Making an Impact Close to Home: Engaging Students in Local Government

Session Submission Type: TLC Workshop

Session Description

There is a missing link in civic engagement and civics education: the local level. Even U.S. citizens with an intricate knowledge of national politics may be totally unaware of where the local government power centers are, or how decisions are made about their communities. During the pandemic, municipalities played a huge role with mask mandates, vaccine distribution, information campaigns, and other interventions, even when the federal government was slow to act. At a time when partisan conflicts and ideological extremism are permeating local government hearings such as school board meetings, it’s also a crucial moment for more citizens to get involved and bring a focus on practical solutions. With a little education about local government, citizens – and students – can participate directly and have a significant impact on decision-making at a highly accessible level. Instead of discussing broad, abstract national issues with ideological talking points, they can learn to study problems in a practical, substantive way, and can play an important role in finding and advancing solutions.
In this workshop, Prof. Erin Richards of Cascadia College will chair and present on her experience teaching local government through a project-based approach, using a practitioner-informed 10-step method of No-Blame Problem Solving. This approach is highly customizable to different local contexts and diverse communities, allowing learners to focus on the issues they’re passionate about which directly impact their home cities. Learners achieve a deeper understanding of local government institutions as they figure out where their solution might be advanced, and a sense of self-efficacy as they learn to find evidence-based solutions for their communities. Local elected officials, former officials, or government employees can visit the class virtually to connect with students and offer first-hand insights into what it’s like to serve. Participants will practice No-Blame Problem Solving for themselves to get a sense of how the project works in class. Harry Pozycki of The Citizens Campaign, who led the development of the No-Blame Problem Solving method based on his experience in government and politics at every level, will offer advice and feedback from the practitioners’ side. Dr. Joanna Kenty, curriculum designer for The Citizens Campaign, will facilitate.


Learning objectives:
In this workshop, participants will practice how to:
· Use the 10 Steps of No-Blame Problem Solving to research and advance a solution
· Evaluate solutions to determine if they are practical, evidence-based, and cost-effective
· Find, evaluate, and examine evidence to support arguments for a new policy
· Evaluate the effectiveness of different existing solutions to a particular problem

Sub Unit

• TLC at APSA

Chair

• Erin E. Richards Cascadia Community College

Presenter

• Joanna Kenty n/a