CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia citizens are invited to the State Capitol for an event educating them about the importance behind the rights and duties of that citizenship. It’s in recognition of Civic Learning Week, March 11 – March 15.
Hosted by the West Virginia Civics Coalition, the “Civics Education– Now More Than Ever” event is set for Monday, March 11 at the WV Culture Center to kick off the week highlighting civic learning and engagement as a nationwide priority.
President of the WV Civics Coalition, Rebecca Tinder said on 580 Live with Dave Allen Monday that students and civic-minded individuals alike will get the opportunity to hear from a number of civic leaders during the event. West Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Tim Armstead, U.S. District Court Judge Irene Berger, and WV Secretary of State Mac Warner are among some that are expected to speak.
Tinder said it will be a very educational day for those to learn about the significance of civics, as a whole.
“We hope to be highlighting all of the wonderful things that civic education is and can do, and make sure that people keep it top of mind,” said Tinder.
She said voting machines will also be a part of the event to help facilitate hands-on learning about how the process works, as well as a scavenger hunt for both students and adults to go into the museum at the Culture Center and find artifacts that represent various constitutional amendments.
Tinder said the mission of the coalition is to “create an active coalition of civic-minded individuals and organizations to foster equitable civic engagement and education, and make meaningful improvements to policies and practices in civic learning.”
The longtime dialogue that civics isn’t being taught in public schools in West Virginia is a myth, Tinder said on 580 Live Monday. She said civics education is most certainly alive in schools across the state.
“There are standards for students in elementary, middle, and high school in the areas of civics and history, so it is being taught and it is a focus of our coalition,” she said.
Tinder went on to say that amid the U.S. Supreme Court currently taking up a couple of cases on how social media applies to the First Amendment of the Constitution, there is almost virtually no bigger platform for spreading news and information now, especially among young people.
She said young people have a focus on what’s going on in the world today, as well, even though they get that information in more non-traditional ways.
“There’s nothing more important to our young people than social media, they get news and information from the internet, and what can and cannot be placed in front of them is something that’s important to them,” Tinder said.
She said the March 11 event will help encourage young people to get more educated on other ways they can consume information and how they can more effectively be good citizens.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those interested must complete a registration form by Friday, March 1 to participate in the event.