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Student Pocket GuideEnglish edition
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Your civic leadership toolkit

Find what you need.
Do the next thing.

Use this guide to open resources, keep your team’s work moving, and get ready to share what you accomplish.

See my journey
Illustrated teacher supporting a diverse group of young people working together around a community map while reaching for a phone in a back pocket
Your guide goes with you.Open it when you need the next step.
Keep this guide handy: add it to your iPad Home Screen
On your iPadOpen this page in Safari. Tap Share (the square with an up arrow), choose “Add to Home Screen,” then tap “Add.”

Jump to a task

Start Part 1Open learning resourcesWork on our action projectGet summit-ready

Part 1 · My starting place

Begin with your story.

Use the concise combined workbook to move through all of Part 1, or open one of the complete learning activities below. You will explore who you are, the people and places that shape you, the questions you care about, and the four OAV core principles.

Save your own copy with your name before you begin. Your teacher will let you know what, if anything, should go into the File Chute.
Use the writable workbookType in Word or Google DocsUse the print workbookWrite by hand
Learning Experience 1Me, Myself, and WhyIdentity and a leadership intentionLearning Experience 2Who Are My PeoplePeople, places, and details that shape youLearning Experience 3My Place, My PurposeBelonging and an Action Research Seed

Part 2 · Civic learning experiences

Explore civic ideas.

There are eight Civic Learning Experiences. Your teacher will choose the experience and the Beginning, Intermediate, or Advanced path that fits your group. Open only the page your teacher assigns.

Use the workbook to type, sketch, use short phrases, or work with a partner. Save a copy with your name before you begin.
Use the writable workbookType in Word or Google DocsUse the print workbookWrite by hand

Part 3 · Build civic leadership muscle

Let your values guide your next steps.

Use these two activities to make thoughtful choices, picture the leader you are becoming, and connect that vision to your action research work.

Save your own copy before you begin. Your teacher may ask you to return to your Decision Compass or personal vision later.
What Matters MostBuild your Decision CompassThe Me I Am BecomingCreate a personal vision and next step

My Civic Leadership in Action Journey

Five parts. Your work in one place.

Each shelf can hold a short “what to do,” the resource itself, and a clear way to save or turn in your work.

01
Know the journey

Get Oriented

Meet the program, learn the four core principles, and begin thinking about the kind of civic leader you want to be.

Me, Myself, and WhyResource shelf
Who Are My PeopleResource shelf
My Place, My PurposeResource shelf
The Four Core PrinciplesResource shelf
02
Build civic knowledge

Explore Civic Ideas

Open the student materials, media, and primary sources for each civic learning experience.

Eight Experience ShelvesResource shelf
Student HandoutsResource shelf
Primary Sources & MediaResource shelf
03
Grow as a leader

Build My Civic Muscle

Discover what you value, imagine the leader you are becoming, and practice the skills you will use to make change with others.

What Matters MostResource shelf
My Decision CompassResource shelf
The Me I Am BecomingResource shelf
My Personal VisionResource shelf
04
Work with others

Plan & Take Action

Turn an idea into a team plan, communicate with others, and keep evidence of the work you do.

Open the action workspace
Team RolesReady to explore
Action PlannerReady to explore
Outreach ToolkitReady to explore
File ChuteReady to explore
05
Tell the story

Prepare & Share

Get summit-ready, share what your team learned and accomplished, and reflect on your growth.

Open Summit preparation
Our Five-Part StoryReady to explore
Team Roles & RehearsalReady to explore
Summit File ChuteReady to explore
Reflection & RecognitionReady to explore

Part 4 · My action project

Plan it. Do it.
Show what happened.

Work with your team to understand an issue, choose a solution, take action when possible, and share what you accomplished. Your evidence can be written, drawn, photographed with permission, recorded, or explained by your team.

Your team action workbook

Make the plan together.

Use one team workbook to choose an issue, gather evidence, compare ideas, take action, and save the story of your work.

Your teacher will tell you which pages to use and what, if anything, should go into the File Chute.
Use the writable action workbookType in Word or Google DocsUse the print action workbookWrite by hand
  1. 1Select the issue
  2. 2Study the issue
  3. 3Compare solutions
  4. 4Build the plan
  5. 5Prepare to present
  6. 6Present the solution
Work as a team

Team Roles

Decide how each person will contribute, how your team will make decisions, and how you will help one another.

Team role cards and group agreement are coming next.
Steps 1–4

Action Planner

Choose your issue, learn what you need to know, compare solutions, and turn your idea into a plan.

Open tools
Start with the Issue AssessmentUse writable version
Research & collect information
Explore who or what could be affectedUse writable version
Consider concerns and counterpointsUse writable version
Track action items, owners, and datesUse writable version
Connect with others

Outreach Toolkit

Ask good questions, contact people safely, learn from your community, and invite support.

Open tools
Contact someoneUse writable version
Plan a successful interview
Create a successful survey
Build community support
A paper traveling up a bright blue chute into a folderSave the story

The File Chute

When your team makes something worth keeping, send it through the chute. It will join the research, decisions, photographs, work samples, results, and reflections that show your journey.

Send something through the chute

Steps 5–6

Ready to share your solution?

Choose how you will tell the story of your issue, your plan, and what your team accomplished.

Public Speaking & Presentation TipsDigital Showcase OverviewDigital Showcase ChecklistUse the Digital Showcase Storyboard

Part 5 · Get Summit ready

Make meaning.
Tell your story.

Your team already did the work. Now choose what matters most and help other people understand it.

1

Make meaning

What matters most?

2

Choose evidence

What shows what we learned?

3

Shape the story

How did our work unfold?

4

Share the work

How will each person contribute?

Optional student toolStart my Civic Leadership Evidence TrailChoose a few artifacts and reflections to carry toward the Summit.

Build your five-part story

Five starters. One clear journey.

Use these as speaking notes, a poster plan, slide headings, or a guide for your team’s presentation.

  1. 1We noticed…The issue we saw and why it mattered to us.
  2. 2We asked…The question that helped guide our work.
  3. 3We learned…What our evidence, research, or conversations showed.
  4. 4We acted…What we tried and what happened.
  5. 5We would…Our next step, recommendation, or hope.
Ask two listeners“What was clearest?”“What are you still curious about?”Use their answers to improve one part of your story.
Then decideHow will each person contribute to each part?What is one thing we should improve?A team member can speak, welcome visitors, show an artifact, explain evidence, manage visuals, or support a teammate.
A paper traveling up a bright blue chute into a folder

Summit File Chute

Show where your team landed.

Send in your final story or presentation, one strong piece of evidence, and your short reflection about what changed your thinking.

This uses the same File Chute—no duplicate work.
Send in our Summit set
At the district SummitShare. Listen. Ask. Celebrate.

Learn from other teams and recognize how your civic leadership grew.

Your learning can be recognized

Civic Leadership in Action Micro-Credential

DePaul University’s competency-based credential recognizes what you learned and accomplished through civic inquiry, leadership, action, communication, and reflection. Your teacher will explain the final evidence requirements for the pilot.

Always ready

Tools you can use in any part.

These stay easy to reach no matter where you are in the journey.

My Team Space

Roles, meeting notes, decisions, and shared files.

Placeholder shelf

Find Trustworthy Information

A quick guide for sources, evidence, and citations.

Placeholder shelf

Talk to Your Community

Interview questions, email starters, and outreach tips.

Placeholder shelf

My Work & Progress

One place to find saved work and see what comes next.

Placeholder shelf

Get Help

Questions to ask, common fixes, and where to go for support.

Placeholder shelf

Words to Know

A plain-language civic and leadership glossary.

Placeholder shelf

A shelf to test

Every resource answers three questions.

1What am I doing?One clear direction2What do I need?Resource, example, or tool3What happens next?Save, share, or keep going