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Close Up Civic Excellence Award
Being an active and informed citizen takes many forms and requires a variety of activities. Close Up encourages all program participants to pursue the Close Up Foundation Civic Excellence Award. After participating on your Close Up program, complete the following list of activities and Close Up will recognize your efforts with a letter to your principal and a certificate of achievement, and hopefully you will be well on your way to a lifetime of active citizenship!
Stay Informed!
Follow the news for at least one month by reading a major newspaper, watching the nightly news, or reading a weekly news magazine. Seek out different sources, particularly ones that might express views different from your own. Initiate discussions with your friends and family about important issues.
Communicate your Opinions!
Write a letter to your member of Congress or state representative about an issue that concerns you. Send a letter to the editor of your school or local newspaper; let them know what you think.
Participate!
Attend a local school board, city council, or town hall meeting, or a state legislative session. Witness firsthand how decisions get made and how the public influences the process. If possible, testify or speak your mind at the meeting.
Give Back to Your Community!
Civic and political participation takes many forms, and the willingness of private citizens to work together to address a problem is one of the things that makes our democracy stronger. Dedicate a combined total of 30 hours of your time to volunteer community and/or political service. Suggested activities include:
Community Service
- Volunteering at a local nursing home, soup kitchen, or animal shelter
- Work with a faith based organization to provide community services
- Volunteer with an environmental group to clean up a local park or river
Political Service
- Work on the campaign of a candidate for public office
- Work with a political advocacy group that works on behalf of a particular issue or cause
- Volunteer to conduct voter registration, GOTV (Get out the Vote) activity, or volunteer to work at the polls
Register and Vote!
The most fundamental act of citizenship in a democracy is to participate in the electoral process. As soon as you are eligible, you should register to vote, and vote in all local, state, and federal elections.
Reflect and Report!
Write a 1-2 page reflection on your experiences (including how the Close Up program prepared you for these activities), and send it to Close Up along with your completed Award Certification Form signed by you and your teacher.
(PDF Format)
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