Democracy & Voting

fullsizeoutput_4445 These resources are compiled to support service learning experiences around democracy and the election process.

ECSL Materials

ECSL’s Adapt Your Own Toolkit: A resource from ECSL’s fall 2019 meeting designed to help students explore elections from the perspective of an issue they care about. Students choose an election topic and use the service learning process to build an action project related to their cause.
Workshop Presentation Slides These slides from our winter 2020 workshop help review the process (and the resources for) discussing diversity in classrooms. This process helps students build a foundation for determining how to help engage ALL VOICES in democracy.
Happy Birthday Now Vote: A K12 service learning experience that engages youth of all ages in getting out the vote.

Organization Materials

YSA’s ServiceVote Toolkit: A campaign to engage young people ages 5-25 in the election process.
Voting Rights in the United States: A lesson toolkit from Facing History and Ourselves on the barriers Americans face when voting and why it matters.
Expanding Voting Rights: A series of five lessons that looks at the history of voting rights

Related Reads to Spark Classroom Conversation

How to Sway an Election Even if You Can’t Vote: An inspirational story of “how someone under 18 can get involved in an election.” Creative community organizing that used a Drive-thru as a voter registration platform.
California is Taking Steps to Lower the Voting Age – Here’s Why: An Op-Ed from former LAUSD’s Student Board Member on why 16- and 17-year olds should have the right to vote.
Meet the LAUSD Teen Fighting to Lower the Voting Age to 16 In School Board Elections
Voting Rights in America- Two Centuries of Struggle: A thorough timeline of the Civil Rights Movement through the lens of voting rights.

Service-learning is a powerful, hands-on teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful service and classroom content. The process creates authentic learning opportunities while teaching civic responsibility through service to others with reciprocal benefits for all involved. ECSL provides K-12 teachers and administrators opportunities to advance service-learning through professional development and collegial exchange. ECSL also connects parents and community partners with schools and students to facilitate dynamic service-learning experiences.

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