA has successfully managed the Kids Voting Kansas program since 2002.  Under its leadership the organization has expanded from 8 participating programs to 63.   Willis said, “Kids Voting USA and KPA will work together to ensure that a knowledgeable and committed staff are available to serve the network of 52 affiliates around the nation and further the ideals of the Kids Voting organization, while moving forward the strategic plan to bring the richness of the program to a broader and more diverse set of young people.”  The Kansas Press Association plans to announce who the new Kids Voting Kansas Coordinator is soon.  

Advancement Seminars

Per the feedback, KVK has scheduled two "Kids Voting Kansas Advancement Seminars".  The first is scheduled for Tuesday, August 18th in Topeka at the Kansas Press Association office.  The next seminar is scheduled for Tuesday, August 25th in Salina tentatively at the Salina Public Library.  Both will be from 6pm to 8pm.  More advertisement and details will be distributed closer to the dates.  The rsvp deadline is Friday, August 14th at noon.  

Meet and Greet; Brainstorm and Implement

KVK is hosting three "Advancement Seminars" focusing on opening the doors of communication between participants to improve each individual program, as well as gathering ideas on how the state organization can better serve participating communities.  KVK will make a brief presentation summarizing the 2008 Presidential Elections and the organization's goals and expectations.  Then we will facilitate several brainstorming sessions specifically aimed at the needs of the participants.  Some of these topics will include:  successes and failures at the community level (what have you done that has worked or has not worked in the past), fundraising, volunteer recruitment and advance voting.  KVK encourages any KVK volunteer to attend.  The seminars will be conducted from 6pm to 8pm.  Dates and locations will be finalized by the first part of April.

Wanna call the shots for Kids Voting Kansas??

Interested in becoming more involved with Kids Voting Kansas??  Below are some key volunteer leadership opportunities within the organization:

We have 3 available seats open on our board.  We are looking for individuals who have experience in public relations, fundraising and strategic planning.  Interested individuals would have a passion for voting, democracy and education.  Ideally, we want a Board that is diverse in skills and experience.  According to the by-laws, a term is three years and each Board member can serve for two terms.  We usually meet quarterly (occasionally will meet more due to an upcoming Election or special event) during the afternoons for about one hour at the Kansas Press Association office.  We do provide a conference call option for our meetings, but prefer attendance in person for the majority of meetings.  Since our organization serves the entire state, we would love to have additional Board members who are not from or in Topeka.  Our Board members are involved in our mock Elections and special projects when possible.  For additional information or to apply, please email the Executive Director, Rachel Willis (rwillis@kspress.com).

Become the Kids Voting - Shawnee County Task Force Chair Today!!  You will work with a group of five to ten people from the Shawnee County area, as well as the Kids Voting Kansas Executive Director.  You will oversee the group  as they create an exciting, meaningful student mock election per guidance from Kids Voting Kansas.  Some task force responsibilities include recruiting volunteers to serve as poll workers, identifying Kids Voting polling places and organizing the tabulation process for Shawnee County.  Specific task force chair responsibilities include leading task force meetings, serving as the key project spokesperson and communicating effectively with participating schools in the community.  The responsibilities are election cycle intense; therefore during off years volunteer time is very minimal.  For additional information please see the Kids Voting Kansas web site: www.kidsvotingkansas.org or email the Executive Director, Rachel Willis (rwillis@kspress.com).