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Kids Voting Colorado is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping youth and adults become engaged
in civic life. Our goal is to foster an informed, participating electorate by educating and actively engaging young
people and their families in voting and other elements of effective civic engagement.
We
seek both to educate students in grades K-12 about voter rights and responsibilities, and to immediately increase voter turnout.
Kids Voting
works in the classrooms through a curriculum, Civics Alive!, closely aligned to CSAP and Model Content standards, and packed
with engaging, grade-specific civics and social studies activities.
Students learn
about their rights and responsibilities as voters, experience civic empowerment and engagement through discussions at home
and in school, and study the candidates and issues.
But what makes this program
so valuable is that the kids then register and vote
in their own election, often held at the official adult polling places. They
learn first hand about civic responsibility, and begin life-long habits of informed voting.
The kids cast
their own ballots, on the same candidates and on many of the same issues as their parents. Because the kids will
literally drag their parents to the polls, in communities where kids vote adult voter turnout rises anywhere between
3-10%.
Kids Voting
works. Research has shown that students who experience Kids Voting in school
are more likely to remain informed, active citizens and to continue voting as adults. Where
boys have traditionally scored higher in social studies than girls and minority students, Kids Voting eliminates these achievement
gaps.
Best of all, Kids Voting emphasizes critical
thinking skills, and encourages kids to develop and defend their own viewpoints. This really builds kids' academic confidence,
and has effects across multiple subject areas.
Josh Hanfling for Colorado House 6
Capsize Design- Custom Furniture Denver
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