Civic Engagement and Leadership Program @ Cuyamaca

• Thursday, February 9, 2023 | 1:00 to 1:50 pm

• March 16, 2023 | 1:00 to 1:50 pm

• Thursday, April 13, 2023 | 1:00 to 1:50 pm

• Thursday, May 11, 2023 | 1:00 to 1:50 pm

• September 15, 2022 | 1:00 to 2:00pm

• October 13, 2022 | 1:00 to 2:00pm

• November 10, 2022 | 1:00 to 2:00pm

Students who complete two workshops below will receive a Civic Engagement leadership certificate at the Student Government awards ceremony in May 2022. Please contact the Student Affairs office at (619) 660-4612 if you have any questions.

• Thursday, March 3, 2022 | 1:00 to 2:00 pm
• We’re lucky to be situated in sunny Southern California. So, maybe it won’t be so cold and blustery outside. But, on the rare rainy day writing an Op-Ed is a great, cozy (and socially distanced) Civic Engagement activity. This workshop will offer a step-by-step process intended to help participants produce a working Op-Ed draft ready to tailor and send to school media, local media or National news outlets. We’ll review example Op-Eds and identify the key parts of an impactful Opinion Editorial.

• March 10, 2022 | 1:00 to 2:00 pm
• Quick. Do you know what the 14th amendment says? … In 1868, the 14th Amendment was added to the United States Constitution, granting citizenship to African Americans and enslaved people who had been emancipated at the conclusion of the American Civil War. Along with citizenship, the amendment also granted equal civil and legal rights to all citizens of the United States. Fast forward to 2022, and the fight for equal rights in America continues.
• This session will use content from Will Smith’s recent Netflix documentary “Amend: The Fight for America” to examine how the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment continues to be applied and interpreted. 

• Thursday, April 7, 2022 | 1:00 to 2:00 pm
• The County of San Diego Board of Supervisors approved the county’s transition to a vote center model under the Voters Choice Act on October 19, 2021. The first election under this new model will be the California Assembly District 80 Special Primary Election - April 5, 2022 and then the June 7, 2022, Gubernatorial Primary Election. The San Diego County Registrar of Voters will join this workshop to share information about the vote center model, voting equipment overview/demonstration, language assistance services, ballot drop-off options, and methods to request translated election materials. 

• Thursday, May 19, 2022 | 1:00 to 2:00 pm
• The next Gubernatorial Primary Election is June 7, 2022 and early voting begins May 9, 2022. In this workshop we’ll review what’s on the ballot in San Diego County - and explore tools to research and support informed decisions about things you may have never thought about before. Participants will also have the opportunity to hear from students in the Political Science classes presenting on examples of civic engagement from field experiences.

• Thursday, October 7, 2021 | 1:00 to 2:00 pm
• Civic life encompasses the many ways that people connect and contribute to their community and society: from voting in an election to organizing a community rec kickball team, to standing up and organizing when we see injustice in our community. For some time, however, many facets of civic life have been in decline. For many, they’ve never even imagined their actions in terms of “Civic Engagement”. This “Living Room Conversation” will offer an opportunity to reimagine- or imagine for the first time- one’s civic life.

• Thursday, November 4, 2021 | 1:00 to 2:00 pm
• In this session participants will join an interactive trivia game highlighting the 26th Amendment. As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the ratification of this amendment into the US Constitution- this amendment that lowered the voting age to 18- we will reflect on the youth suffrage movement as it was in 1971, and how those experiences relate to the setting for youth today.

• Thursday, December 2, 2021 | 1:00 to 2:00 pm
• We’re lucky to be situated in sunny Southern California. So, maybe it won’t be so cold and blustery outside. But, on the rare rainy day writing an Op-Ed is a great, cozy (and socially distanced) Civic Engagement activity. This workshop will offer a step-by-step process intended to help participants produce a working Op-Ed draft ready to tailor and send to school media, local media or National news outlets. We’ll review example Op-Eds and identify the key parts of an impactful Opinion Editorial.

• April 15, 2021
• 4:00 to 5:00 pm
• Presented by: Heather Belk, Director of Associated Students Administration, UC San Diego
• The 2020 election season created a lot of feelings, questions, and convictions. Many of these emotions and perspectives were amplified by the violence on the Nation’s Capitol. With the Inauguration complete, it’s important to reflect on those experiences and create a personal plan for how you will continue to stay educated and involved in civic engagement, though the National Election cycle is complete for this past year. This workshop will feature a guided opportunity to do just that.

• May 6, 2021
• 4:00 to 5:00 pm
• Presented by: Heather Belk, Director of Associated Students Administration, UC San Diego
• Civic action and reflection is a key component of developing ones civic engagement identity. In this workshop, student leaders from UC San Diego Office of External Affairs and CALPIRG will share examples of civically focused actions they have participated in and open space for reflection on how these actions benefit individuals or communities.

• May 20, 2021
• 4:00 to 5:00 pm
• Presented by: Heather Belk, Director of Associated Students Administration, UC San Diego
• Often, we don’t realize that the things we’re doing out of personal interest also translate to being civically engaged. Using the AAC&U definition of Civic Engagement which states Civic Engagement, “means promoting a quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.” Participants in this workshop will think about their own hobbies, majors, and organizational involvement to identify areas of community impact from the things they are already studying or spending time on.

• Students who complete two Civic Engagement leadership workshops will receive a certificate of recognition at the Associated Student Government recognition ceremony in May 2021.
• If you have any questions regarding the Civic Engagement leadership program, please contact Lauren Vaknin (Lauren.Vaknin@gcccd.edu).