Engaging Local and State Policy

Recent shifts in federal priorities have demonstrated how deeply interconnected federal policies are with state, local, nonprofit, and community-level programs and policies. Federal changes to funding restrictions, budget cuts, and grant allocations impact local and state policy and, in turn, our communities. Local and state administrators need to respond quickly to the lack of resources as well as changing sociopolitical environments; civil society plays an important role in shaping these decisions. In this program, we will explore how to personally engage in the policy and public decision-making processes at various levels of government and community. Students will have the opportunity to inquire into these topics from a starting point of personal passion and interest, field observation, and community engagement.

This program centralizes community leadership as the starting point for shaping civil society, building community, and engaging with policy on the local and state levels. Students will build a definition for community leadership that recognizes the close interface between the role of public servants as agents of policy implementation and the role of citizens as active stewards of the public good. Students will integrate leadership theory with practical observations in the context of local and state governance and be introduced to opportunities for community-based leadership and engagement.

A central goal of this program is to help students prepare for a lifetime of responsible citizenship and civic engagement. Students will learn tools that help expand their capacity for socially conscious thought, public debate, and civic action. Students will achieve these goals by observing and researching public decision-making in real time. They will practice critical reading, writing, thinking, and media analysis and collaboratively deepen their understanding through seminars, lectures, workshops, guest speakers, videos, and podcasts.