Forget civics class: Students want to make a difference in real life

OAKLAND, Calif. — Vida Mendoza is only 14, but she hopes to vote in two years.

Mendoza is a member of the student-led Oakland Youth Vote campaign, which advocates for giving 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote for school board representatives. In May, the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to put the initiative on the November ballot.

Mendoza, a freshman at Life Academy in Oakland, said her school board must be held accountable to the district’s 36,000 students, 85 percent of whom are people of color, and ensure that all of its schools are “getting the resources they need.”

https://hechingerreport.org/forget-civics-class-students-want-to-make-a-difference-in-real-life/