Civic Learning Week Offers Insights into Participatory Democracy
/Civic Learning Week is a national effort to prioritize civic education in order to sustain and strengthen our constitutional democracy. It brings together students, educators, policymakers, community leaders, and organizations to highlight and further energize the movement for civic education in states and communities across the nation. Civic Learning Week is led by the national and cross-partisan CivxNow Coalition, a project of iCivics.
As Connecticut's CivxNow State Affiliate, The Connecticut Democracy Center is tasked with raising awareness of Civic Learning Week and encouraging participation in our state. To celebrate, we and our partners are offering a variety of in-person and virtual civic learning opportunities for all audiences from March 10-14, 2025.
Governor Ned Lamont has officially proclaimed March 10-14, 2025 as Civic Learning Week in the State of Connecticut, and Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas has issued an official citation honoring “All the people and groups in Connecticut who help elevate civic education, especially during Civic Learning Week.”
The Connecticut Democracy Center programs on Monday to kick-off a full week of activities and programs include:
Connect with Connecticut’s Leaders – the Three Branches of State Government
State Treasurer Erick Russell, State Representative Hilda Santiago, and Judge Dennis Eveleigh answer student questions about their jobs and how Connecticut’s three branches of state government work together. Watch on You Tube.
From the Classroom to the Capital City: Place-Based Civic Learning in Hartford
Connecticut’s Old State House, the State Capitol, the Supreme Court, and the Connecticut State Library and its Museum of Connecticut History discuss the significance of place-based education in fostering civic awareness and engagement. Learn about unique place- and classroom-based civic learning programs and resources. Watch on You Tube.
Celebrate Civics at Connecticut’s Old State House!
Visit this National Historic Landmark and learn how civics has informed Connecticut’s history in the rooms where it happened! You can enjoy a guided or self-guided tour, explore two temporary exhibits – “The Constitutional History of the Constitution State” and “Who Can Vote?” – see Governor Lamont’s official Civic Learning Week proclamation, and pick up your free Civic Learning Week souvenir button! At the Old State House in Hartford.
Programs Throughout the Week
The full line-up of programs can be seen here. Included are programs with the World Affairs Council of Connecticut, the Connecticut Council for the Social Studies, CivixNow, and a conversation with Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
CivxNow, a national cross-partisan civic education coalition created by iCivics, leads national Civic Learning Week. As a state affiliate of CivxNow, the Connecticut Democracy Center is leading efforts in Connecticut.
“Many Connecticut organizations provide quality civic education opportunities for educators and students,” said Sally Whipple, Executive Director of the Connecticut Democracy Center at Connecticut’s Old State House. “Civic Learning Week gives us a chance to promote those programs, help schools engage with them, and remind people of the value of strong civic education.”
