We live in an age of unprecedented uncertainty, complexity, fear, distraction, and change.

The world has experienced massive economic, technological, demographic, political, cultural, and environmental shifts in an astonishingly short timespan. And our destinies are more intertwined with our fellow humans around the world than ever before.

These changes have created enormous opportunity for many, but have also further entrenched many existing problems and created a whole new host of overlapping problems that can only be addressed with the grit and ingenuity of kind, wise, purposeful, entrepreneurial citizen leaders in America and around the world.

Many of these problems—from climate change, to mass incarceration, to an increasingly unproductive and dehumanizing politics—are hardly news to Generation Z, the most socially conscious and plugged-in generation ever.

And they are hungry for change. But legacy educational institutions have failed to teach them the knowledge, skills, habits, and dispositions required to even understand all that they need to know to even begin solving these problems.

We created Civics Unplugged to provide Generation Z the training and support they need to become leaders capable of identifying, understanding, and progressing to solve the most pressing problems in their communities and the world. We believe there are few greater responsibilities of those with time, money, influence, and wisdom to do than to close the gap in youth education and empowerment.

Civics Unplugged is building a civic leadership development program to transform civically minded youth into agents of positive, systemic change.

This year, we will source nominations from all across the country to identify high schoolers who have been counted out but are hungry to solve real problems.

Next year, of everyone nominated for the program, two-hundred students representing all fifty states will be accepted as trainees in our four-month civic leadership development program focused on hands-on personal development, practical civic skill-building, and systems thinking and mapping. The program will feature interactive lectures and activities, hands-on 1:1 mentorship, and meaningful project-based work, and will culminate with trainees flying out to D.C. for a paradigm-shifting weekend of community-building, inspiration, and celebration.

At the convention, trainees will connect with their peers from around the country, learn from cross-sector leaders who have made profound change and are eager to lend long-term support, and officially level up from trainee to "Civic Fellow." On their initiation day, Fellows will be awarded scholarships, fellowships, and internships to celebrate their work so far and keep their momentum going.
 
Post-convention, Civic Fellows will go home and lead local projects to drive change in their community with the support of the Civics Unplugged team and its mentorship community. And the following year, they will support the next cohort of trainees.

There's so much more to be said about what we're doing.

Contact us to learn more: founders@civicsunplugged.org