Teach your students to be engaged citizens

By kiera.obrien, 8 February, 2024
A row of voting booths with brightly coloured balloons
Advice on getting your students registered to vote and into the polling station on election day, as well as teaching critical thinking, debating well, reaching out into the community and how universities can advance democracy

Testing Body Field

Teach your students to be engaged citizens
Advice on getting your students registered to vote and into the polling station on election day, as well as teaching critical thinking, debating well, reaching out into the community and how universities can advance democracy
A row of voting booths with brightly coloured balloons

Nearly 50 per cent of the world’s population will have the opportunity to vote in an election in 2024, and the consequences could shape modern society for decades. From Trump to Tuvalu, every fight counts – and at stake is the world your students will inherit. Teach them about civic responsibility, engage them in activism, involve them in community projects, help make their university a bastion of democracy – and most importantly, make sure they get to the ballot box.

By Miranda Prynne, 8 February, 2023

Voting counts: how to get more students to the ballot box

Woman casting a vote in a US election
Young people are less likely to vote than any other age group, so what can institutions do to engage students with the most fundamental of democratic processes? Rebecca Deegan shares some lessons
Reading time
4minutes
Teaching civic responsibility
Resources
A hand places a vote inside a ballot box
Community outreach
Resources
By Eliza.Compton, 19 January, 2024

Fostering student co-creation to give back to the community

Pottery wheel
Engaging in local civic projects offers students meaningful learning opportunities, fosters co-creation and supports the community at large. Here, Martha Sullivan outlines the benefits based on working with the Empty Bowls project
Reading time
4minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 16 November, 2021

Changing lives through community engagement and outreach

Advice on shaping community outreach in order to improve educational outcomes for local communities
Josephine Bleach outlines questions that higher education institutions should ask to help them foster authentic community engagement that improves educational outcomes for children, families and communities
A group of people link arms as the sun sets
How universities can advance democracy
Resources
By Eliza.Compton, 6 April, 2022

How open knowledge strengthens democracies

open knowledge
No longer just guardians of knowledge, public universities are critical to the health of young democracies. To support civil society and democracy, flagship institutions must embrace their role as coordinators of open knowledge exchange
Reading time
4minutes
A sign on black railings reads "Polling Station"