Introduce Speak Up! Speak Out! Speak Up! Speak Out! is a project‐based civic engagement program for high school students. Participants form teams, identify a community issue that matters to them, research that problem, and propose a workable solution to address it. Students then present their research and proposed solutions to community leaders at the Civics Fair competition at the end of the semester. The top three teams will receive funds to use toward the implementation of their solutions.

Pointers for identifying a successful topic Keep it local. Relations with India may be interesting, but that isn’t a local problem. Narrow the scope and get specific. Don’t let the team choose a problem that is too large to cover in a semester. Coach them to identify the specific aspects of complex issues. Name the problem. Sometimes teams are eager to suggest solutions or actions, without knowing what problem they’re trying to address. Coach them to name the problem their idea responds to and explain why that problem deserves attention. Give students ownership. Encourage students to choose problems that they really care about and that actually influence their lives. Let them have freedom to explore and choose their own topics.

Some Possible Issue Areas: Social Issues (school climate, bullying, disability issues, special education issues, LGBT issues at school)  Health (school nutrition, health education, services offered in school clinics, food politics, healthy breakfasts, lunches, obesity, physical education, rec center programs, substance use/abuse, mental health) Environment (water use, energy use, school recycling programs, parks and public spaces, city energy or water policies) City Planning (housing development, business development, use of abandoned structures, traffic congestion, city buses, rail, affordable housing, mixed‐use developments)

Some Possible Issue Areas: Public Safety (crime and violence at school or in the community; community/police relations; traffic safety; safe driving; safe travel to and from school) Economic Issues (jobs for teens, internships, business development in your community, job training programs, affording college, scholarship access) Academic Issues (cheating, literacy, access to tutoring, truancy, drop‐out, class offerings, arts and music education, afterschool programs, parent involvement)