Berea, Ky. -- After a close and combative presidential election, a polarized America has battled over everything from health care to border walls to monuments.

The newly elected chair of the grassroots organization, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, Meta Mendel-Reyes, said the divisive atmosphere in the state and nation has energized community activism.

"It's a time when people at the grassroots need to recover their voices, and organizing is one way to do that,” Mendel-Reyes said. "It's clearly developed in response to the historical moment that we're in, but I think it has the potential for incredible staying power."

To facilitate increased involvement, KFTC is launching the Organizing Academy, a training over six months for those interested in grassroots leadership. Applications for the Academy are being accepted through October 13, and the training will start in January.

Mendel-Reyes said while activism such as the Women's March and protests against state and federal policies grab the headlines, sustaining momentum is the key to building progressive grassroots power.

"I would say that the large crowds are productive in the moment,” she said, "but to build power over the long term - the kind of power that governments will have to respond to - you need to do organizing."

She said KFTC is committed to training more Kentuckians on how to be leaders in nonviolent activism with the ultimate goal of growing the grassroots movements in the state.

"How can they learn to be active in the most effective possible ways,” Mendel-Reyes said. "Organizing at its key is simply about helping people learn about and undertake collective action."

She said organizing needs to be inclusive of all voices, because these days, too much political and community action is based on division.


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In these divisive times, nonprofit groups are stepping up to boost civic engagement by facilitating intergenerational dialogue.

The Creating Citizens initiative from Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California brings older adults and young people together to discuss important civic issues.

In January, the forum topic was people's thoughts about the 2024 election. The next forum, in September, will address climate change.

Nesreen Ezzeddine, education program manager with Commonwealth Club World Affairs, helps facilitate the events.

"The political climate is uncertain and so, meaningful dialogue is more crucial than ever," said Ezzeddine, "kind of bringing this idea of the idealism of youth and also the experiences of older generations."

She said the club plans to sponsor three intergenerational dialogue events next fall and spring.

The idea for the dialogues started with college students, who said they didn't plan to vote because they were disappointed that the two major candidates - Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden - were 78 and 81 years old.

Commonwealth Club Vice President of Education Lauren Silver said at the same time, older adults are concerned about this feeling of disconnection among young people.

"Without an intergenerational divide being addressed, we're still all talking in our generational echo chambers," said Silver, "and we're not going to be able to cure or heal the political system or the divisiveness in our society."

Heather Smith is the manager of partnerships for the San Francisco nonprofit YouthTruth, which facilitates dialogue between high school students and educators.

"When students feel brought into these conversations, when they see their opinions and ideas turn into actions, we see them as engaged students," said Smith, "and engaged citizens as they get older."

A recent YouthTruth survey reveals many students don't think schools prepare them to be civically engaged.

It found 68% agree that helping others is important, but only 44% feel like they can make a difference.

High school seniors will soon be counting down the days until graduation and in Minnesota. But students from future graduating classes could get a special credential if they make an extra effort to improve their civics knowledge and skills.

A legislative committee takes up a bill Monday to create a "Civic Seal" program, as nearly a dozen other states have done. Minnesota has already bolstered its civics education requirements but the bill's supporters said it goes further by adding the seal to diplomas of students who show real interest in civic engagement.

Esha Vibhakar, a junior and student advocate at Wayzata High School, said it is a hard thing to do in a hostile political environment.

"We have a big fear of being wrong, or people having different opinions from us," Vibhakar explained. "My peers and people my age tend to shy away from the conversations that are hard."

Backers stressed it would not be a mandate for schools but noted by offering the Civic Seal, students can gain confidence in learning about how democracy works. They could earn the seal through extra projects, like attending city council meetings or volunteering for a nonprofit. The bill has bipartisan support.

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, DFL-Eden Prairie, one of the measure's sponsors, is a retired civics teacher. In today's world, with so much misinformation on social media, he feels it is important to push civics knowledge higher on the priority list. He cited research showing for every $50 the nation spends on STEM curriculum, five cents is spent per student for civics learning.

"I'm not trying to dismiss the hard work that STEM advocates have done the last 15 or 20 years, but I'm just trying to do my best to reverse those numbers," Cwodzinski emphasized. "I just want kids to be more civil and know how to conduct a public discourse."

A coalition raising awareness about the movement said the Civic Seal would also send a message to colleges and employers that a student has a lot more to offer than just academic success. It cited other research showing robust civic education correlates with higher voting rates and increased community involvement.


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Nevada voting rights advocates are rallying support for a bill to expand language access for voters during elections.

According to Census data, one in three Nevadans speaks a language other than English at home.

Assembly Bill 367 would address the need for language accessibility by protecting and expanding the translation and interpretation tools established by Nevada's Secretary of State - including a hotline for voting-related questions.

It would also require that all official communication from the Secretary of State be issued in both English and Spanish.

Chanel Cassanello-Moran is a campaign manager with All Voting is Local Action Nevada, and called the measure good for democracy.

"Our elected officials have an opportunity to empower eligible voters, regardless of what their primary language is, and strengthen our electoral process," said Cassanello-Moran. "We will continue to advocate for a fair system in which all voters can weigh in on the issues they care about and cast their ballot without the burden of language restrictions."

The bill would also allow voters with disabilities to use mobile devices for interpretive services, including American Sign Language Assistance.

Cassanello-Moran contended it's imperative that voting information and resources be available in multiple languages to increase civic engagement.

The bill was heard by the Assembly Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections last week.

Emily Persaud-Zamora, executive director of Silver State Voices, said she and her team work year-round on democracy-related issues, and receive frequent questions about language accessibility.

She explained that there is a real need from voters in the Silver State.

"They want to be able to participate in the democratic process and feel comfortable," said Persaud-Zamora, "feel secure about being able to cast their ballot in a language that they maybe feel more comfortable using, reading or speaking in."

Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act requires states that meet certain population requirements to provide language assistance to limited English speakers in election materials and ballots.

Some states and jurisdictions go beyond those federal requirements and accommodate more languages, depending on local needs.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




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