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The world needs more Good Citizens — people who nurture our communities and value our democracy; who listen to and consider different perspectives; who pitch in, help others and take care of the things we all share.
Since 2018, the Good Citizen Challenge has been encouraging Vermont students in grades K-8 to learn civics and practice the habits of good citizenship.
Each Challenge invites participants to learn about their communities, their government and news literacy — and find ways to help others. In return, the organizers recognize their work in Seven Days newspaper and parenting magazine Kids VT — and in person during a reception at the Vermont State House.
Participants also win prizes, and everyone who enters the 2024 Challenge will have a chance to win a free trip for two to Washington, D.C.!
The 2024 Challenge will start at the end of May and end on Labor Day.
Look for this summer’s activities soon! Sign up for email alerts to be sure to get them as soon as they’re posted.
TheGood Citizen Challenge is organized by Burlington-based Seven Days — Vermont’s locally owned, independent weekly — and its free quarterly parenting magazine Kids VT with past underwriting support from the Evslin Family Foundation, Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont Humanities, Milne Travel and Phoenix Books.
Good Citizen Challenge Organizers
2023 Good Citizen Challenge Underwriters
The Evslin Family Foundation
2023 Good Citizen Challenge Partners
Touring the Statehouse!
On March 27, 2019 the 2018 class of Good Citizens met Gov. Phil Scott and were recognized by the Vermont House for their contributions to their communities.
“However we choose to fulfill our civic duty, each of us has a role to play. This responsibility to and respect for each other is part of what makes Vermont so special. So that’s why I’m very pleased to help celebrate the launch of this program, which I hope will encourage young Vermonters to learn more about our state, their communities, government and our civic responsibilities.”
“It’s just very exciting for me to see [the Good Citizen Challenge] and the idea that you can get points by having a conversation with someone who you disagree with, and see what you learn from it. Because really, that’s what happens in this building all the time.”
“I’m often asked to visit high schools and colleges to talk about civic engagement, and my message is always: Even if you can’t vote yet, there are so many important ways you can get involved.”
“There are real people behind stereotypes we paint of the other side. The Good Citizen Challenge helps more young people understand that when you engage in the discourse, those stereotypes start to fade. And you start to truly understand what it means to be a good citizen.”
“Our youth have so much to offer. We simply, in light of the opportunities and the challenges we face today, cannot afford to squander that potential.”
“How can Americans participate in their democracy — or defend it — if they don’t understand the principles on which it rests? As former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor said, ‘Civic knowledge can’t be handed down the gene pool. It has to be learned.'”
Photo: Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
IN THE NEWS
Published August 16, 2022
A group of students at Bellows Free Academy Fairfax completed the 2019-2020 school year Challenge which was interrupted by the pandemic. Instead of breaking up, they kept going — sometimes meeting virtually — all through middle school. They worked on activities they found through the Challenge and improvised their own.
Published September 14, 2018
(WCAX-TV) The Good Citizen Challenge is putting Vermont kids to the test. The friendly civics competition designed by Seven Days/Kids VT aims to help kids learn about government and prompt them to become more involved in their communities. Galen Ettlin spoke with Seven Days’ Deputy Publisher Cathy Resmer about how the competition works.