On Saturday, October 19th, MasonVotes was extremely excited to host a Civic School Chat with the Ohio ACLU! Dania, our Founding Partner and Marketing Director, met up several times with Riley from the Ohio ACLU to organize and market the event to the community. We designed the event to be wholeheartedly centered around the conversation at the table, working to engage Mason residents of all ages to share their valuable perspectives.
Oftentimes, it’s difficult for youth to share their true thoughts aloud - especially in front of adults. Throughout the chat, I was incredibly glad to see students embracing their unique voice and boldly taking part in the discussion. One of my favorite moments was when we talked about the differences in learning politics in the classroom right now and decades ago. It was incredibly interesting to compare the intergenerational differences and pinpoint areas for improvement in civic education.
Another great conversation we had was how to explore diverging perspectives with radically different people, and techniques to engage in civic discourse rather than heated arguments. Especially in today’s polarized environment, it’s crucial to equip youth with the tools required to navigate challenging conversations and nuanced discussions.
All in all, we ended the conversation on a bright note. While we had discussed critical issues in civic education and our government, we also energized each other to see the hope in current reforms and the power of united individuals to create tangible change in our community.
Special thank you to Adesso Coffee for hosting our civic chat, the Ohio ACLU for the wonderful discussion material, and to all the community residents and students who participated in this community conversation! I absolutely cannot wait to host another civic chat in the near future.
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