Civics knowledge among eighth graders in the United States has been on the decline for over a decade, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Carbondale-based nonprofit Youthentity is trying to boost access to civics education and hosted its first civics bee this week.
Twenty middle-school students from Basalt, Carbondale and Glenwood Springs traveled to Carbondale to test their civics knowledge in three rounds.
The top three students will go to the state civics bee in July. The top student from Colorado will then travel to Washington, D.C., in the fall to represent the state at the national level.
Similar competitions — like the spelling bees — have helped schools reach certain learning benchmarks.
Daniela Agudelo, Youthentity’s program manager, spoke with Aspen Public Radio’s Regan Mertz about the new competition.
The conversation below has been edited for clarity and length.
Regan Mertz: Could you talk to me about how the civics bee came to be — why that was something the organization decided they wanted to tackle?
Daniela Agudelo: We feel it ties really well to our mission in providing opportunities for youth at a young age. When we talk about financial knowledge, it’s not something you learn in high school. It's something that you can start learning right from the age of 7 and earlier, right?
It's the same idea [with] civic engagement. What are the issues in our communities that we're trying to address? And kids have some amazing ideas to bring to the table. So, this is just another opportunity for students to get engaged at an early start.
Mertz: Why do you think it's important for kids at a young age to get involved with civics?
I know this is the first year that Youthentity is a part of [a civics bee], but do you know if there's any sort of research or evidence out there that civics bees do contribute to students becoming more civically engaged as they get older?
Agudelo: From an educator's perspective, just based on what I know to be true, you engage students at a young age, and they'll be more involved in their communities. It's an opportunity for them to also develop their self-esteem, sense of identity. So, it's an opportunity for them to feel proud of themselves — develop that sense of belonging.
They got to get in front of a microphone just like me here, right? And that's nerve-wracking for sixth graders, seventh graders, eighth graders, who maybe don't have the experience in talking in front of an audience — public speech. So, we're allowing them that opportunity to start to develop those skills at an early age.
Mertz: Based on how many students signed up and from how many schools, what did that tell you about the interest in civics in the valley?
Agudelo: I mean, just knowing how much knowledge these kids are bringing to the table already tells you how much interest there is. We provide them with a study guide. I mean, if we're talking about the Constitution, civics in general and the framework of government, it's a very complex topic. There's a lot of different subtopics that come from it, but these students have been just really hard at it.
Mertz: How did you make sure that kids of all backgrounds signed up for the civics bee or applied?
Agudelo: I'm glad that you asked that question because it's definitely something that has been at the forefront for us making sure that students feel represented. That was one of the reasons why we also chose our judges very wisely. We wanted to make sure that students felt reflected in them as well. So, we have Christina Montemayor. We have Steven Moreno. You know, great Latinos in the community who are doing fantastic things.
It was really important for us to make sure that students felt that. And we do have a few students who are Latinos, who are persons of color, and it's really important for them to feel represented as well.
Mertz: Thank you so much for coming in, Dani. I really appreciate it.
Agudelo: Thank you for having us.
Mertz: Of course.
Support for this Nonprofit Spotlight series comes from the Aspen Community Foundation.
