Kentucky's Pilot Public Achievement Program
What is Public Achievement?
- A national youth initiative by the Center for Democracy and Citizenship
- Developed on the idea that societal issues, challenges, and triumphs are everyone’s responsibility
- Goals:
- Educating young people in becoming effective civic and political actors
- Learning how to think and act as citizens
- Students learn they are not citizens in deferral, but that they can be agents of change right now
How do we accomplish these goals?
- Through public work (cooperative work among ordinary citizens)
- When public work is done among people with diverse abilities, resources, and capacities, students become “civic co-creators,” helping to build a common world
- Problem-solving techniques with diverse groups of people to make lasting contributions in creating our communities and beyond
The Importance of Public Achievement
- Youth become active producers rather than consumers of democracy
- As “civic co-creators,” Public Achievement participants develop proficient public speaking skills, learn the art of listening, and understand power
- Dynamically changes interactions with community leaders, school personnel, as well as state and national officials
PA at WKU
- Acting as guides, coaches assist in navigating through student-identified community problem
- Bowling Green Public Achievement coaches are WKU students receiving course credit
- Schools where Public Achievement is active:
- Bowling Green High School
- Parker Bennett Curry Elementary
- T.C. Cherry Elementary
- Potter Gray Elementary
PA Story from Spring 2011:
The Brighter Side from Alix Mattingly on Vimeo.
