Event Overview

Are you interested in fostering greater opportunities for student voice in your school? Join us for the Student Voice Institute training for 4-12th grade educators in Arizona on June 25-27, 2024, at the ASU Chandler Innovation Center. Participants will receive professional development hours, a professional learning stipend, and training and resources to engage their students in innovative civic learning opportunities.  

Through the Student Voice Institute, you will learn about two inspiring programs to promote student voice: School Participatory Budgeting (SPB) and Students Create Change. Through focusing on participatory budgeting and public policy as key levers for change, educators and students will be equipped with an understanding of how to identify community needs and create solutions. This training will help educators understand both programs and design a plan for implementation for either or both on their campus in 2024-2025. 

School Participatory Budgeting (SPB) is an innovative civic learning tool supported by the Center for the Future of Arizona and Arizona State University’s Participatory Governance Initiative to provide students with the opportunity to ‘learn democracy by doing’ through making decisions over how a portion of their school budget is allocated to improve their campus community. Students work alongside their educators and the community to brainstorm ideas, develop proposals, and participate in a campus-wide vote. At the end of the process, students can see the results of their participation with real change on their campus. This training will help educators learn how to design and implement the year-long process in classrooms or clubs. 

Students Create Change (also known nationwide as Project Citizen) is a program of the Center for Civic Education supported by the Arizona Bar Foundation that engages young people in cooperative, project-based learning and empowers them to positively create change in their community. Through engaging in a project to address the needs of the community, educators and students will gain a better understanding of public policy and how our government works. Educators will take students through all elements of inquiry found in the new Arizona History and Social Science standards, from asking questions, researching, and using evidence, to communicating conclusions and taking informed action! This training will be geared towards helping teachers guide their students towards the successful completion and submission of an e-portfolio that addresses a public policy concern.  

 Training Objectives:  

• Understand how incorporating student voice into classroom and school initiatives addresses the civic learning gap 
• Create opportunities for students to enact change through public policy and participatory budgeting 
• Develop an action plan for implementing at least one of these programs in the classroom or school during the 2024-2025 school year 
• Understand how to create student-led deliverables 
• Explore strategies for managing and implementing civic education project-based learning  

Benefits of Participating to School Communities and Students: 

• Greater appreciation for school and surrounding community 
• Greater engagement in school community and sense of belonging 
• Increases in civic knowledge, skills, attitudes, and practices 
• Greater understanding of rights and responsibilities 

*Please note, to receive the stipend, you must be an educator who directly teaches a class of students.