Civics and Law-Related Education
The Law, Youth and Citizenship Program administers several
nationally renowned civic education programs, as well as sponsoring many
local and regional civic education events. LYC also works with New York
teachers and school districts to offer no-cost professional development
in the areas of civic and law-related education. The LYC program also
offers many no and low-cost publications to teachers, as well as rich
online resources for classroom teachers.
The We the People programs are sponsored nationally by the Center for Civic Education and
in New York State by the LYC Program. The programs are intended to
improve knowledge, skills and civic attitudes in our representative
democracy.
LYC is the New York State administrator for the We the People
Program, Project Citizen Program and the Representative Democracy in
America Program.
New York Team Takes Unit Award at National Event
Washington, D.C. - After three days of simulated congressional hearings
on the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the class from New
York, Half Hollow Hills High School East, Dix Hills earned one of six
unit awards for Unit 4 - How the Values and Principles Embodied in the
Constitution Shaped American Institutions and Practices.
The results were announced at an awards banquet Monday evening before
an audience of 1,500 students, teachers, coordinators, judges and other
program participants.
Winners of the 24th Annual We the People: The Citizen and the
Constitution National Final hearings were the students of Maggie L.
Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies of
Richmond, Virginia.
Classes representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the
Northern Mariana Islands came to the nation's capital to participate in
the three-day academic competition. At the ceremony, the 2011 Dale E.
Kildee Civitas Award was presented to U.S. Rep. Richard Neal (MA-02) for
his contributions to the field of civic education.
During the competition, students demonstrated their knowledge of the
Constitution before simulated congressional committees made up of state
Supreme Court judges, constitutional scholars, lawyers, public officials
and We the People alumni. The first rounds of the hearings took place on
Saturday, April 30, and Sunday, May 1. On the final day, the top 10
schools competed in congressional hearing rooms on Capitol Hill.
The We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program provides
an intensive curriculum that offers students comprehensive instruction
on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the principles and values
they embody. The program is designed to promote an understanding of the
rights and responsibilities of citizens in our constitutional
democracy.
More than 30 million elementary, middle and high school students have
participated in the program since its inception in 1987. Developed and
administered by the Los Angeles-based Center for Civic Education, the
program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the
Education for Democracy Act approved by Congress. It is administered in
New York State by the New York State Bar Association’s Law, Youth
and Citizenship Program.
The 2011 We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution National
Finals was funded by the Center for Civic Education, state donors, and
The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation in partnership with the
Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.
Project
Citizen . . .
PS122 Demonstrates Project Citizen at NYSSBA meeting
Mamie Fay School Wows the Audience
Four students representing their class at PS 122, Queens, testified
about their Project Citizen research, sang a song they wrote and fielded
questions from over 100 school board members and school administrators
on Friday, Oct. 22, as part of the New York State School Board
Association's Annual Conference in New York City. They were accompanied
by their teachers Ms. Anna Marketos and Rebecca Victoros.
Project Citizen is a curricular program for
middle grade, high school and post-secondary students that promotes
competent and responsible participation in local and state government.
The program helps young people learn how to monitor and influence public
policy. In the process, they develop support for democratic values and
principles, tolerance, and feelings of political efficacy.
A panel of We the People students from last year's Townsend Harris
High School's We the People team also demonstrated their knowledge of
the Constitution in a simulated congressional hearing. They were
accompanied by their teacher, Dr. Linda Steinmann. The primary goal of
We the People: The Citizen and the
Constitution is to promote civic competence and
responsibility among the nation's elementary and secondary students.
We the People Students Demonstrate Their Knowledge at
State Bar Association
Student demonstration—Students from Edward R. Murrow High
School make a case for the U.S. Constitution to judges from the
Committee on Law, Youth & Citizenship. [Photo by Jacques
Cornell/Happening Photos]
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Past State Bar President A. Thomas Levin of Garden City (Meyer,
Suozzi, English & Klein, PC) and Hon. Jonah Triebwasser of Red Hook
(Town and Village of Red Hook Courts) presented the Committee on Law,
Youth & Citizenship’s report on civic education. The LYC
program reaches more than 500,000 students in New York each year through
its many civic education programs.
Students from the Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn
participated in a live "We The People" demonstration, in which students
are asked questions about the U.S. Constitution and its applicability to
current times. Judges were members of the LYC Committee. CLICK HERE to watch the
demonstration.
 Salute the
Flag Workbook and Activity for Elementary Grades
Teacher's Guide (1.47
MB pdf)
English Edition (235
KB pdf)
Spanish Edition (245
KB pdf)
Related Files
English version (Adobe PDF File)
Spanish version (Adobe PDF File)
Teacher Guide (Adobe PDF File)
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