Aurora Public Library will offer a civic engagement program for teens, Team T.E.A.L. (Tolerance, Engagement, Action, Learning): Changing Your Community Through Civic Engagement. Please join us at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4 on Zoom. The class will teach young people the tools that they need to make changes and support their community. Please note that registration is required for this event. Visit aurorapubliclibrary.org/events to register and to view all of the library’s virtual programs.
Teen Librarian Flannery Crump said, “We’re very excited about this new program. It’s being led by a local teen, Shreya Joshi. She is very passionate about making sure that young people are educated about civic engagement and about how they can improve their communities.”
Civic engagement means working toward making a difference in one’s local area. It can include things like volunteering at a local food pantry, cleaning up litter from a nearby stream, or working to bring change to city hall. Civic engagement involves both political and apolitical work that promotes the health, happiness, and civic life of a community.
Recent events, such as the COVID-19 Pandemic and the protests after the murder of George Floyd, have underlined our interdependence. Young people along with many others are discovering that we are part of a community and that we all have a role to play. Moments like these show people of all ages that they are not powerless, and in fact have the potential to make change in their communities.
Shreya Joshi, founder of Project T.E.A.L. said, “I’m a firm believer that civic engagement is fundamental to the foundation of a just and democratic society. However, there is a severe civic engagement crisis that is currently plaguing our democracy. The problem is that young people aren’t actively participating in government. I’ve witnessed this political apathy even in my own school; it’s hard to get students to genuinely care about civic engagement. This is what inspired me to start Project T.E.A.L. Project T.E.A.L. is a bipartisan initiative that aims to teach middle and elementary school students about the importance of democracy and active political participation through civic engagement workshops. Through this program, I hope to share my own passion for civic engagement with other students and motivate younger people to get involved from earlier on.”
Join us for this timely program to learn more about how you can contribute to your community. One way that you can participate in civic engagement right now is to ensure that you and your family have completed the 2020 Census. The census determines how federal funding is distributed, so an accurate count ensures Aurora gets its fair share. It also means our community will have fair representation in Congress.
For more information, visit aurorapubliclibrary.org/youcount.