Civic Education and Engagement

Democracy is healthy when people understand the power and potential of local government and when people believe and act on the knowledge that their voice matters and can affect change. Democracy is healthy when municipal elected officials have the tools and resources to help engage and educate their communities about the decisions being made that impact their lives and how they can get involved.

The Civic Education and Engagement stream of work will support AMO members with the tools and resources to better inform their communities about local government as a lever of change to match any passion. Through this work together we will explore the role of elected officials in community engagement and wise practices for engaging communities, especially those that are traditionally underrepresented.

 

Civic Education and Engagement Objectives

• Youth see local government as a means (from within or without) to make a positive difference in their community.
• AMO members are able to productively and authentically engage with their communities—in particular with underrepresented communities and youth.
• AMO members are aware and engaged in the We All Win and Respect for Democracy streams of work.

 

AMO provides robust councillor training to support its members in strong local leadership.

• Councillor Training
• New Head of Council Training

 

Civic Education and Engagement Resources, Videos, Articles

Resource Highlight:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Videos/articles:

• Understanding Youth and Child Civic Engagement In Canada
• Learning Loss as Civic Loss and is focused on youth civic engagement and education.
• Walrus article: Why the voting age needs to be lowered to 16

Civic Education and Engagement organizations, resources, and tools:

• CIVIX: Strengthening democracy through civic education—We take real-life political events and turn them into teachable moments that bring democracy alive in classrooms.
  • studentvote.ca is a program of CIVIX, a national charity dedicated to strengthening democracy through civic education
  • Ontario Student Vote
• Future Majority is activating young Canadians to drive political change
• Apathy is Boring—a non-partisan, charitable organization that supports and educates youth to be active and contributing citizens in Canada’s democracy
  • Youth Friendly by Apathy is Boring
• Daughters of the Vote from Equal Voice
• Rutgers Teach a Girl to Lead program
• FCM’s Youth Council toolkit
• Urban Minds—engaging youth in city building
  • 1Up Toronto
  • Youth engagement toolkit
• CCDI’s See Different program
• Propel Initiative—experiential learning for university students
• OUSA—Students in their Habitats
• Forum for Young Canadians
• Samara Centre for Democracy—Learning Loss as Civic Loss
• City Hall School • Calgary 
• City Hall School • Edmonton
• Edmonton Planning Academy
• Synapcity Civics Boot Camp • Ottawa 
• Democracy Skills Civics and Citizenship Course
• Ben and Jerry’s info page about school board trustee elections
• The guide, Pass the Mic: Let's Talk About Racism, is designed for students in grades 5-8 and is available on the Canadian Museum for Human Rights website for download.
• Institute for Citizens & Scholars—Mapping Civic Measurement
• Tufts University—CIRCLE Growing Voters
• Stanford Social  Innovation Review: The Lobbying for good movement

 
Disclaimer/About these links:

The articles, videos, resources, and organizations listed here do not necessarily reflect AMO positions or policies. They are intended to continue our collective learning and act as the basis for good, healthy conversations about how to foster a healthy democracy in Ontario municipalities.