WINOOSKI, Vt. (WCAX) – The Good Citizen Challenge is getting kids involved in civics in their own backyards.
Our John McMahon spoke with Seven Days’ Cathy Resmer, one of the organizers of the Good Citizen Challenge, about some of the activities kids can do and who’s eligible to participate.
John: “Cathy, thanks for being here. Kind of just run me through what this challenge is and how kids can get involved.”
Resmer: “Sure, sure. Thanks, John. So Good Citizen Challenge is a summer civics project that you can do with kids in grades kindergarten through eighth grade, and it’s a chance for them to learn more about their community, and also find ways that they can get involved and learn about community events since you know, we have 25 different activities that they can do. And they do the activity, they enter it on our website, and then they’re entered to win prizes including a free trip to Washington, D.C.”
John: “And with that in mind, you might be wondering why we’re at the Veterans Memorial Park here in Winooski. Why would that be?”
Resmer: “Visiting a memorial is one of the activities in the Good Citizen Challenge. You know, we walk by these places every day, and memorials are a place where a community says this is something worth remembering. This is part of our history. Everyone should know about this, and this Veterans Memorial honors those who served in the wars for this country, and that’s something that’s really important that people gave this sacrifice and everybody in the community should honor that and know that it exists and pay attention to those things.”
John: “Now we’re at the Winooski Fire Department, and what are the activities that kids can do for the Good Citizen Challenge? And why do you think it’s so important to get kids engaged in their community, especially something like this, and visiting their local fire department?”
Resmer: “Well, you know, a couple of reasons. So fire departments really important especially in Vermont, so many communities rely on volunteer firefighters and rescue, and those agencies are only going to function if they keep getting volunteers. So it’s really important to draw attention to community services like this. They don’t exist because someone else is funding them.
John: “Okay, we’ve walked a couple of blocks. Now we’re at the Winooski traffic circle, chock full of businesses, and one of the activities kids can do is support their local business, and what better place to do it?”
Resmer: “Yeah, local businesses. I think the idea here with this activity was to get kids to realize these are local businesses. They’re part of your community. And we’re really asking kids to pick a local business that their family already supports and write a comment card, leave a review, or put a positive review online. Just to show that there are people in the communities that support the business because businesses actually do quite a lot. Local businesses sponsor all kinds of fundraisers, and your kid’s soccer team, and they are a really important part of your community, especially in Vermont small towns.”
John: “And you’ve been a part of this challenge for a while and you’ve seen it change and grow in certain ways. What would you like to see from kids to maybe branch out and do something different?
Resmer: “So I just really want kids through this challenge to learn about their communities, to really follow local news. You know, that’s a big part of this challenge to watching this newscast is actually an activity in the good citizen challenge kids can do, and make an entry after watching this newscast. But, you know, I want kids to learn about and feel a part of their communities and also, you know, grow up to be not just voters, but participants in their democracy.”
John: “While we’re out we found this pile of garbage in front of us. Another one of the activities on the list for the challenge is picking up trash in your community. For a challenge as simple as this, who’s eligible for the doses and challenges how can they apply?”
Resmer: “Yeah, so all remote kids in grades K-8 are eligible, and you get entered into the drawings and be part of the challenge by entering an activity completing an activity, and then entering it at goodcitizenvt.com. You just submit an entry there and you’re all set, and then we’ll send you a good citizen sticker that says ‘I’m a good citizen’. And then you get invited to our reception at the Vermont State House in Montpelier on September 19. And that’s where we’re going to draw the grand prize winner and give away some other prizes.”
John: “Well, I know you and I have had a lot of fun today, and hopefully a lot of kids out there can sign up and get part of the challenge. Thanks for dropping by.”