“I have been a youth community organizer at the Hyde Square Task Force for the last two years and I never thought I would have had the opportunity to do I’ve done here. I have learned about how to help my community, how my government works, how to speak in public, how use a power analysis to solve problems, how to turnout people to vote, how to organize events such as candidate forums and how to work as a team. Although my fellow co-workers and I have been taught and experienced all these things I feel like every student in the Boston Public School system deserves the same. I’m ONE of the lucky students out of 57,000 students in the school system. Doesn’t every child deserve to learn these skills?” - Victor Martinez, Age 17, New Mission Pilot School
“It is bad that youth are not politically active because since their not educated around civics they just seem to complain more and more and not do anything about it. That’s one of the main reasons why we need civics, to stop the complaining and actually show youth how to get involved. Statistics show that students who critically think about their place in society grow up to vote.” - Oscar Brazoban, Age 16, Snowden International High School
“When I think of what a civics class could potentially look like, I envision a teacher standing in front of a class, with all of the students engaged in a conversation, where current events are being discussed and then related back to history. In civics students would learn through hands on activities, instead of learning from dated textbooks. Students would learn how the judicial system works through mock trials...students will learn their rights, via student-police interaction...and more importantly how to deal with police harassment. In addition, the class will hold mock elections, where students will have an opportunity to either run for “office”, manage a campaign, or play one of the many other roles essential to elections. Hopefully, all of this experience will help students to become more open minded to change and give them an understanding of how they can reform the government so that it can work better for them, for their peers and for generations to come.” - Gabi Leyton-Nolan, Age 15, Boston Latin Academy
“Usually kids don’t tell their moms and dads what happened at school, but when it’s fun and has to do with their community, they do tell them...one thing I told my mom about is when we went to the Samuel Adams Court House. We walked around, saw statues of Samuel Adams, saw the insides of real courtrooms, important documents, the colonial judges’ wigs and robes, and their huge gavels. We saw a modern courtroom and learned words like, legislator, house branch, bailiff, judge, prosecutor, defendant, witnesses, democrat, republican, and independent. Kids in Boston Public Schools do not have Civics like I do because my school is a charter school. Everyone should have Civics so that they can learn all the things that I learned.” - Ana Belliard, Age 11, Boston Renaissance Charter Public School
“So, here we are today
We realize the problem and offer a solution
We want to see change,
Painting murals, tutoring children, and making safer streets,
We understand, but what about other youth who don’t?
Imagine if students were at the table designing classes
Instead of letting these opportunities pass us, let’s work together,
Why imagine when we’ve done the work?
What is there left to prove?
We need civics in Boston Public Schools”
-Ashley Cotton, Community Organizer, Age 18
For more information, or to get involved in the campaign, please Contact the Youth Community Organizers (YCOs) of the Hyde Square Task Force, 617.524.8303 – www.hydesquare.org