Background
The Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students (GCAPS) was developed by ACCG staff and county officials to address the need for increased civic involvement and awareness among our state's youth.
Georgia, like every state, has a need to establish in its youth an interest in civics and a desire to serve in the public sector. GCAPS provides a pathway for counties to address this need at the local level so that our state will produce a more informed and involved citizenry.
Objective
The objective of GCAPS is simple: to educate young citizens about the importance of being actively conscious of their local government environment and the opportunities available in the public sector.
GCAPS provides civic education by exposing high school students to the role that local government plays and by introducing them to the leaders who make local governments work. Youth are offered the opportunity to gain knowledge about their local governments through hands-on learning activities and experience the decision making process firsthand.
Not only do youth become engaged in their communities and become better informed citizens, they also learn valuable leadership skills and have the opportunity to create and implement civic awareness projects.
Program Details
Each of Georgia’s 159 counties is unique, which is why ACCG has created a flexible program that can be easily modified to accommodate the demographic, geographic, socioeconomic and financial diversity of the county offering a GCAPS program.
To date, two pilot counties have implemented GCAPS. Youth ranging in age from 15 to 18 have engaged in government related activities in each of the counties. Pilot programs have "graduated" more than 160 students. Post-program evaluations show that 100% of the students agreed that their experience was rewarding and that they had a clear understanding of the role local and state government play.
Grant Funding Available to Expand GCAPS
Four new GCAPS sites will be chosen through a competitive application process. The application process will be announced in January 2012.
|
