Student agency through civic engagement

At Carson Junior High in Phoenix, a student steering committee is given responsibility for leading the student body through a deliberative process of deciding how to spend a portion of the school’s capital budget each year. This student participatory budgeting program, described in a video produced by the PI team at ASU (7 minutes), provides an example of how a school can engage multiple and diverse perspectives, strengthening the civic character assets of students and provide a foundation for civic engagement later in life. In Carson’s inclusive model, students who may not normally be heard have opportunities to lead, have their ideas taken seriously, and be seen in a new light by their peers.