The UK's coalition government wants to build a "Big Society." The Prime Minister says "we are all in this together" and building it is the responsibility of every citizen as well as every government department. The broad vision is welcome, but everything depends on how the vision is translated into policy and practice. The…

Youth respond with suggestions to enhance their career education through citizenship experience units. (Author)

This paper examines the development of the concept of the "public" and the "people" in U.S. society. Community problem-solving is an art, and like the art of dance or the game of soccer, the dispositions and skills of communal life are learned by doing and reflecting on what has been done. This essay discusses the "arts" of democracy, including:…

Designed for participants at a national teleconference on civic responsibility, this workbook provides the conference program, information on speakers, essays and fact sheets on various aspects of citizenship education and community service, and a list of resources for educational planning. The workbook includes: (1) a summary of the National and…

This report presents information from a national survey commissioned by the Public Education Network and Education Week of registered American voters and from focus group interviews, assessing the extent to which the public is supporting or failing public schools. Americans report having only 3 hours or less per week to help improve public…

It is difficult for newspaper editors and reporters to maintain journalistic objectivity when covering a city's urban structure and development because of their traditional civic involvement and because of a civic ideology shared with urban experts and chamber of commerce boosters. News values and editorial policy are often implicit varieties of…

This guide is designed to assist teachers and youth leaders in helping youth develop civic action skills. Section 1 offers a planning guide for action projects and focuses on how to develop such a project. Section 2 provides samples of eight community action projects with their descriptions, goals, resources needed, relevant facts and figures, a…

Suggests that the following five functions are common to all community advisory councils: fact finding, planning, coordination and communications, activation of new resources, and evaluation. (Author/DN)

This study guide is designed to be used by any group of people interested in examining and strengthening the ways in which politics works tody. An argument is made that politics suffers because U.S. society largely has lost a strong sense of public life--a challenging, diverse, and dynamic arena beyond one's immediate family and friendship…

Based on the 1989 presidential address to the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), the article discusses the role that social studies education plays in developing citizenship skills. States that society cannot leave to chance the promotion of citizenship in successive generations. Calls for the NCSS members to unite their efforts to…

Addressed to citizen groups, local government officials, and others concerned with the development of cable television in their communities, this report summarizes briefly some of the major issues surrounding local decisionmaking for cable television. This summary presents some of the more detailed information found in the companion publication,…

This document presents a case study of the controversy between freeway developers associated with the Washington State Highway Department and citizens of Montlake community, Seattle. The intent is to provide information to other neighborhood and community groups on successful citizen activism strategies. In the opening section, a chronology of…

Increasingly, Mental health professionals are turning for support and assistance in their work to citizens in the community. Consequently, the roles of citizen groups as participants and collaborators have taken on increased significance. These citizens are asking, "How much influence will they be allowed to exert in planning and implementing…

Intended to be used by groups of young people under the supervision of adults, this workbook is for young people who want to learn about public affairs and to become involved in their communities. There are exercises that may be completed independently by each person, and exercises that may be used by the entire group. The guide can be used by…

Developed by Iowa educators, this guide contains 23 sample lessons that offer guidelines for addressing the issue of homelessness with students in grades 1-12. The lesson plans were developed for varying age and ability levels, and slight changes can make them usable in a variety of settings to accomplish many different purposes. Resources are…