Generation Citizen Rhode Island

Generation Citizen began in 2008, when eight Brown University students began teaching action civics in four Providence school classrooms, helping secondary school students realize the power of their voices to make a difference in their communities.

In 2018, Generation Citizen celebrated its 10th anniversary as a non-profit organization. In just a short period of time, students in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, California, Oklahoma, Texas, New York, and beyond have learned to drive change through action civics.

Generation Citizen believes every student has the right to learn how to effectively participate as citizens. We inspire civic participation through a proven state standards-aligned action civics class that gives students the opportunity to experience real-world democracy.

Generation Citizen places young adults in middle and high school classrooms to serve as Democracy Coaches alongside experienced teachers. Democracy Coaches serve as mentors and guides as students select a community-based action civics project. For example, if a class wanted to build a crosswalk outside their school, their Democracy Coach might research the relevant government officials, invite a community activist to come talk to the class, and build relationships with students during regular class visits.

Generation Citizen students receive an effective, action-oriented civics education that promotes long-term civic engagement and builds collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills that students will need throughout their lives. The result is passionate and responsible civic participation that will help create the more active citizenry and more responsive government of our future.