New Life for High School Civics: Youth Organizers Campaign Successfully for Better Classes

Walking through the streets of Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood, one may think of ëtoday's troubled youth,' or ëinner city violence,' and Jamaica Plain does have a reputation for gang behavior, violence, and drug use among its teens. But tucked away behind an old church in Hyde Square is an organization that has led many JP teens on a different path. The Hyde Square Task Force has supported and guided youth to participate in community activism and social change. Their latest project, the Campaign for Civics, has successfully changed the curriculum of Boston Public Schools (BPS).

The Hyde Square Task Force is a non-profit organization that began as an effort to reverse the trend of violence in the area. Its Youth Community Organizing initiative was formed in 1999 to develop the leadership of the youth participants and alter the societal structures that support injustice.

The Campaign for Civics began as a Youth Community Organizing (YCO) project in 2003, with the goal of reinstating a long-abandoned requirement that Boston Public School students be required to pass a civics class in order to graduate. What began as a small focus group expanded to the YCOs' main campaign. In the spring of 2007, the YCOs worked with City Councilor Chuck Turner to draft a hearing order -- the first youth-written hearing order in the city's history. In fall of 2007, the hearing order was put before the Boston City Council. Over 200 youth, family members, community members, and organizations were in attendance to show the students support. The hearing was successful, and civics classes will be piloted this fall.

Why are youth asking for an additional class at school? At the Hyde Square Task Force, YCOs have experienced the power that knowledge of civics gives them to improve their communities and their own lives. YCOs want to ensure that all Boston youth have the opportunity to become active, informed, and engaged members of society and they believe that a stimulating civics curriculum will do just that.

Through educational trainings and workshops at Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF) and through participation in organizing campaigns like the Campaign for Civics, YCOs have learned how government works, how power functions, and how to take a problem in their community and work strategically towards a solution. One workshop, offered to HSTF youth in cooperation with Facing History and Ourselves, demonstrated on a small scale what a modern, youth-centered civics class might be. Readings included many by Latino and African American authors on identity, history, power, social movements, and citizenship. The participants reported that they had not learned about history and civics from this perspective before, and that it spurred their interest in history and gave them a new level of understanding of the structure of society. Now they are interested in having every BPS graduate take an understanding of these concepts into adulthood, rather than accepting that this be a privilege of only the small portion of students who have been involved with community organizations like HSTF.

Community Outreach

The first step in gaining support for the campaign was to approach local organizations and community members. The YCOs attended lectures and events, where they handed out packets of information on their campaign. Civics as a benefit to both participants and the community at large is the Campaign for Civics' biggest selling point.

Melissa Aybar, 16, describes flyering and handing out information as an enjoyable experience -- one that was received well in the community and by local organizations. "We set up meetings with people we felt like were allies, and invited them to our hearing. At these meetings, we had agendas and we presented our work. It's hard to say no to a group of kids wanting to learn, wanting to make a difference."

Though they received much encouragement, a local social movement is never without obstacles. The resistance they encountered was from the main beneficiaries of a civics class: other youth. "It's been difficult flyering in the streets, because a lot of kids are rude," Melissa says. "Some kids were like ëAnother class? I don't want to take another class.'"

Not Just Another Class

So how will the civics classes in Boston Public Schools escape being another boring history class? The YCOs have been working tirelessly this summer to write an innovative and useful curriculum. They are collaborating with two curriculum writers and the head of the history department at BPS, as well as people in other organizations.

Melissa says, "We want to structure the class in a way so it's impossible for the teacher to make it boring. There should be ways to evaluate without written tests, having students show what they're learning by having debates, mock trials, doing presentations, or writing persuasive letters to politicians."

The YCOs have also held focus groups to allow youth and adults to weigh in on content and how the material should be taught. The topics that came up most often were "learning your rights," current events, different role models, and seeing US history through different perspectives.

A civics curriculum would prepare students to be politically aware, involved, and engaged in bettering our society. Civics classes would include topics such as politics, voting rights, social justice, and community activism, among others.

The YCOs agree that for young people, knowing their rights when getting stopped by the police is one of the major topics that must be covered in a civics class. For Gabi, it's also important to focus on the social demographic of Jamaica Plain teenagers who are stopped and searched by the police. "There is absolutely a race component to getting stopped," she says. "It's unfair because cops see Black or Latino kids with baggy jeans and will automatically search them. These kids would be walking to work, to volunteer -- these are kids who are going to work to do something positive and they'll still get stopped by police because of the way they are dressed and the way they look."

Peace through Civics

Violence is a major concern for Boston youth. Peace education, often left out of mainstream curricula, can come in many forms. Gabi sees an awareness of differences and diversity as an important component to reaching peace in the neighborhood.

"A civics class teaches people about others who are different from them," Gabi says. "So much violence comes from people not knowing or not understanding the differences between one another. If you know about other cultures. then violence can decrease and peace can be brought about."

Melissa explains how peace can come about through civics education simply by providing students with something engaging to do with their time. She feels that violence is often born out of teenagers wanting to escape their home lives, yet having nothing productive to take part in outside of their family and school life. A large part of the civics classes will be a service component, and Gabi believes that civically engaged youth will have less time to spend focusing on violent behavior.

A Well-earned Victory

This fall, when civics classes are piloted in public high schools across Boston, the YCOs and other members of the Hyde Square Task Force will see the fruits of all their labor.

"What made this campaign successful was us not giving up -- because the work can be very frustrating," Gabi says. "But having the community support us in such a huge way made us feel like we could do it. Years from now when I have kids, they are going to be taking civics classes -- and I'm going to feel like I contributed to that. I'm so proud of all the YCOs."

Seeing the success that this campaign has brought about will forever have an impact on the Youth Community Organizers' lives. Melissa believes that leading a successful social campaign at such a young age will provide the YCOs with a lifelong belief that change is possible. "A lot of us have the capacity to do a lot more," she says. "I've seen firsthand how tiring and stressful it can be for adults who do this for a long time, but having such a huge success and such widespread support for the first movement I've ever worked on will keep me motivated for a long time. I know we will all go our separate ways, but I know in some way we'll all come back to organizing."