Part of the 2024 National Youth Summit: Elections & Politics
Making a difference in democracy
7th-12th graders! Learn about leadership & voting while earning service hours.
Sign up here to participate: Link to Register
When: Activities September 14-28
Where: Greensboro History Museum, in the community and online
Who: High school and middle school students who are interested in making a difference in their community
How can young people engage in political action and influence elections?
Greensboro Youth Summit activities are happening September 14-28 as part of the National Youth Summit organized by the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution.
This program is a chance for 7th-12th graders interested in engaging and making a difference in their community—school, neighborhood, city, organizations, and beyond—to come together and share the challenges they face and learn some strategies for making change. The program will include activities and workshops, opportunities for engaging in civics and democracy in the community, and ways to help students feel confident and realize the importance of their role in leadership and facilitating change.
In person and independent learning options are available across two weeks, September 14-28. Get passport stamps for taking part in online and in-person activities during this time and get a certificate and prizes at the Youth Summit Day on Saturday, September 28. Come meet people, have fun, and discover how you can make a difference in democracy today.
National Youth Summit activities take place September 17-24 with speakers including Kahlil Greene, the “Gen-Z Historian” and creator of Hidden History on TikTok.
PARTICIPANT BENEFITS
- Service hours
- Networking opportunities (for more service hours!)
- Certificate
- Fun and community
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SUMMIT EVENTS
Saturday, September 14 – OPEN HOUSE (1-3 pm)
Participants can pick up a Youth Summit passport (see below) and get stamps with special activities including Social Media & Politics: An Interactive Conversation from NC Cooperative Extension at 2 pm.
September 14-28
Choose two activities from each category and complete them by the main event on September 28th at the Greensboro History Museum. (See below for full list of activities.)
Saturday, September 28 – MAIN EVENT (10:30am-3 pm)
Join us at the Greensboro History Museum for Youth Summit Day. There will be inspiring talks from local leaders, small group discussions with fellow participants, a panel with student government representatives from area campuses, passport prizes, and so much more… including food!
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PASSPORT ACTIVITIES
Your Youth Summit passport includes 4 sections: disinformation/information literacy, communication, election information, and history. For each section, there will be a list of independent and in-person activities. (note that some activities are only held on specific dates) Choose two that you would like to participate in each category. When you have completed the activity, get a stamp from the Greensboro History Museum and collect prizes for how many passport sections you complete. Pick up your Youth Summit passport from the Greensboro History Museum beginning Saturday, September 14.
AREAS
Complete two activities in each of these four areas to earn your certificate.
D – Disinformation / Information Literacy
Discover tools and resources to help you understand how to identify inaccurate information, find the information you need, and use it to be informed and communicate more effectively.
️️C – Communication
Learn how to navigate difficult conversations, de-escalate, and connect with other people as you advocate and engage in your community.
E – Election Information
Answer the who, what, and why of current elections and learn more about the election process.
️H – ️History
Connect with the past and discover how people have advocated, activated, and changed the country through the years.
IN-PERSON STAMP ACTIVITIES
Scheduled
D – Social Media & Politics: An Interactive Conversation
Saturday 9/14 at 2 pm, Greensboro History Museum
NC Cooperative Extension presents a non-partisan discussion of and activities to learn about echo chambers, information and misinformation along. Part of the Greensboro Youth Summit Open House.
C/E – Board of Education Candidate Forum
Tuesday 9/17 at 12:15 pm, Mullin Family Life Center, First Presbyterian Church, 706 N. Greene Street
Attend a candidate forum as a special guest of the League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad. Bring a lunch and any questions you have for Board of Education candidates or just come to observe and find out who the candidates are.
H️/E – Campaign Madness
Thursday 9/19, 5:30-8 pm, Greensboro History Museum
Learn about youth involvement in the presidential campaign of 1860 with author and National Museum of American History curator Jon Grinspan. More information at Campaign Madness.
C – Greensboro Pride
Sunday 9/22, 1-5 pm, Downtown Greensboro
Attend Greensboro Pride Festival and check in at the History Museum table in the KidZone for a Youth Summit activity.
C/E – Democracy Tables: Voting
Tuesday 9/24, 3-5 pm, Greensboro History Museum
Have a 30-minute conversation about voting with a guide developed by Greensboro History Museum and UNCG Department of Communication Studies.
Anytime
C️ – Volunteer at a local organization or complete a service project. You can use the list provided or the Just Serve website to help you find volunteering opportunities.
C️/H – ️ Visit the Greensboro History Museum exhibition Voices of a City and write down three or more names of community leaders you would like to know more about.
E/H – Visit the Greensboro History Museum exhibition NC Democracy: Eleven Elections then turn in your ballot with your choice for the most meaningful of the eleven elections.
E – Visit Greensboro History Museum’s Connection Point and try the “Where do you stand?” activity to figure out where you stand on important issues.
E – Visit Greensboro History Museum’s Connection Point and record a video response to one of the “Your Takes” questions.
H️ – ️Visit the International Civil Rights Center and Museum and get a stamp at the front desk. (Admission fee for entry.)
H️️ – Visit the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park and get a stamp at the visitors center.
ONLINE STAMP ACTIVITIES
Scheduled
C️️ – 9/17 View the livestream Smithsonian National Youth Summit keynote speaker Kahlil Green and write a short response explaining what you thought about the event. (Find him on Instagram @Kahlil.Greene and TikTok @kahlilgreene)
C️ – ️9/24 View the Smithsonian National Youth Summit closing conversation with Made By US and write a short response about what you thought about the event. (Find MBU on Instagram and TikTok @historymadebyus)
Anytime
D – Learn the SIFT process (you can look it up or use this PSA for guidance). Use it with 2-3 articles you find online. When checking sources you can use resources like Ad Fontes media bias or Allsides media bias chart to help guide you.
D – Complete this Find Facts Fast, online information training or find another information literacy training option to complete.
D – Watch this How YOU Can Fact-Check the Internet video and this video on how to spot a deep fake. Write down at least three ways you can protect yourself against misinformation and disinformation.
C️️/E – Create your own campaign. Imagine you are running for a government position. What position would you run for? What are your important issues? How will you get people to vote for you? Make a poster or other representation of your campaign and share it with someone.
C️️ – Complete the Change My Community online course, and put as much of it into action as you can.
E – Print a sample ballot from BallotPedia.org or other website where a North Carolina ballot is available. Decide who you would vote for. You can use these sites to help you research the candidates and find more information: Vote411, NCSBE, NC.gov
E – Preregister to vote. If you are 16 years old or older, go to this website and preregister to vote.
E – Watch a presidential or local debate. Write a short response answering these questions: Who would you vote for? What tactics did the candidates use to get their point across? How would you debate if you were running for a government position?
H️️ – Complete this webquest that centers on the Civil Rights Movement in NC and share what you create.
H️️ – Choose a big issue or change from the past and write about it—What issue or change did you choose? What did people do about the issue? How did things change because of their actions?
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REGISTRATION FOR THE NATIONAL YOUTH SUMMIT
Support for the Greensboro Youth Summit comes from
- Smithsonian Affiliations
- Women’s Professional Forum Foundation
Program partners include
