Little Red School House
and Elisabeth Irwin High School

A Pre-K-12 Progressive Education

Academics

Middle School

Middle School Life

The Democracy Project

Margaret Paul

Dear Families,

Today we are sharing with you the call to action, written by a group of Juniors and Seniors to launch a student-led initiative, titled The Democracy Project.

"It is rare to be at a point in time when you are aware that your actions will directly impact the course of history. Right now is one of these moments. This upcoming election has major implications, more so than any other election in recent history.

This election will decide the makeup of the Supreme Court for years to come. It will dictate abortion access and the scope of the rights of LGBTQ citizens and undocumented immigrants. This election will determine who has access to healthcare and it will influence future elections. It will have implications on voters’ rights and ballot access. It will decide whether we rise up to the climate crisis or fall short trying.

As we saw during the debate last night, our democracy is at a crossroads right now. As LREI students who hold citizenship as a core value, and as citizens of this country, we have an obligation to do our part to uphold democracy. This country was founded on the idea of balance: balance between branches of government, balance between state and federal government, and the balance between individual and collective rights. It is not an overstatement to say that, right now, this balance, and democracy in this country as we know it, is in jeopardy.

This is why we are launching a collective, school-wide effort called The Democracy Project to uphold this country’s core democratic values.

The Democracy Project is a student-led initiative to help the LREI student community become more knowledgeable on and involved in the democratic process, as well as the upcoming election. We know a lot of students have always wanted to help out, but struggled to find ways to make a difference. That’s why we created this project, to allow you to participate in a wide variety of educational opportunities as well as tangible ways to make a difference. Those opportunities include, but are not limited to volunteering, phone banking, and poll working. The project will also include workshops led by students, teachers, and outside sources.

The Democracy Project is focused on two forms of engagement: education and action. We can hold our elected officials accountable through education, and learn about solutions to issues we care about. The Democracy Project features a resource guide with red doors, which you can click on to find information and ways to take action. We are offering a variety of ways to learn about the upcoming election and about our democracy, such as peer and faculty led workshops, films and documentaries, and challenging yet vital conversations.

Education will help us target issues we care about.

Action will help us bring the change we want to see to our greater community.

In every generation, there’s a pivotal moment and this election is ours. We need to get involved in every way possible to create the country that we want to live in. No one wants to wake up when the results of the election come in wishing they had done more to help. Throughout history, young people have been the ones to drive change and now, it is young people who are fighting for systemic change and climate justice. If you haven’t been taking action yet, now is the time. The election is a little more than a month away, we’re running out of time.

This is one of, if not, the most important election in American history and we, the people, have to use our civic rights and get involved. Those of us who can’t vote still have the power to shape the outcome of this election.

Now is the time to create the world that we want to live in, so let's step up to the plate."

We are humbled and inspired by the leadership, creativity, and commitment our high school students are showing to the project of democracy. We hope this message from them today inspires personal action for you as well.

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