Service and civics lead the way for a group of dedicated Santa Monica school students in the sixth grade. As part of KidUnity, 19 youngsters are in Iowa to report back on the 2016 Caucuses.
The students, all from Carlthorp School, Santa Monica, are regulars at KidUnity, which fosters civic leadership and community service.
“Through innovative, fun, and engaging programs, our aim is to inspire and prepare students for a lifetime of service and leadership,” explained David Snow, Co-Founder and Director of KidUnity.
The students are part of the “Civics in Action Workshop: The Iowa Caucuses.” They will travel to Iowa this weekend and report back their findings.
“We believe it is imperative that the next generation has a strong foundation in service and civics,” Snow explained. “It’s been impressive – and inspiring – to watch this group of students engage with the issues surrounding this election.”
In the lead up to the trip, the student journalists collaborated to write this article.
Taking Notes To Inform Your Votes: KidUnity Covers the Iowa Caucuses
KidUnity sixth graders have been studying the 2016 presidential election in preparation for a trip to the Iowa Caucuses. On Saturday, January 30, KidUnity will travel to Des Moines and spend three days witnessing and participating in this historic event as student journalists.
To prepare for our exciting trip we have had amazing workshops that have included meetings with Gov. Michael Dukakis (Democratic Presidential candidate in 1988) and Jessica Yellin (former CNN White House correspondent). We have held straw polls, and created committees to plan all aspects of our trip. We cannot wait to get there this Saturday.
In Iowa we hope to interview presidential candidates and possibly even the future President. We will meet with journalists and elected officials. KidUnity also will attend the Caucuses and participate in some fun festivities at the same time.
These Caucuses are important because they provide a hint of what will come in this election year. Iowa is the first state to vote, is the first test for the candidates, and gets the most attention in the presidential process. Our coverage of this event as student journalists is crucial because there is so much propaganda in politics and a too many voters are not well educated about the candidates and their policies. Our sixth grade is the next generation of voters and we want to be as educated and involved as possible. As first-hand observers – interviewing the candidates, Iowans, journalists, and local politicians – we will have a great experience and become good citizens. KidUnity is building community. We hope you will follow us in Iowa at our blog kidunity.edublogs.org. or on twitter @kidunity.
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