iCitizenForum by Colonial Williamsburg

iCitizenForum Rocks the Vote

In this episode of the iCitizenForum Vblog, we interview Rock the Votes’ Heather Smith about voter turnout, hot issues for young voters, and how Rock the Vote is helping the democratic process.

Enlightened Citizenship and Divisive Argument

“Enlightened citizen” is redundant; a citizen understands the aesthetics of issues, according to Mike Hartoonian, University of Minnesota. Find out what he, Terrence Guay, Penn State University, and Jim Davis, Social Science Education Consortium, have to say about debate, democracy, and citizenship.

Mountaintop mining moves civic participation

I think one reason why many don’t participate in civic life comes from the conclusion that it won’t make any difference.

They don’t buy into the theory that a butterfly flapping its wings on one continent can contribute to devastating weather on another. So why flap your wings about the way someone governs us or the way the behavior of others affects us?

That flapping won’t help.

I disagree. Collections of small actions do lead to big changes.

Several news items recently caught my attention and serve as examples of what I believe.

Citizenship Declaration - Group D (Powell House)

Draft "Declaration of Citizenship in the 21st Century," in association with Dialogues in Democracy: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Presented for Debate in the House of Burgesses, Williamsburg, Va., November 11, 2007.

We, the delegates of Powell Group D, resolve to reclaim the ideal of a citizen with both rights and responsibilities. These include:

Citizenship Declaration - Group C (Powell House)

Draft "Declaration of Citizenship in the 21st Century," in association with Dialogues in Democracy: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Presented for Debate in the House of Burgesses, Williamsburg, Va., November 11, 2007.

Citizenship Declaration - Group B (Raleigh Tavern)

Draft "Declaration of Citizenship in the 21st Century," in association with Dialogues in Democracy: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Presented for Debate in the House of Burgesses, Williamsburg, Va., November 11, 2007.

1. A strong educational system that is competitive and has equal access is critical to the sustainability and prosperity of America.

Citizenship Declaration - Group A (Raleigh Tavern)

Draft "Declaration of Citizenship in the 21st Century," in association with Dialogues in Democracy: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Presented for Debate in the House of Burgesses, Williamsburg, Va., November 11, 2007.

Tahmina Daultana and Pakistan

With our international attention now focused on Pakistan, here is a re-post of an interview with Pakistani Member of Parliament Tahmina Daultana. We spoke to Tahmina at the “World Forum on the Future of Democracy” in Williamsburg, Va., September 2007. She talks about the prospects for democracy in Pakistan.