The curtain has lifted on a national competition carving a pathway into our intimate valley: the Civics Bee. Youth empowerment nonprofit Youthentity and the Carbondale Chamber have partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to bring the first Greater RFV Regional Civics Bee tournament to Carbondale Middle School (CMS) on April 30 at 6pm, providing a platform for local youth to test their knowledge of how our government functions.
“We hope you can come join us,” said Youthentity Executive Director Kristina Freeman, who hopes for a robust attendance to support the project and all the kids involved.
President and CEO of the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce Andrea Stewart is working closely with Youthentity to tie the event together.
“You’re not too young to make a difference,” Stewart said. And it’s not just a one way train — participation in the Bee has the potential to change the lives of the bright, young individuals involved.
The top three finalists at the regional, state and national competitions all receive significant prizes. First place in the national competition yields the winner a $100,000 529 savings plan contribution to be used for future educational expenses.
“So that would be like a scholarship,” Stewart said. “I wish I had that,” she added, jokingly.
“It was optional to take it on as a class project,” said Nan Campbell, a sixth grade social studies teacher at CMS. “And I really wasn’t sure if I was going to because the curriculum’s already pretty full, but I did realize it fit perfectly.”
Harper Bond, a sixth grader at CMS, said the Bee is “an opportunity for kids to address a problem or an opportunity in our world and make a solution or come up with an idea.”
Campbell had every student in her class write essays and subsequently allowed them to determine whether or not they wished to submit it to the Bee independently.
“This is going to be my own small, mini-taking-action civics project,” Campbell said, “by engaging my students with this and showing them that their voice matters … that if they see problems, they can actually do things to make a difference.” Ten of Campbell’s students chose to submit their projects to the chamber.
Harbour Stevens, another CMS sixth grader, said that she thinks civics is important “because it helps us be better citizens.” Stevens’ essay explored topics regarding habitat loss in the Valley. “I feel like that topic matters because it shows how fast we’re kind of destroying our world.”
Alternatively, Bond focused her work on the value of youth perspective on community problems. “Kids and adults have different perspectives of things, and I think kids can address problems that adults can’t always see,” she said. She said she’d keep that in mind before she and her family set out on their spring break trip.
“I’m going to Washington, D.C. … I’m going to the Library of Congress, the White House, the Supreme Court,” she said. While on the trip, she found herself examining the difference between politics and civics.
When asked about the current political divide, Stewart added,“Things tend to get political or polarized very quickly, so especially in these formative years of middle school, I think it’s helpful for [students] to just understand, especially from a civics perspective of learning, about your community and using your voice.”
The public is invited to support middle schoolers competing in the first Greater RFV Regional Civics Bee at Carbondale Middle School on April 30 at 6pm. RSVP at tinyurl.com/RFVCivicsBee