American civics education is declining. A Vermont student's app looks to change that.

On Jan. 6, 2021, a large mob breached and ransacked the Capitol in protest of what they believed to be a “stolen” presidential election. For many Americans, the event – known as the Insurrection – marked the first time they felt concerned for the future of democracy in the U.S.

Chris Alfano, then just a freshman at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vermont, knew he had to do something. While researching, he stumbled across some alarming statistics: Less than half of Americans know the three branches of government and just over a quarter can’t name even one, according to an Annenberg Public Policy Center survey from 2022.

STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning, Alfano discovered, has taken priority over civics education in schools for decades.

“I knew that we had to invest in our democracy, to encourage people to understand its workings, if it was to survive,” Alfano said. “Jan. 6 was really the climax of a period of intense polarization and division. Understanding and appreciating the principles of the U.S Constitution can bridge political divides and bring Americans together.”

Just over two years later in June, Alfano and his tech-savvy older brother, Michael, launched a free app to make civics education more accessible to and digestible for the public. Called Civicly, the app provides simple summaries of important government documents, including the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Federalist Papers and more than 20 Supreme Court cases.

Gamifying civics

To test what they know, users can answer over 300 multi-choice practice questions. Civicly’s “Study Plan” section then pinpoints the topics that the user still needs to master. Lastly, the app offers free articles about current events pertaining to the U.S democratic system, which show how the country’s founding documents impact American lives today.

Unlike how civics is often taught in schools through "dense texts and lectures," Civicly "gamifies" learning and translates government documents into layman's terms, Alfano said.

Although Alfano’s original vision for Civicly was to provide individual Americans the ability to educate themselves about civics, he said he’s not counting out the possibility of creating a version compatible with school curriculum, so that teachers can use it in classrooms.

Alfano, however, is under no impression that Civicly is the solution to a declining civics education in the U.S.

“However, if we can help even just one more American understand their government and their rights, it will be all worth it,” he said.

Alfano added that he has seen a resurgence of interest in civics education since the Insurrection, admitting that while he’s “concerned for our current situation,” he remains “optimistic” about the future.

“Americans across the country are recognizing the need to invest in civics to reinvigorate our democracy,” Alfano said.

What's next for Civicly

Civicly is just the beginning of Alfano’s political career. Alfano, who is now a senior, plans to study political science and international relations at an undetermined college, with the intention of securing a job in government and politics.

It is also only the beginning for Civicly. The Alfanos will continue to add historical documents and information about recent court cases to the app. Due to the Alfanos’ limited resources, Civicly is currently only available on Apple devices, but the brothers intend to eventually develop Android and web versions as well.

The app can be downloaded at civiclyapp.org/download. So far, it’s been downloaded close to 800 times and holds a 4.9 rating in the Apple App Store.

People without Apple devices can still visit Civicly’s website, which contains pithy articles about American civics. He also recommended visiting the website of CivXNow (civxnow.org), a national coalition of more than 300 civics organizations of which Civicly is a part, for more resources.

Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont student's Civicly app promotes democracy, civics education