Information Literacy and Youth Civic Engagement Opportunities
Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." (American Library Association. Presidential Committee on Information Literacy)
To be information literate, then, one needs skills not only in research but in critical thinking.
ALA Resources –
click on this link for more general understanding of information literacy and the importance of this subject for our democratic process.
This is a list of several reputable Fact-Checking Organizations:
Student Civic Engagement Ambassadors
Creating an opportunity for Maryland's high school students to engage as community leaders.
About the Student Civic Engagement Ambassador Program (SCEAP)
The program is designed to encourage student engagement in Maryland civics, promote voter registration and poll worker recruitment among their peers, as well as highlighting other civic volunteer opportunities in their communities.
The Secretary of State's Student Civic Engagement Ambassador Program is designed for 10th-12th grade students, with each school allowed to nominate up to 10 students. The students from each school decide as a team what their goals are for their school and how to achieve them. We ask that proof of the event be uploaded within one month of the event. Scoring will be made from one point of contact from each school, traditionally a social studies or government teacher assigned by the administration.
Sponsor : michael.lore@maryland.gov
Scoring is as follows:
Work at a Polling Place on Election Day
| 1,500/per student
|
Work as a Page at the State House
| 1,500/per student
|
Recruit Poll Workers
| 1,500/per student
|
Meet with Local Elected Official
| 500 Points
|
Host a Voter Registration Drive
| 500 Points
|
Attend a Civic Meeting
| 500 Points
|
Serve in an Elected Position
| 500 Points
|
Volunteer with Registered Civics Charity
| 100 Points
|
Bonus Points (available with discretion)
Public and private high school students that reside and go to school in Maryland. Scoring is indicated in the chart above but note that they need to upload a picture of the event to earn points.
To set up an account for your school, please be sure to get authorization in writing from your administration that includes a point of contact to input the scores as they come in. We will coordinate with the point of contact and to ensure fairness and orderly communications.
The school that has the most points after the end of the school semester gets to have their mascot displayed across the Youth Civic Engagement webpage(this page).If your school ends the period with the most points, you will have your mascot imbedded within the Maryland Secretary of State's webpage until the next winner is chosen. Bragging rights for 6 months!
