Our Kid-led Civic Education Videos
KidCivics is our video series designed by kids to help children and adults understand how children can thrive during their time in school by engaging in democratic civic thinking and doing.
What is Democracy? The Social Contract is debated in this video by 10 year old Madison and 16 year old David, led by 17 year old Rachael.
Kids in the commons explores the spaces we share starting with the school cafeteria, including 4 lesson plans below.
Kids show us how to mediate disputes using the peacekeeping tools we created with them.
What is democracy? Voice and choice!
19 year old Michelle, 16 year old Ed plus 12 year old Lennon discuss the freedom of speech and press we enjoy in the USA.
Part 2 includes the 2nd scenario and reflections on what they learned.
Tips and Resources has lots of good stuff and are free to download. Leave us comments. We’d greatly appreciate it.
What is democracy? The social contract!
16 year old Rachael, 14 year old David plus 12 year old Madison discuss the United States Constitution as a social contract and how making agreements in advance helps improve the work process, relationships, stress levels and outcomes.
The kids discuss scenarios to see how making a contract (or not) plays out. Part 2 includes an additional scenario and reflections on what was learned.
Tips and Resources are free to download.
Controversial topics / Mending the Fabric of Democracy
16 year olds Rachael and Ed plus 10 year old Lennon were asked to talk together about the importance of teaching potentially contentious topics in the classroom as past of the Mending the Fabric of Democracy seminar series in March 2021 hosted by the DemocracyReady NY coalition which is hosted by the Center for Educational Equity at Columbia University / Teachers College.
What is democracy? Our town!
18 year old Clara, 16 year old Ed, plus 11 year old Lennon discuss a governance structure can be implemented in any elementary or middle school: Our Town - has a mayor, an elected town council, peacekeepers and judges. Together the entire school community creates a constitution (mission statement) that their town lives by.
Here is Part 2. Tips and Resources may be downloaded here.
Homework / Socratic debate
“We used to have homework”, says 9 year old student recognizing that they were on lockdown due to COVID, ”Now it’s all home work.”
An all-student survey at PS20 in Brooklyn in which almost all 350 kids answered that they need homework. A 10 year old referee keeps the debate on track. The introduction is by PS20’s Principal Barbera.
Here are Tips and Resources.
Good global citizens / Socratic dialogue
Kids debate what being a good citizen means to them.
We’ve put together some Tips and Resources for students, teachers and parents.
Peacekeeping / Training
This simple, tried and true mediation process is helpful to anyone, of any age, anywhere, who wants to come to peace. Its especially helpful at this time during COVID when harmony is even more important at home or in school. Introduction by Tihun Galt, 14, who led Peacekeepers when she was in 5th grade.
Training resources: The Inquiring Minds’ Peacekeepers Guide can be downloaded here. Please leave us comments about how we might improve or add on.
Working alone or in a group? / Socratic debate
Students explore 2 ways of working on a project as they debate the merits and challenges of both using Socratic questioning. The 2 students in debate are Lennon 10 and Law 14 and are brothers. The referee is 17 years old.
The team put together some Tips and Resources for students, teachers and parents. Please leave us comments about how we might improve or add on.
Fake news / Socratic dialogue
This 2 part video dialogue is between 3 students (11 year old Madison, 13 year old David and 17 year old Clara (who leads the discussion).They discuss where they get their news, how they feel about truth and manipulation.
Tips and Resources includes sample questions, books, article links, and videos for a range of ages.
The importance of being a healthy skeptic is discussed in Part 2.
Justice, liberty and happiness / Socratic dialogue
In this 2 part video series Lennon 10, Ed 16 and Clara 17, all of whom are growing up in Brooklyn, New York and attending New York City public elementary and high schools (respectively), explore the rights of Justice, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Here’s a link to Part 2 of Justice and Fairness. Here is a downloadable PDF of the Tips and Resources assembled by the team.
Justice and Fairness Socratic Dialogue elementary and high school. Civic education. Inquiry
Kids in the Commons #1: The school cafeteria
The school cafeteria as civic space
Our student-led team created 4 presentations (below) about the cafeteria. They also created 4 lesson plans to go with the 4 videos.
Being social in school cafeterias - Michelle Del Villar
What is school food about?- Damani Laidlow
Is there waste in your school cafeteria? - Ed Zuniga and Bilal Homer
What are your rights and responsibilities in your school cafeteria? - Michelle ‘M&M’ Maniyena
Please add comments to any of the lesson plans. We’re eager to hear your feedback.
Also, here’s an article we co wrote called Kids Inherit the Earth about the cafeteria but so much more.
Liberty and freedom/ Socratic dialogue
This is a 2 part series. Here’s the link to Liberty and Freedom Part 2. Click on the image on the left for Part 1. Here are Tips and Resources.
Love and happiness/ Socratic dialogue
This 2 part video dialogue stars Lennon, Edward and Clara who engage in a cooperative discussion on the topic of love and happiness.
Here’s the link to Love and Happiness Part 2. Click on the image on the left for Part 1. Here are Tips and Resources.
Welcome back to school 2021
Students from 6-19 participated in this short video about going back to school as we adjust to a new way of learning due to COVID – while going back into the classroom. They want you to know that students can help too. They are all really pumped about being back in person.
The 4 you see here – Damani, Michelle, Bilal and Abigail – also made you a document that has all kinds of Tips and Resources to help adults adjust.