Opinion: Utah high school students are getting creative with civic engagement projects
As a junior at Skyline High School, Audrey Su founded a 501(c)3 nonprofit called Title I Strings to bring free string-instrument music education to Utah’s Title I elementary schools. Last month, she took home the grand prize in Utah and an honorable mention at nationals in the MyImpact Challenge, a nationwide civic-engagement contest launched by the Bill of Rights Institute.
Teams of middle school and high school students came to Utah Valley University on June 14 to share projects they had developed in response to observed community needs, as well as the actions they took to meet those needs. Utah’s Civic Thought and Leadership Initiative, along with the Utah Civic Learning Collaborative and YouthLinc, hosted the event.
Aubrey based her project on the founding principle of equality. “To deny a child equal music education is to forgo them a valuable opportunity to find confidence, creativity and passion in all walks of life,” she said.
Audrey cites data that students in music programs consistently score higher than those who never participate, regardless of their socioeconomic status, and such programs can help fight some of the most enduring problems that face our youth today — depression and anxiety. “We’re expanding our own worldviews, becoming more conscientious people, and doing our part to help these underserved children find equality, justice, and respect,” she said.
Each team, in line with specific contest criteria, was expected to connect their project to America’s founding principles, including the ones outlined below, which have helped shape our republic and maintain our fundamental rights to life, liberty and equality:
Natural rights (liberty, equality, justice and other inalienable rights).
Consent and republican government (minority rights, consent of the governed and a representative democracy).
Limited government (respect for the rule of law, due process).
Constitutional/auxiliary precautions (separation of powers, checks and balances and federalism).
Bill of rights (including freedoms of religion, speech, press, petition, assembly and private property).
In addition, projects were to reflect at least one of the civic virtues outlined by the Bill of Rights Institute. These included courage, honor, humility, integrity, justice, moderation, prudence, respect and responsibility.
The MyImpact Challenge gave high schoolers the opportunity to engage with these civic virtues while serving their community in unique ways.
Students from American Preparatory Academy bring together communities across Utah to read the Constitution. The Constitution Live team’s poster explained that “increased understanding can heal the divisiveness in our country” and that “we want to encourage respect and responsibility among Americans and promote popular sovereignty in order to heal our country.” Elise Christenson explained what the experience taught her: “I can make a difference even though I’m only in high school,” she said.
Nial Reay of Monticello High School noticed after the COVID-19 pandemic that students seemed less engaged in school, particularly in the science class that he found very interesting. He saw a need, talked to the teacher, worked hard and donated his earned money to purchase supplies — frogs, in this case. Nial is now helping seventh graders learn about dissection. He sees his project creating greater equality as he shares his love of science with younger students who might otherwise not have this benefit.
One-third of the MyImpact projects in Utah addressed gun-safety concerns, clearly an issue that our students think a lot about. Other projects covered the topics of fast fashion, which leads to environmentally unsustainable and unethical labor practices; protecting freedom of expression for Asian Americans; and performing “sneaky service” around school. To see more projects, view the nationwide winners for 2023 here. Teachers interested in adding more civics to their classrooms can learn more about the MyImpact Challenge here.
As Matthew Brogdon, senior director of the Center for Constitutional Studies, told participants that day: “If you don’t have a healthy civil society, you can’t very well have a functioning constitutional government.” We can be proud that these Utah youth are promoting a healthy civil society through a viable government based on ordered liberty and the rule of law.
Lisa R. Halverson and Glori H. Smith are Civics Education Fellows at Utah Valley University’s Center for Constitutional Studies.
