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LWV of Greater Pittsburgh
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Pittsburgh PA 15219
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HomeSchool and Community Outreach

Civic Education in Schools


and Community

Our mission is to foster more active and informed citizens by providing nonpartisan, reliable resources and educational opportunities that advance the understanding of our representative government, elections, and voting.


CIVIC EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS
HIGH SCHOOL OUTREACH

High School Outreach-- CLASSROOM Presentations

  

From September, 2023 to April, 2024, 50 classroom presentations, plus 5 tabling events, reached aproximately 1000 Allegheny and Westmoreland County high school students.  At least 170 voter registrations were counted, with many more registrations possible from students returning their own paper registration applications.  From February through April, 2023, those numbers were 50 classroom presentations, 1042 Allegheny and Westmoreland County high school students reached, resulting in over 400 student voter registrations.  The newest nonpartisan, 40-minute presentation, "Why Vote", combines civic education with voter registration.  By the end of spring 2024, over 5000 high school students have been reached by High School Outreach over seven years,  with at least 2670 new voter registrations completed. 


High School visits for winter/spring semesters with updated "Why Vote" presentation still being scheduled.


Please contact us for more information and to schedule a visit at:
civic.education@lwvpgh.org

Slideshow
HS feedback
HIGH SCHOOL OUTREACH in ACTION
Accordion Widget
High School Outreach in Action
High School Outreach in Action

We use trackable QR codes (Rockthevote.org) and currently track "probable voter registrations". The advantage of these voter registration platforms is that multiple reminder text messages about voter registration status and each current election are sent to the students who sign up.

For the second year in August 2023, "Happy 18th Birthday" posters with trackable QR codes (see panel below) were distributed to all public high schools and CTE schools in five counties:  Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington, and Westmoreland. This project empowers students to complete voter registration just as soon as they become eligible and has been duplicated by Leagues across the US. Monthly emails to high school staff share resources and current voter and election information.   


LWVPGH Supports Pittsburgh Public Schools "Student Voice"

In late September 2023, LWVPGH Civic Ed volunteers spoke to students at the Student Voice orientation and were invited to become "adult allies" to the Student Voter Empowerment committee. With the support of an assigned PPS Student Voice teacher, LWVPGH resources were shared with students during zoom sessions to help them reach out to their peers with voter and election information. “Happy 18th Birthday” posters were distributed to each of the PPS high schools and were promoted by these students.

Monthly Voter Registration

In addition to the Student Voice subgroup, volunteers from the Civic Education High School team met with students who turned 18 years old at Allderdice and Carrick High Schools throughout the school year.


Allegheny Youth Huddle

On March 15, 2024, a collaboration of six community organizations, including LWVPGH Civic Ed, supported a student-led, 4-hour conference. Sixty Pittsburgh Public School students came together at the Carnegie Library (Main). They shared the issues that were important to them, heard voting, elections, and government basics and received "how to" information to lead voter drives in their schools.


MORE HIGH SCHOOL OUTREACH in ACTION 

"The Youth Vote" WQED Video


In February 2020, High School Voter Outreach volunteers visited Brentwood High School to present their voter registration/civic education program. 

Brentwood won the 2020 GOLD Governor's Civic Engagement Award, and along with the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh, was featured in a PA Department of State webinar on August 20, which promoted best practices in youth voter outreach.


CIVIC EDUCATION MODEL 2021-23 from the
League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh

If you are a League member interested in starting your own High School Voter Outreach program or if you would like to download the resources we use, click here:
 LWVPGH CIVIC EDUCATION MODEL 2021-2023 PDF
Download:  www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=831952
Over 900 downloads to date!


Happy 18th Birthday and
Claim Your Power Posters

Are you a Teacher, School Counselor, Parent or Grandparent?  
Do you have an 18- to 24-year-old in your life?  
Give them the gift of democracy! 

 

Young people want to be seen and heard.  
     Help young people take ownership of the power that comes from the rights and responsibilities of turning eighteen.   
Share the 18th Birthday card with QR CODE or these other graphics with the young people in your lives!

The link for the Claim Your Power poster geared to College-University students is below (C-U). 
There is also a poster geared to senior citizens here.


 18th Birthday Card PA                18th Birthday Card US              Claim Your Power- C-U 
  https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=907636     https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=937913        https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=910789


STUDENTS:  Are YOU Registered to Vote?

If you will be 18 years old on or by the NEXT Election you can register to vote NOW!

 

If you have a Pennsylvania Driver's License or PennDOT ID, you can register online at vote.pa.gov. You may also use the last 4 digits of your Social Security # if you upload your signature. 

REGISTER NOW!

Much more information can be found on "Voting" web pages in the Menu.

reg black history month 2

Train to Run Your Own Voter Registration Event
"Train the Trainer" Slide Deck
Spring, 2024
Target Audience:  Schools, Community Organizations, All Citizens

Duration -45 minutes
The League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh's "Train the Trainer" slide deck is for anyone who would like to train individuals to run voter registration events, or register voters within their schools, clubs, organizations, and businesses.  A short LWVPGH video that explains online voter registration is linked.  Instructions for the printed, downloadable voter registration application and printed, downloadable mail-in ballot application via annotated graphics are also linked.  This comprehensive slide deck answers questions about the voter registration process with reliable information.

"Train the Trainer" Resource Page
https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1302642

Train_the_Trainer_slide_deck.png


Train the Trainer

https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1204871


COLLEGE-UNIVERSITY OUTREACH
College and University Outreach

The Civic Education team shares the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh's digital resources with College and University staff to amplify our reach to students through campus social media, websites and email to students.

An example is "
Teasers 3.22" which 
provides short social media messages with links to relevant infographics and other documents.  Getting these resources directly to college and university students helps them to find reliable and trustworthy election, voting and government information.

Two graphics help college-university students understand the ways they can register to vote.

                                                           3 Choices                              Out-of-State Students   
                                          https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1018389     https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1018390

3_Choices_for_College_Students_2024.png

3 Choices

https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1018389


Attn: Young People - Vote!
https://youtu.be/TqilQg4nvyw?feature=shared

Voting After a Move
https://youtu.be/iBxfs2udGsA?feature=shared


For College-University Classrooms:



The League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh's "Youth as Advocatesslide deck is designed to provide an understanding of advocacy in general and to give youth the tools they need to advocate for their own issues. The League of Women Voters provides a model of "citizen activists" who work at a grassroots level to advance the voting rights of all eligible citizens and for other LWV positions.



The "Youth as Advocates" Tool Kit provides step-by-step "how to's" for emailing or writing letters to legislators, organizing Postcard Campaigns, and reaching out to legislators for in-person or virtual visits.



Find DIGITAL CIVIC EDUCATION RESOURCES for STUDENTS, TEACHERS
(and other life-long learners!)
3_Choices_for_College_Students_2024.png


Your Government Officials

www.lwvpgh.org/ffc

3_Choices_for_College_Students_2024.png


Sources You Can Trust

https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1290275

3_Choices_for_College_Students_2024.png


Resources for Teachers- Civic Ed

https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=749529

Resources for Students

https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1287590


Not to Be Missed for Students and Life-long Learners

Find informative web pages, all in one place, abo
ut LOCAL GOVERNMENT  

and PA STATE GOVERNMENT on the LWVPGH website. See the Menus for more.


Civic Education Outreach Through Collaboration with Others
Collaborating with Junior Achievement:
BIZ TOWN Installation near Pittsburgh, PA for 4th-5th-6th Grade Students
Volunteer Document LINKS


Junior Achievement's Biz Town experience is a national project for 4th-5th-6th graders that requires 9-hours of instruction from their own teachers, including a new Civic Education module. Students spend four hours at the impressive BizTown installation in Bridgeville, PA. Students demonstrate problem-solving, creative thinking, collaboration, and team-building skills--and they have a great time doing it!  


Not only do students choose to vote for the “Quality Business” or “Best Citizen” in the new Voting Booth provided by the Pittsburgh YWCA, but for the second year, they receive a swag bag which includes LWVPGH-created materials (for 4000 students).  Students manage business and personal finances; they apply for and receive a business loan from Clearview Credit Union, they receive two paychecks, write checks that are cashed, and use their debits cards when they shop. Teams repay their business loans and show a profit are celebrated!


LWVPGH members can look to sign up to volunteer now through June (eBlast). Don’t miss this opportunity to see the best part of our country—our youth in action!


Be a Super Voter How to Vote

https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1332471

https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1332472

BIZTOWN- Welcome to 2-23
BizTown Street
BIZTOWN Cafe 2023
BIZTOWN City Hall 2023
BIZTOWN- swag bags 2023

Collaborating with the
Committee of 70 (C70)

The Director of the Civic Education team and the Civic Outreach Coordinator from the Committee of Seventy have been collaborating to facilitate communication and to share resources among the community partners engaged in the youth voter empowerment mission in the Pittsburgh area.


Hosted by educators at the Heinz History Center on January 17, 2023, participants met to discuss how to share and support the expansion of voter empowerment and civic education to youth.


Cohosts:   Justin Villere (Committee of Seventy) and Amy Kleissas (LWVPGH)

Members from these community partners participated:

  • League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh
  • Heinz History Center
  • Pittsburgh Public Schools Administration
  • YWCA
  • National Council of Negro Women
  • Voter Empowerment Education & Enrichment Movement (VEEEM)
  • National Council of Jewish Women

Additional meetings are planned to expand participation to more community partners and to develop resources that may be shared among all who are engaged in this important mission.


View the rich civic education resources that have been developed by the Committee of Seventy, here.

C70_Website.png

CIVIC EDUCATION IN COMMUNITY
PRINTED MATERIALS for Schools and Community

Do you need PRINTED VOTER MATERIALS?
      Contact us at civic.education@lwvpgh.org

    

Did you know that over 20% of under resourced communities may not have access to reliable internet?  

READY-SET-VOTE DOOR HANGER BAGS
To respond to this need over six elections, our team has created, packed, and distributed 22,000 door hanger bags to high schools and community partners:  B-PEP (Black-Political Empowerment Project), VEEEM (Voter Empowerment Education & Enrichment Movement), AKA ( Alpha Kappa Alpha  Sorority), JCC ( Jewish Community Center), West End P.O.W.E.R., and high schools like (PPS) Pittsburgh Public Schools. These grant-funded bags contain voter registration materials and our unique civic education infographics, plus more.

--Over 2000 bags:  In 2020 resulted in new voter registrations--like the 187 student registrations at Pittsburgh Public Schools. 

--3000 bags for the 2021 Municipal Elections to PPS high schools and community partners
--9000 bags for the 2022 Primary Federal and State Election--4000 for the Primary and 5000
for the 2022 General Election to PPS high schools, Westmoreland high schools, and community partners.
--8000 bags for the 2023 Primary and General Municipal Elections--for PPS and other high schools, and community partners including 700 bags for ex-incarcerated citizens in halfway houses.
--8000+ bags for 2024 Primary and General Federal & State Elections- are being assembled and distributed for PPS and other community partners, including halfway houses for reentering citizens.

 

READY_Set_Vote_materials-_3.23.jpg

DIGITAL MATERIALS

Do you need DIGITAL RESOURCES?
During each election season, digital resources found on the

EXPLAINERS AND GRAPHICS web page are shared with broad coalitions of community partners.  

Explainers and Graphics

Voter Resource Library final photo