On May 22, Riverside middle and high school students gathered at Riverside City Hall to present their civic learning projects in front of nearly 200 community members, City councilpersons, RUSD teachers, parents, and fellow peers for the first annual Riverside Unified District Civics Showcase .

Students had the opportunity to showcase their awareness of current events. While some projects were focused on civic inquiry and research, others focused on taking informed action, and a handful of brave Lincoln High School students gave their ‘Soapbox speeches’ on issues of interest to the large crowd. Topics varied, but all were centered on contemporary social or political issues like transgender rights in the military or the environmental implications of single use plastic.

The event celebrated the important work that teachers across RUSD are doing to amplify the civic learning opportunities for their students, through a research-practice partnership with UCR’s Civic Engagement Research Group.

CERG is grateful to the Haynes Foundation for their support for this work. 

Read the Press-Enterprise article here.