ST. PAUL, Minn. /CitizenWire/ — On December 6, 2011, global education non-profit World Savvy, the Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College, and the Minnesota Humanities Center are sponsoring "Citizenship in a Sound Bite Era," a community forum among a range of individuals and organizations around Minnesota working to educate and engage young people for informed, responsible and sustained citizenship in the sound bite era.
For more information about the event, visit www.worldsavvy.org/events .
In an age where the half life of information is shrinking daily and where news is produced more to entertain than to inform, engaging citizens in sustained dialogue and action is more challenging than ever. While it's easier than ever before to take simple actions – to "like" a cause or forward an e-mail-are we preparing the next generation of citizens to really explore and think critically about issues, and embrace the complexity of the range of issues that challenge society? Or are we becoming a Sound Bite society and citizenry? On Tuesday December 6th, stakeholders from across the business, non-profit and government sectors will come together at Macalester College to share their thoughts and perspectives on this and other questions related to building an informed, engaged citizenry in the 21st century.
Panelists include Mark Ritchie, Minnesota Secretary of State, Brian Rosenberg, President of Macalester College, Dana Mortenson, Executive Director of World Savvy, Jamal Thompson, Director of Education at the National Black MBA Association of the Twin Cities, and Trista Harris, Executive Director of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice.
Speakers will explore what citizenship looks like in a world where communities can no longer be defined strictly by geographic borders. They will share their thoughts on what knowledge and skills are required for citizenship in an era dominated by sound bites, social media and issues that cross borders of all forms. The audience will then have a chance to participate in the dialogue and share their own thoughts and perspectives on this critical issue.
The upcoming generation of stakeholders and leaders has unprecedented opportunity to both produce and consume information and media, and how we define engagement – in our democracy, in society, locally and globally – is evolving every day. This forum will explore what is working and what needs to change to ensure that the next generation of leaders and changemakers are prepared to address the challenges of the 21st century.
About World Savvy:
World Savvy is a global education non-profit working to educate and engage youth in community and world affairs. Through youth engagement programs and professional development for educators, World Savvy is working to close the global competency gap in K-12 education to ensure that every student graduates with the knowledge, skills and dispositions for responsible citizenship in the 21'st century. Since founding in 2002, World Savvy has reached more than 160,000 youth and 1,900 educators from offices in San Francisco, Minneapolis and New York, as well as through online programs and services.
For more information about World Savvy, visit www.worldsavvy.org .
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