Alberto Olivas, Director, MCCCD Center for Civic Participation Brian Dille, Residential Faculty, Mesa Community College

Consistent with the Maricopa Mission, we teach our students Civic Responsibility Academic Program  Political science faculty adviser  POS 115 – Issues in American Politics (3 credits) Credit is transferable to all 3 Arizona universities Engagement and Empowerment Program  Hands-on instruction at local, state and federal levels of government  Student advocacy in Arizona and Washington, D.C.  Opportunity to organize a campus project

Communicate effectively in a political context Effectively advocate for and with our community Learn the why and how of consensus building Develop and refine our leadership skills Enhance listening skills in a group experience, respecting various points of view through civil political discourse Program Goals & Benefits Learn to be an active, engaged citizen through experiential learning Gain confidence as we learn to engage public officials Network with students from across the country as well as local elected officials, civic and community leaders

 Recruit 3 students from each of ten colleges  Ages 19 to 50+  Variety of Majors including Pre-Med, Education, Political Science and International Relations  Driven to become more effective participants in the policymaking process Staff Team: 2 Student Life Directors 1 faculty adviser 1 staff SPPF Student Cohorts

Guest speakers included AZ Senator Rich Crandall, Secretary of State Bennett, Superior Court Judge Tim Ryan, ABEC CEO Susan Carlson, AZ Senator David Lujan, Councilmember Glover How policy is developed at various levels: –MCCCD Governing Board –City Councils/Municipalities –Nonprofit/Community Agencies Arizona elections process Public Speaking & Media Relations Resource Development Citizen access points & effective advocacy strategies Session Highlights

Visit to the State Capitol in December, met with Rep. Ash, Rep. Hobbs, Rep. Court and Sen. Schapira SPPF students participated in the 99 th Arizona Town Hall in November 2011 and 100 th Arizona Town Hall in April 2012 Visit to Washington D.C. in March, met with staff for Sen. McCain, Sen. Kyl, Rep. Grijalva, Rep. Gosar, Rep. Pastor, Rep. Flake, Rep. Franks, Rep. Schweikert, and Rep. Quayle SPPF On The Road

 Public speaking and leadership skills are important skills in order to have successful civic engagement  There are optimal ways of representing the public interest – know your audience  It is citizens who undertake the role of government  Public officials are accessible  It is essential to stay active & engaged  Engaging public officials is not only empowering but important What Students Say they Learned

Students organized a variety of campus events this year that had direct benefit to our local communities Food Drive to benefit St. Mary’s Food Bank Toiletries drive to benefit Women In Recovery, a non profit helping women out of domestic violence Backpack drive to benefit K-12 students in conjunction with guest speaker Billy Mills Voter registration drives Leaping Language Barriers forum to raise awareness about multilingualism Project to benefit FACE AIDS, a youth led non profit to fight HIV/AIDS Students Giving Back

Contact: Alberto Olivas, Center for Civic Participation (480) Deanna Villanueva-Saucedo, Center for Civic Participation (480) Katherine Douglas, Faculty Advisor (623) A program of the Maricopa Community Colleges Center for Civic Participation