Good Citizen Challenge 2026

1. Visit the Library⭐️

Visit your local library, a critical “third space” in your community (not your home or your school/office) where people can gather to exchange ideas and skills. Borrow something from the collection — a book, a movie, a museum pass, a cake pan, gardening tools, a telescope, etc. Do you need a library card? Get one! Tell us what you borrowed and why. Don’t forget to tell your librarian that you’re taking the Good Citizen Challenge.

Bonus star: Earn a second star by participating in your library’s summer reading program. The 2026 theme: Unearth a Story.

2. Read a Book⭐️⭐️

Did you borrow a book from the library? Now’s your chance to read it! Good Citizens take time to explore new possibilities through quiet moments of reading and reflection. Reading is also a great way to relax. Fiction can take you to new worlds of possibility, while nonfiction can open your mind to new ideas. A Good Citizen reads thoughtfully and engages with literature and the practice of reading. Audiobooks count, too!

3. Visit a Memorial or a Historical Marker⭐️

Public memorials and historical markers commemorate people and events a community wants everyone to remember. These could range from a plaque at the local high school football field to a memorial to soldiers who served in a war. Visit a memorial or historical marker near where you live and find out whom 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 or a Historical Marker⭐️⭐️

If you could add a memorial that doesn’t already exist to a public space near where you live, whom 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 or prototypes! Is there an event or person from your hometown that could be recognized with a memorial sign or historical marker? Tell us about your chosen marker (at least 10 to 25 words).

5. Explore Vermont’s State Parks and the VYCC⭐️⭐️

Choose a Vermont State Park to visit — see the list at vtstateparks.com. Before you visit, explore how teams of young conservationists keep our parks beautiful and accessible to all by visiting the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps website, vycc.org. Did you spot any VYCC projects on your visit or in your community? What was the best part of your Vermont State Park visit? What can you do to help the VYCC with its mission to “take action and build community by working and learning together with the land”?

6. Meet the Native Fauna⭐️⭐️

Our Vermont ecosystem is flourishing with animal diversity. For this activity, Good Citizens must observe an animal that is native to Vermont and learn more about it. Tell us where you observed this critter — a lake, a path, your backyard or a park. Keep an eye out for tracks, dens, scat or nests. Is your animal a predator or prey? Is it endangered? Tell us five things you learned about this critter.

7. Pick Up Trash⭐️⭐️

Sometimes, when a space belongs to everyone, no one person feels responsible for taking care of it. Good Citizens always clean up after themselves, and they take responsibility for picking up after others as well. The next time you see trash in a public place, pick it up and throw it out instead of walking away. Do that three times to complete this activity.

8. Explore Vermont History⭐️⭐️

One way to honor our country’s historic 250th anniversary is to learn about our past. Did you know that before Vermont became the 14th state, we declared our own independence from New York with our own Vermont Constitution in 1777? Good Citizens explore history and consider how past events have shaped the present day. Read an article from the Vermont Historical Society’s Explorer website or read a book from its semiquincentennial book list. Tell us what you explored. Why is it important to learn about historical events?

9. Get Prepared!⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Good Citizen keeps their composure in an emergency or a stressful situation. How? By being prepared. This activity has three parts. 1) Check out the contents of a first-aid kit and see if you know what you would do with it. Don’t know? Ask an adult. 2) Talk with an emergency response volunteer or worker. This could be a local firefighter, doctor, nurse or lifeguard. Ask them about a stressful situation and how they knew what to do. 3) Check the fire extinguishers and smoke alarms in your house and mark your calendar for when to change the batteries — and make a plan with your family to evacuate the home in case of fire.

10. Visit Your Town Clerk’s Office⭐️⭐️

Did you know that your city or town clerk has public records on the oldest buildings in your community? Visit your town clerk’s office and ask them to help you find more information about the oldest building in town. Who built it? Why was it built? Call ahead if you’re going as a group.

11. Attend a Community Event ⭐️

There are lots of chances to participate in community life during the summer: festivals, parades, games and sporting events, fireworks shows. Go to a gathering near where you live. Tell us about your experience. Did you see anyone you knew? Did you meet a new friend or neighbor?

12. Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make Do or Do Without⭐️⭐️

A common phrase heard in Vermont is “Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without.” Good Citizens have to decide on their own interpretation of this phrase and how they’ll conserve energy and prevent waste. For this activity, think about how you can reuse items in your house. Do you conserve aluminum foil and paper bags? Does your household throw away things that could be repurposed? Try reusing something or doing without something new and let us know how it goes. Be sure to memorize this saying!

13. Organize Support for a Cause⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gather donations for a nonprofit or nonpartisan charity of your choice by encouraging friends, neighbors or family members to contribute. Past participants have collected nonperishable food items for a food bank, run a bake sale, collected used eyeglasses for the Lions Club and taken a long bike ride for charity, with friends contributing for each mile completed. Tell us which charity you chose and why, and how much you raised.

Bonus star: Get a fourth star by using Front Porch Forum to announce your project and gather donations.

14. Visit a Historical Site or Museum⭐️

Visit one of the area’s historical sites or museums. Visiting the Vermont Statehouse or Fort Ticonderoga in New York counts, too. Tell us about your visit. What did you learn? Check to see if you can get free museum passes at your local library.

Bonus star: Get a second star by going to an exhibit or event for the country’s 250th anniversary.

15. Talk About History With an Elder Citizen⭐️⭐️⭐️

You’re young! That’s a great advantage for becoming a lifelong Good Citizen. Our elder citizens have stories and wisdom to share with us about recent history. Ask an older family member, community member or friend what life was like when they were young. What was their first job? What was it like at school? What do they remember about the news or events in the world? What did they do for fun when they were your age? Tell us whom you spoke with and what you found out.

16. Meet a Local Business Owner⭐️⭐️⭐️

Local business owners help improve the fabric of the community and employ workers in the area. Many businesses support local events and public efforts. Farmers markets and craft fairs help small creative business owners stay small and succeed, or give them room to grow into a larger enterprise. With your parent or caregiver’s permission, introduce yourself to a local business owner. Ask them about the rewards and challenges of owning their business. How did they get started? What’s the best part of owning their business and the hardest part? Tell us whom you talked to and what you learned.

17. Go to a Concert, Performance or Art Exhibit⭐️

Supporting the arts lifts our spirits and shakes up our routines. It can make us see the world in a new way. And performances bring Good Citizens together to enjoy each other’s company. Many community events feature great local musicians! Festivals, parades, concerts and talks work for this activity. Tell us: How would you describe the event? How did it make you feel?

18. 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.

Bonus: Add a second star for looking up the issue of your local newspaper that was published on or a few days before or after the day you were born. Add a third star for looking up the issue of your local newspaper on the day your parent or grandparent was born. You can often find past issues of local newspapers through your local library.

19. Watch or Listen to the Local News⭐️

Watch a local news broadcast — for example, WCAX-TV Channel 3 airs local news multiple times a day. 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 or on the Vermont Public app, which offers “Vermont This Week,” a program that features journalists from other local outlets. Younger participants can choose to listen to an episode of “But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids.” Tell us which news program you chose and what you learned.

20. Talk to a Journalist⭐️⭐️⭐️

Interview a reporter, videographer or photojournalist from your local newspaper, radio or TV station, or online news service. Why did they become a journalist? How do they decide what makes the news? Which one of their stories had the biggest impact? You can do this in person, by phone, in a virtual meeting or by email. Sign up for an office or studio tour of WCAX, Vermont Public and Seven Days. Space is limited! Sign-up info coming soon. Tell us what you learned and share a photo if you have one.

21. Learn and/or Teach a Game⭐️⭐️

Citizens who play together stay together. Games invite us to engage with each other, laugh together, and share a common challenge or friendly competition. Games are practice for participation, and participation is essential to democracy. Every citizen gets a turn. Tell us what new game you learned and with whom you played.

22. Design a New “I Voted” Sticker⭐️⭐️

After voters go to the polls on Election Day, they receive an “I Voted” sticker. This is a way of promoting participation in our democracy. Design a new two-inch circular sticker, using the words “I Voted,” that everyone will want to wear! A panel of judges will choose one to be reproduced and distributed by the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office.

23. Nominate 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 a randomly selected nominee will receive a $250 gift card to recognize them for their community-minded work.

24. Take a Break From Screens⭐️⭐️⭐️

Back in 1776, no one looked at screens. Can you imagine your life now without them? The designers of digital devices and the content we watch don’t always have our best interests in mind. They want to keep us watching, or to sell us something. Try taking a break from screens for three days. Make notes about your feelings and the activities you do. Do you feel like you learned something about your world, habits or imagination? Let us know!

25. Write a Short Essay⭐️⭐️⭐️

Write 300 words or more explaining what you’ve learned by taking the Good Citizen Challenge. You can attach the document to your submission. What was your favorite activity? Tell us in your own words what it means to be a Good Citizen. We’ll print a selection of answers in a future issue of Kids VT, which appears four times a year inside Seven Days.