Civic Literacy Fellows
In August, the Office of Community-Engaged Leadership hired 12 Civic Literacy Student Fellows as part of the greater Civic Literacy Initiative. These fellows play a vital role in building an informed, active, participatory student body through peer engagement and campus collaboration. Since their start, the fellows have been instrumental in fostering civic engagement and education across campus. Despite many challenges, including Hurricane Helene, the fellows were dedicated to engaging students in democracy this fall. Here are some of their highlights:
- 57 Civic Literacy presentations were scheduled for class, organization, and staff meetings across campus. Due to the impacts of Hurricane Helene, 35 in-person presentations were successfully delivered to 642 participants, and the remaining 22 groups were provided a pre-recorded presentation.
- 40 tabling sessions facilitated by the Civic Literacy Fellows focused on voter education and registration, promotion of Civic Literacy, and post-election engagement
- They successfully updated voter registration information for 200+ students between August 12th and October 11th
- Party at the Polls: This program, geared towards promoting and celebrating early voting, was a collaboration between Community-Engaged Leadership, Campus Activities, Student Government Association, Club Council, and Young People's Alliance with 400+ students in attendance
Additionally, we strongly believe that the work of the Civic Literacy Initiative has directly benefited students and our campus community. The following are reflections shared from our fellows:
- “For me, this position has been my first jump into the world of nonpartisanship. Focusing on education and voter engagement with other passionate people has been so rewarding and refreshing.”
- “Working with the Civic Literacy Fellows has been so inspiring, seeing my peers' passion for voting and civic engagement, huge voter turnout on campus, and enthusiasm around learning about the impact of your vote.”
We also believe that increased civic literacy and engagement on campus contributed to a well-rounded student experience. This is demonstrated in the following reflections shared from our fellows:
- “I have learned what it looks like to have a dialogue surrounding civics and realize that no matter how different we are, we all pull from the same values that make us human.”
- “I have learned life-long lessons on communication through this work. The ability to communicate across difference with others is useful and needed for all parts of life”
The Civic Literacy Fellows are looking forward to continuing their work and engaging students in civic education, post-general election. Be on the lookout for an updated list of events and programs for Spring 2025!