Identifying Civic Engagement Leaders

Teaching children to be active citizens engaged in volunteering and civic leadership is a major goal of educators worldwide.  Yet despite its importance, research shows that opportunities for youth “civic engagement” remain overwhelmingly limited.
 
Earlier this year, HHD was awarded a grant from the German-based Bertelsmann Foundation to identify emerging leaders and best practices in civic engagement, as part of the Foundation’s annual Carl Bertelsmann Prize.  Since 1988, this award has been given to organizations that discover innovative ideas and solutions to address pressing social issues.  This year’s focus on civic engagement was designed to highlight ways schools can promote young people’s participation in community activities as an educational goal.

In partnership with the German company IFOK, HHD surveyed over 300 experts from across the globe to identify organizations that exemplified the spirit of the prize.  Over several months, HHD staff researched and visited a handful of these programs and helped the Foundation narrow-down the list of finalists.

"We were pleased to have worked with HHD in this endeavor,” says Michael Seberich of the Bertelsmann Foundation.  “For us, HHD's international network and knowledge of current educational practices across the globe was a unique asset in finding the winner of the 2007 Carl Bertelsmann Prize."

In September, the Bertelsmann Foundation announced that the 100,000 Euro Prize was awarded to the UK-based Citizenship Foundation for its work to anchor a civic engagement theme within the school curriculum.  The Citizenship Foundation supports a culture of active and informed citizenship from kindergarten through high school and oversees several programs that strive to have children become more invested in strengthening their community.  For example, their Go-Givers program helps parents and teachers promote ideas of charity and empathy among children ages 4 through 11 through an interactive website. 

“We were very excited to assist the Bertelsmann Foundation in identifying ways to build the “protective factor” civic engagement,” says Carmen Aldinger, director of this project.  “Health promotion projects too often focus on “risk factors” rather than thinking about more positive ways of promoting healthy child development and improving society as a whole.  We hope that by identifying leaders in civic engagement others will be inspired to pursue similar projects.”
 
To learn more about this project, please contact Carmen Aldinger at 617-618-2362.

October 18, 2007