Useful Web Links - US Civics & Government

YMCA YOUTH and GOVERNMENT
http://www.ymcapa.org/2004_interface/National/results_page.asp
The purpose of the program is to bring the workings of state government alive to students. It creates an opportunity for students to discuss current state issues with state administrators,  elected officials, and students from high schools and YMCA's throughout the state.

YOUTH AND CIVIL LIBERTIES COUNCIL
http://www.aclu-wi.org/youth/index.html
The work of the YCLC focuses on engaging young people on their terms , allowing their passion to guide positive action , whether it is to discuss discipline policy changes in their school or to author recommendations on how to repair police-youth relations in their community.

Youth Court: Jury of Their Peers
http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=360
An article on the work of a youth court: " Young offenders quickly get the message: You get three freebies before anyone takes you seriously. But all that changes at youth court "

YOUTH FOR JUSTICE
http://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/jjbul2001_4_1/contents.html
This unique initiative is a law-related education (LRE) program supported by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Through a dynamic process, LRE helps young people learn about the legal system and understand concepts such as justice, freedom, responsibility, equality, and authority. LRE programs in school, community, and juvenile detention settings engage kindergarten through grade 12 youth as partners in the learning process and equip them to face the daily challenges presented by drugs, peer pressure, crime, and violence.

First Amendment Schools - United States
www.firstamendmentschools.org
First Amendment Schools: Educating for Freedom and Responsibility, co-sponsored by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and the First Amendment Center, is a national reform initiative designed to transform how schools model and teach the rights and responsibilities of citizenship that frame civic life in the U.S.

Kids Voting USA (KVUSA) - United States
www.kidsvotingusa.org
Kids Voting USA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, national organization that works with schools and communities to enhance civic education. Kids Voting USA fosters an informed, participating electorate by educating and actively engaging young people and their families in voting and other elements of effective civic engagement. KVUSA provides students with an authentic voting process that mirrors the official voting process of the United States through programs such as Civics Alive! for K-12 students and Destination Democracy for high school students.

The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement
(CIRCLE) - United States

www.civicyouth.org
The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) promotes research on the civic and political engagement of youth between the ages of 15 and 25. CIRCLE conducts and funds research on projects involving youth civic engagement and civic education, hoping to have a positive impact on young people's future engagement in politics and civic life.

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
http://www.ned.org/research/demresources/orgs-civic.html
NED is a private, nonprofit organization created in 1983 to strengthen democratic institutions around the world through nongovernmental efforts.