Upcoming Exchange
January 28, 2026
12pm-1pm
Ebonie Simpson, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Region, Generation Citizen
DECEMBER EXCHANGE
Audra Watson, Ph.D., Chief of Youth Civic Programs at Citizens & Scholars and CivicsNJ Steering Committee member, as well as her colleagues from Citizens and Scholars, Christine Foley, Program Officer for Civic Youth Programs and Kilan White, a Carnegie Young Leaders Program coach and member of the Citizens & Scholars Youth Consulting Team, delivered an enriching program on ‘Listening Not Fixing: Leaning Into Youth Leadership’.
Citizens and Scholars centers youth civic leadership through three programs – Carnegie Youth Leaders, Youth Advisory Council and Intergenerational Summit. They successfully invite young people into spaces, allowing youth to lead fellow youth. The organic growth creates a pathway for young people to authentically impact their communities. Adults tend to be directive in their support of youth voices, but it’s possible to reshape and reframe their allyship, creating opportunities for youth to lead and make a difference. Through two interactive case studies and rich Q&A, Audra, Christine and Kilan engaged attendees in a discussion that highlighted the three pillars of youth leadership: ownership, peer power and intergenerational partnership. Please click here for a recording of the event and here to review the deck.
NOVEMBER EXCHANGE
On Wednesday, November 19th, Amanda Ebokosio, CEO/Founder, The Gem Project and CivicsNJ Steering Committee member, Jennymarie Idrobo, Program Associate, The Gem Project and Fatoumata Bah, High School Fellow, The Gem Project shared their deep insight around Authentic Youth Civic Engagement. The Gem Project seeks to decrease barriers to entry in civic engagement for young people, ages 16-24, primarily in Newark, NJ. Through initiatives like developing the Youth-Led Accountability Score Card, The Gem Project demystifies the democratic process, invests in their young people as leaders and gives them ownership, not answers, as they build trusted partnerships with adult allies. Their work is a model for civic engagement outside of the classroom.
You can view a recording of the Exchange here.
For additional information, please see the list of resources below:
Resource: Youth Whitepaper on Mental Health
Youth Whitepaper on Infrastructure
National League of Cities – Authentic Youth Civic Engagement
YouthPowerAction.com – a platform for youth ages 16-24, to self-organize and train each other.
OCTOBER EXCHANGE
Shawn Healy, Chief Policy and Advocacy Advisor at iCivics and Andrea Benites, State Policy Lead, Mid-Atlantic Region at iCivics, led an interactive discussion where they shared not only a national perspective of civic learning and engagement, but also where New Jersey sits in comparison to other states. iCivics is a nonpartisan organization founded by Sandra Day O’Connor in 2009, dedicated to advancing civics learning and leading the movement to make civic education a nationwide priority.
We learned the Department of Education appropriated $153 million to support American History and Civics Seminars and that our own Montclair State University was one of the awardees of a portion of this funding. Another win for NJ and distinguishing factor around civic education is Laura Wooten’s Law, requiring a course in civics or US government, as well as instruction around media literacy, for middle school graduation. Questions were raised regarding the gap between legislation and content implementation, something CivicsNJ may explore next year.
CIvic Learning Week, Liberty and Learning: Civic Education at 250, will take place March 9-13, 2026. While a variety of events will take place around the country, a National Forum will be hosted March 9-10, 2026 in Philadelphia.
Click here if you’d like to view a recording of the October Exchange.
Below is a list of resources shared during the Exchange:
SEPTEMBER EXCHANGE
On September 17th, 2025, CivicsNJ and Steering Committee member, Dr. Beth Rubin, hosted the monthly Exchange, Citizens of the Now: Supporting Youth Centered Civic Learning in the Classroom with YPAR. Dr. Rubin and her panelists, Leslie Calabrese, Tristian Cox, Amelia Irizarry, Orion Nolan, Lauren Opelia and Noa Ovadia, shared their forward-thinking approach to educating young people about civics: they are citizens now, not in the making.
Civic learning is borne from working together on projects and taking action in school, as opposed to reading about concepts in a book. Teaching students how to do the work (research, data analysis,etc) builds their confidence as they learn how to advocate for themselves.
We heard from audience members who were involved in similar programs during their time in middle and high school, that initiatives like YPAR not only work, but impact future career aspirations. Examples of current elementary, middle and high school programs across the state of New Jersey were inspiring and initiated spirited discussion.
Here are the resources shared during the Exchange:
Civically Engaged Districts Project Presentation
Civically Engaged Districts Website
Civically Engaged Districts Facebook Group
Civically Engaged Districts Instragram
Civically Engaged Districts LinkedIn
Civically Engaged Districts Youtube Channel
CivicsNJ is grateful to Beth and her guests for creating a dynamic and engaging Exchange where everyone learned more about what civic learning and engagement can look like in the classroom.
If you missed September’s Exchange, a recording of it can be found here.
AUGUST EXCHANGE
JULY EXCHANGE
On July 23, 2025, CivicsNJ hosted the first CivicsNJ Exchange. Exchanges are a monthly series of informational webinars where participants learn more about civics in New Jersey.
In July, participants learned about the diverse ways America@250 will be recognized at the local and state levels.
The event was hosted by Justin Kiczek, President of the F. M. Kirby Foundation, and included guest panelists Sara Cureton, Executive Director of the NJ Historical Commission, Bob Fenster, a classroom teacher for 32 years, responsible for the resource known as History Happened Here, and Dr. Audra Watson, Chief of Youth Civic Programs at the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. They shared an exciting range of opportunities and insights around the state, highlighting the importance of centering youth voices in participating and planning for the 250th. They emphasized that America@250 belongs to all of us.
Please explore the following links for a deeper understanding of their work:
F.M. Kirby Foundation
RevolutionNJ
History Happened Here
Institute for Citizens and Scholars
Teen Vogue
Youth250
America’s 100 Docs
