Good Citizen Challenge 2022

Learn more about your community, country and world by doing the Good Citizen Challenge:

Complete a horizontal, vertical or diagonal row of five activities. Remember: The “free visit” spot in the center square is required when included in your row of choice. → See the official scorecard.
Mark each completed box and snap a photo of each activity to show evidence of your work.
Upload a photo of your completed scorecard and evidence of your work on this website. Or mail the scorecard and evidence, along with your name and contact info, to: Seven Days/Kids VT, PO Box 1164, Burlington, VT, 05402-1164, attn: Good Citizen.
All entries must be received by September 5, 2022.

Prizes:

All participants who complete the Challenge by connecting five squares in a row will receive:

A Good Citizen patch and sticker.
A pocket US Constitution, donated by Phoenix Books.
An invitation to a VIP reception at the Vermont State House in September where they’ll be celebrated for their work.
A chance to win the grand prize: A globe, a $100 gift certificate to Phoenix Books and a free trip for two to Washington, D.C. from Milne Travel.

More prizes: Participants who complete the Challenge AND all of the activities under one of the categories below will be eligible for additional special prizes. See each category below for details.

No purchase necessary. Participants must be 18 or under to be eligible for prizes. If a family with two children does the activities together, each child can enter a completed scorecard. Each child can enter multiple scorecards, but activities must be repeated for each one.

History Activities

Special Prizes: Participants who complete the Challenge AND all of the History activities below will also receive:

A keepsake from the Vermont History Museum
A chance to win a $100 gift card to Phoenix Books
A chance to win a behind-the-scenes tour of the Vermont History Museum Archives

★ Free Museum Visit (center square)

Go to the Vermont History Museum. Good Citizen Challenge participants and their families get in free! The exhibit about globe maker James Wilson opens on July 3.

1. Connect to History

Pick one of these Vermonters from history and learn about their life. Then complete an activity related to or inspired by them or their accomplishments: visiting the town where they lived, for example, or writing a poem or creating artwork.

2. Make a Map

Draw or design a map of a place you know well.

3. See the Spot

Visit a state historical marker.

4. What’s in a Name?

Pick a Vermont place name — a town, a road, a lake, a mountain — and find out where it comes from. Ask your librarian or local historical society for help.

5. Remember This

Public memorials commemorate people and events a community wants everyone to remember. Visit a memorial in a Vermont town and find out who it honors, and why.

6. Future History

Pick an object in your life that could be part of a future museum exhibit and write a label for it. Tell us what it’s called, where it came from and how it’s used.

Community Activities

Special Prizes: Participants who complete the Challenge AND all of the Community activities below will also receive:

A Front Porch Forum sticker
A chance to win a $100 gift card to Phoenix Books
A chance to win a behind-the-scenes tour of the Front Porch Forum office, and meet the founders

7. Respectfully Disagree

Watch a short video about One Small Step, a public radio project that brings people who disagree with each other together for meaningful conversations. Practice talking with someone who disagrees with you about something — for example, a movie, a kind of food or a political issue. Listen to them and share what you think without using sarcasm, name-calling, insults or eye-rolling. Tell us how it went.

8. Connect to Neighbors

Join your neighborhood Front Porch Forum and write a post about your experiences taking the Good Citizen Challenge. Under 14? Ask an adult to post for you.

9. Act Locally

Do something to help people in your community. For example: Make a cheerful sign, weed a public garden or help seniors learn to use digital devices.

10. Think Globally

Do something to learn about or help a community far away. For example: Watch a documentary, or attend a vigil, rally or event about a global issue such as war or climate change.

11. Organize Support

Use Front Porch Forum to organize a donation drive for a charity or shared resource such as a food shelf, library or homeless shelter.

12. Clean Up

Spend at least 15 minutes picking up litter in a public place.

13. Appreciate Art

Find and reflect on a mural or sculpture in a public place. Tell us how it makes you feel.

14. Pitch In

Help a friend or neighbor with yard work or chores.

Government Activities

Special Prizes: Participants who complete the Challenge AND all of the Government activities below will also receive:

A chance to win a $100 gift card to Phoenix Books
A chance to win copy of the book Intimate Grandeur: Vermont’s State House
A chance to win a behind-the-scenes tour of the Vermont State House

15. Visit the Capitol

Walk inside the Vermont State House to see the House and Senate chambers. If you can, take a free guided tour or self-guided audio tour.

16. Library Loan

Borrow something from your local library — a book, a garden tool, a park pass, a telescope, etc.

17. Explain the Motto

Vermont’s state motto is “Freedom and Unity.” What does that mean to you? Make a piece of art — a poem, drawing, song, etc. — to explain.

18. Consider the Candidates

Watch or listen to a debate featuring candidates running for office in the August 9 primary election or the November 8 general election.

19. Deed Search

Go to your city or town hall and find the deed for a property that’s important to you.

Media Activities

Special Prizes: Participants who complete the Challenge AND all of the Media activities below will also receive:

Stickers from Seven Days and VPR
A chance to win a $100 gift card to Phoenix Books
A chance to win free subscription to their local newspaper
A chance to win a prize pack from Vermont PBS
A chance to win a behind-the-scenes tour of the Seven Days office

20. Listen Local

Listen to a locally produced podcast from Vermont Public Radio. Choose one of these episodes of “Brave Little State”:

“How Is Climate Change Affecting Vermont Right Now?” (April 5, 2019)
“Brave Little State’s 4th Annual Brief History of Vermont Road Names” (September 9, 2021)

Younger participants can listen to one of these episodes of “But Why?: A Podcast for Curious Kids”:

“Why Can’t Kids Vote?” (October 9, 2020)
“Why Is Russia Invading Ukraine?” (March 11, 2022).

21. Watch the News

Watch a local TV news broadcast or the latest episode of “Vermont This Week” on Vermont PBS.

22. Read a Newspaper

Read a whole issue of your local community newspaper. Here’s a list of options. Can’t find your paper? Try the library.

23. Write a Letter

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about something or someone in your community that you appreciate.

24. Take Control

Improve your attention and ability to focus by changing your relationship to your digital devices. Do at least one of the suggested activities on the Take Control checklist from the Center for Humane Technology.

The Summer 2023 Good Citizen Challenge is organized by Burlington-based Seven Days, — Vermont’s locally owned, independent weekly — and its free quarterly parenting magazine Kids VT with underwriting support from the Evslin Family Foundation, Vermont Community Foundation, Milne Travel and Phoenix Books.