here<\/a>. This includes worksheets, suggested talking points for the facilitator, an outline for debate, learning objectives, and a short resource guide for students.<\/p>\nTheoretical\u00a0Perspectives\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Ecological Systems Theory accurately describes the manner in which students will learn how to engage with the American voting system. This theory underlines the importance of observing individuals in multiple environments in order to understand their behavior, the way they interact with others, and how to conduct oneself in similar environments. There are five distinct systems in this theory and here is how each relate to Horizons:<\/em><\/p>\n\n- Microsystem: The student’s immediate environment. This is comprised of classmates, teachers, and direct family members; the child mirrors behavior seen by the individuals of this tier and does most of their learning from here.<\/li>\n
- Mezzosystem: The student observes how individuals of the microsystem interact with one another. This is where they will ask: ‘How do the adults in my life discuss politics? In what ways do school politics dictate the way they communicate?’<\/li>\n
- Exosystem: The student is aware of the systems which influence others in their life, such as caregivers, teachers, and other adults. They are influenced mentally and emotionally by these systems and this impacts the way they behave, think, and initiate relationships. A student may ask: ‘How does my parents’\/teachers’ job policies impact the way I interact with them?’ This can relate to time, the way adults speak about their jobs, how policies determine the amount of time and attention is afforded to the child, and their perceptions of their work.<\/li>\n
- Macrosystem: This is a community’s set of beliefs that reaches into each system, thus influencing the belief, value, and norms of each individual. The macrosystem acts as a filter through which the student perceives their place in society. They may believe their vote has meaning and power; this belief influences the way they perform in school, interact with politics, and determine their future involvement in policy making.<\/li>\n
- Chronosystem: This is where changes out of the student’s control occur and influence their development. Changes can include societal upheaval such as wars, economic flux, or civil rights movements. Nuclear family changes can include moving to a new area, employment status, divorce\/marriage, and the loss of family member.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Conclusions\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nLimitations of this program include a demographic which strays toward white, lower socioeconomic students who speak English exclusively. At this time, the program is catered toward English speakers, not offering a Spanish curriculum for Hamilton County\u2019s growing Spanish-speaking immigrant population. For future implementation of <\/span>Horizons, <\/span><\/i>it would be a requirement to include a bilingual facilitator who is fluent in Spanish and English. In addition to a bilingual facilitator, it would be important to include references to leaders in history from the last 50 years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe research team anticipates outcomes such as: an increase in voter engagement practices and perceptions of leadership to be challenged. It is possible that students who attend all 5 sessions will gain a better understanding of the American voting system. Unexpected outcomes can include: curriculum being adopted permanently by schools, <\/span>Horizons <\/span><\/i>being used in private schools, and an increase in voter engagement among parents of participating students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n_____________________________________________<\/p>\n
Competency 1: Ethics and Professionalism<\/h4>\n
Facilitators will partner with the school social worker to prepare students for each session of\u00a0Horizons\u00a0<\/em>with the topic being covered, the meeting time, and what materials to bring. Students will be reminded to dress professionally, to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner, and participate when asked. As facilitators, we will dress professionally and conduct our communication in a professional, competent manner.<\/p>\nCompetency 2: Diversity<\/h4>\n
Horizons\u00a0<\/em>is program designed to promote voter engagement and advocacy among students in the Hamilton County area. Facilitators plan on incorporating diversity by inviting students of different national backgrounds, students fluent in other languages aside from English, and students with different political opinions. We have chosen not to make a distinction on levels of physical disabilities because we do not feel it directly impacts the intellectual capabilities needed for students to participate in discussions.<\/p>\nCompetency 3: Human Rights and Justice<\/h4>\n
In order to meet this competency, facilitators will listen and respect the opinions of all students regardless of their personal beliefs. An atmosphere will be curated where students can explore the uncomfortable spaces of differing opinions, separating politics from discrimination, and identifying beliefs of individuals who do not share the same values. This will be an atmosphere where students can express themselves without fear of retaliation from peers or school staff.<\/p>\n
Competency 4: Research<\/h4>\n
Research will be conducted to identify the most appropriate way to engage with with youth about the topic of voting, identifying the right motivation to vote, and how familial attitudes toward voting influence decisions.<\/p>\n
Competency 5: Policy<\/h4>\n
Students participating in the 5 week program will be required to write a short letter or email to the school’s administration to discuss a current policy or standard that they would like to amend or support. An additional assignment will be that the student writes to an elected Tennessee official about their views on current politics and how they propose to change them.<\/p>\n
Competency 6: Engagement<\/h4>\n
Facilitators will make a commitment to students and faculty to present accurate, unbiased materials to students as they relate to American politics, race relations, and the future of the USA. Best practices will be used in order to facilitate an open discussion among the youth. These practices may include, but are not limited to: exploring media that relates to politics, identifying musical artists and celebrities who openly support or fight against a certain cause, reaching out to community members to understand the impact of community politics.<\/p>\n
Competency 7: Assessment<\/h4>\n
Surveys will be conducted to assess the students\u2019 knowledge on voting, elements of the US government that are unique from other forms of government, and the impact of their vote. The survey will include the student\u2019s personal interest in politics, future plans for advocacy, and what steps they can take toward creating a safer community.<\/p>\n
Competency 8: Intervention<\/h4>\n
Students will be required to sign up for a debate team and discuss various standpoints relating to the topic chosen. Utilizing evidence based practices best suited for youth of the I-Generation (2000s+), facilitators will identify the best method to engage youth in the policy-making process.<\/p>\n
Competency 9 : Evaluation<\/h4>\n
Give a pre and post test about what they thought about voting before our groups and what they think about voting and politics after our groups . Tests will determine the effectiveness of the curriculum as well as their ability to make a well-informed decision. Additionally, students will share how they used group problem solving skills to overcome a shared challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Horizons Promoting Voter Engagement and Advocacy among Middle School Students Introduction Youth are often overlooked when it comes to voting and being informed of a country’s political climate. Our desire for this project is to promote a place for youth… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-456","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swpro.org\/emair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swpro.org\/emair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swpro.org\/emair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swpro.org\/emair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/610"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swpro.org\/emair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=456"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/swpro.org\/emair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":471,"href":"https:\/\/swpro.org\/emair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/456\/revisions\/471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swpro.org\/emair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}