Good Citizen Challenge 2025

1. Design a New “Future Voter” Sticker

Voting in an election is a big responsibility — that’s how we decide who leads our government and what policies we want them to pursue. To have your voice heard in most Vermont elections, you need to be a U.S. citizen who is at least 18 years old. Design a new, 2-inch, circular “Future Voter” that young people like you will want to wear! A panel of judges will choose one to be reproduced and distributed by the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office.

2. Borrow Something From the Library*

Visit your local library. Borrow something from the collection — a book, a movie, a museum pass, a cake pan, gardening tools, etc. Tell us what you borrowed and why. Be sure to return it on time!

3. Visit a Memorial*

Public memorials commemorate people and events a community wants everyone to remember. This can be a plaque at the local high school football field, a historic marker, a memorial to soldiers who served in a war. Visit a memorial near where you live and find out who it honors and why. Send us a photo of the one you picked and tell us why it was placed there.

4. Suggest a Memorial

If you could add a memorial that doesn’t already exist in a public space somewhere near where you live, who would it honor and why? Would it be a plaque, a sculpture, a memorial park? Would you rename something that already exists? Share your ideas with us. We would love to see sketches!

5. Go Jump in a Lake — or a Public Pool*

Take a dip in a public pool or in a pond or lake at a Vermont State Park. Find out who pays for it to operate and takes care of it. Who makes sure it’s safe to swim there? Is there anything you can do to help? Tell us what you learned. Can be repeated at different locations.

6. Read a Book*

Reading requires concentration and imagination. Good Citizens need to be able to concentrate on big problems, imagine solutions and work together with others to bring them to fruition. Want reading recommendations? Ask a parent, librarian or bookseller. Preteen and teen readers might enjoy Gather, a novel by Ken Cadow that was the Vermont Reads 2024 book of the year. Tell us which book you picked and what you learned.

7. Visit the Fire Department

Contact your local fire department and ask if you can drop by to speak with a firefighter or rescue squad member. Ask them why they joined the fire department or rescue squad, how long they’ve been doing this work, what kind of training they receive, and how you can help them keep your community or family safe. Tell us what you learned. If you have it, share a photo of your visit.

8. Recruit a Blood Donor*

When someone is very sick or badly injured, sometimes they lose a lot of blood and need more to survive. This life-saving blood comes from people who have donated it to the American Red Cross. The group’s Vermont chapter is always seeking blood donors. You can’t donate until you’re 16, but you can recruit someone over 16 to give blood. Donors can make an appointment by visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Because of health or safety reasons, not everyone is able to give blood. You will be entered into the grand prize drawing for every person over 16 who successfully donates blood at your request.

9. Visit the Clerk

Go to your city or town clerk’s office. Search for a public record that’s meaningful to you. It could be your birth certificate, a marriage certificate or a deed to a property. Tell us which one you chose and why. If you go as a group, call ahead.

10. Attend a Community Event*

There are lots of community events during the summer: festivals, parades, concerts, talks, games, fireworks shows. Go to a gathering near the area where you live. Tell us about your experience. Games and sporting events count!

11. Write a Thank-You Note*

Think about someone in your community who helps you out without asking for anything in return. This could be anyone — a janitor, a librarian, someone who organized or sponsored a community event you attended. Write that person or group a thank-you note letting them know that you see and appreciate them. Give them the note, and share a copy with us.

12. Go Plogging*

This activity is derived from the Swedish words for “pick up” and “jogging.” For this activity, pick up litter while you jog or hike on a local trail or recreational path. Send a photo of the stuff you picked up and threw away after plogging. Be sure to wear gloves — and never pick up sharp objects such as rusty nails or needles. If you find one, tell an adult.

13. Organize Support for a Cause

Gather donations for a local nonprofit or nonpartisan charity of your choice by encouraging friends, neighbors or family members to contribute. Tell us which charity you chose and why and how much you raised. Everyone who completes this activity will be entered in a raffle to win an additional $500 toward their cause.

14. Recognize a Good Citizen*

Good Citizens rarely act alone. This is your chance to nominate a person (grown-up or big kid!) who makes your community a better place. Join (or ask your parents to join) Front Porch Forum and share your nomination. Tell us how this person helps others! All nominations will be entered into a Front Porch Forum raffle and the randomly selected nominee will receive a $250 gift card to recognize them for their community-minded work. The Challenge participant who nominated them will get to invite their “Good Citizen” to the State House to participate in the award ceremony.

15. Play or Sing a Woody Guthrie Song

“This Land Is Your Land” is one of many iconic tunes written by Woody Guthrie, an American folk singer born in Oklahoma in 1912. He wrote descriptive and memorable folk songs about the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl and American life in the 20th century. Find the lyrics to one of his songs at woodyguthrie.org and search for recordings online. Record yourself singing or playing the song on an instrument and send us the recording.

16. Visit a Historical Site or Museum*

Visit one of the area’s historical sites or museums. There are many in Vermont, but visiting Fort Ticonderoga in New York counts, as well. We just passed the 250th anniversary of its capture by Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys — the first victory in the American Revolution! Tell us about your visit. What did you learn? Check to see if you can get free museum passes at your local library.

17. Support a Local Business*

Pick a business in your community that you and your family buy from regularly and fill out a comment card or leave a positive review online to show your support — or post your appreciation on your neighborhood Front Porch Forum. Share your comments with us. Can be repeated at different locations.

18. Work Together With Someone From a Different Background*

Do something positive for your community with someone from a background or perspective that’s different from yours. For example, this could be someone from a rival school, someone who practices another religion, someone who grew up in another state or country, someone of another race or whose family looks different from yours. Share a photo of you with this person and describe your differences. Tell us about your joint activity — and encourage them to enter the Challenge if they’re eligible!

19. Show What Vermont’s Motto Means to You

Vermont’s state motto, “Freedom and Unity,” declares that both individual freedom and working together are important. Create something that shows what the motto means to you. It could be a drawing, song, poem, sculpture, video — whatever you like! Share it with us.

20. Read the News*

Keeping up with current events in your community, state and world is an important part of being a Good Citizen. Read an issue of your local community newspaper, in print or online. Don’t have a copy? Check the library. If your town doesn’t have its own news source, read at least five articles from a statewide news outlet such as Seven Days or VTDigger. Tell us what you found out.

21. Watch or Listen to the Local News*

Watch a local news broadcast — for example, WCAX Channel 3 airs local news from 4:30 to 7 a.m. and at noon, 4, 5 , 6 and 11 p.m. You can also access these reports when it’s convenient at wcax.com or on the WCAX app. Or find local news broadcasts on the radio — for example, through Vermont Public, also available at vermontpublic.org or on the Vermont Public app. Younger participants can choose to listen to an episode of “But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids.” Tell us which program you chose and what you learned.

22. Find the “Masthead”*

The part of a newspaper that describes who works there, who owns it and where it is printed is called the “masthead.” Online, you can usually find that information on web pages called “About Us” or “Our Team” or “Contact Us.” If you’re reading a newspaper, listening to the radio, or watching something on TV or online, figure out who made it and where they are based. Share a photo of this information as proof. This activity can be repeated with different news outlets.

23. Talk to a Journalist*

Interview a reporter from your local newspaper, radio or TV station, or online news service. Why did they become a journalist? What are their favorite stories to cover? How do they decide what makes the news? Which one of their stories had the biggest impact? You can do this in person, over the phone, in a virtual meeting or by email. Tell us what you learned and share a photo if you have one.

24. Take a Quiz: Is This Real?

Powerful advances in technology are making it difficult to trust that what we see is real. Test your powers of observation by taking these two tests from the News Literacy Project: Test 1, Test 2. Tell us how well you did.

25. Take Control of Your Tech Use

Digital devices such as tablets and smartphones are designed to distract you and keep you looking at them. You can improve your ability to focus on what matters to you by taking control of your tech use. Do at least one of the suggested activities on the Take Control checklist from the Center for Humane Technology at humanetech.com/take-control and tell us about your experience.