Rep. Tomasso Meets Leaders of Tomorrow for Civics Day

The following is a State House press release:

Rep. Lisa P. Tomasso on Monday served as a judge for Generation Citizen’s Fall Civics Day, in which about 150 middle and high school students visited the State House to give presentations on meaningful civics action projects they have undertaken this year.

The students represented 30 classes across the state, and they came to present the work they’ve done to address issues such as community-police relations, neighborhood blight and youth jobs.

Representative Tomasso (D-Dist. 29, Coventry, West Greenwich) served as a judge, evaluating the students’ efforts to identify and advocate issues that concern them, their research into the root of the concern and engaging help from the community, their tactics to create change, their own reflection on the project and any possibility for continued efforts. While awards were given, the overarching purpose of Civics Day is to motivate students through the opportunity to have their voices heard and to hear from other students, so they will become active citizens and leaders. House Majority Leader John J. DeSimone (D-Dist. 5, Providence) welcomed the students, Secretary of State-elect Nellie Gorbea also spoke, and Representative-elect Lauren H. Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport) attended the event as well.

“It was inspiring to see so many of our young people taking the initiative to identify solutions to the problems they see around them. Today I met some of the leaders of tomorrow, and I’m proud of the work they’re already doing to make our community a better place for everyone,” said Representative Tomasso. “Generation Citizen is a wonderful teaching tool because it gets young people involved in their community through hands-on experience at effecting change, giving them ability and confidence to be engaged activists now and as adults.”

Generation Citizen’s goal is to ensure that every student in the United States receives an effective action civics education, which provides them with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in democracy as active citizens. The organization teaches teenagers how to take effective political action through an innovative in-class curriculum and through working with local leaders to fix local problems, building an active democracy.