1. Transforming students
and society through film.

2. “Knowledge of our system of
government is not handed down
through the gene pool. The habits of
citizenship must be learned. But we
have neglected civic education for
the past several decades, and the
results are predictably dismal.”
– Sandra Day O’Connor

3. The Importance of Civics
Civic knowledge and engagement is vital to
a thriving democracy.
• Promotes informed political participation
• Gives people more control over their lives
as citizens
• Nuances opinions and encourages
dialogue and bipartisanship
• Creates future leaders for our democracy
Source: Educational Testing Service
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4. Society in Crisis
24%
Only 24% of high school students
graduate proficient in civics.
Only 1/3 Americans can name the
three branches of government and
1/3 can’t name any at all.
139
172
The United States ranks 139th in
voter turnout out of the world’s 172
democracies.
Source: Educational Testing Service, Center for Public Justice, Los Angeles Times
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5. A Creative Solution
Civic Life Project transforms students into
responsible citizens by empowering them to
explore and engage the critical civic issues facing
their community and our nation through
documentary filmmaking.
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6. To The Benefit of All
• Students become more responsible citizens
through a deeper understanding and
appreciation of civics and civic issues while
learning valuable creative skills
• Schools can augment their civics
curricula, saving resources while enhancing
outcomes and developing 21st Century skills
• Society benefits from more responsible
citizens and communities that get to explore
the issues through student documentaries
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7. Classroom to Screening Room
By leveraging multimedia technology that is
already exciting and familiar to young people,
Civic Life Project captures the imagination of
students by turning the dry study of civics into
the exploration of real people with real issues.
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8. Classroom to Screening Room
CLP’s program demonstrates the importance of civics by:
• Hosting in-classroom discussions with students relating
the Constitution and the role of government to real
people and real issues
• Creating teams of students to investigate, analyze, and
develop a viewpoint on a civic issue
• Providing instruction on how to script and produce a
documentary film, including work sessions with real
directors, cinematographers, and journalists
• Producing of short videos for public presentation to
peers, teachers, community members and public
officials
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9. Measurable Impact
CLP uses a variety of metrics to gauge success:
• Number of attendees at public screenings
• Online video views
• Qualitative feedback from students, teachers, and
community members
• Duration of relationships with schools
In the future, CLP will:
• Track program alumni to obtain qualitative and
quantitative data on their civic involvement, comparing
it to local and national averages
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10. Moving Forward
For Civic Life Project to succeed and grow, funds will be
needed to meet our needs in terms of personnel and
materials.
Personnel responsibilities include:
• Designing and implementing in-class programs
• Supporting students in filmmaking process
• Building relationships with students, schools and other
partners
• Developing and translating its curriculum for online
platforms.
Materials needed to run our programs include:
• Film equipment
• Editing hardware and software
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11. July 2013 – June 2014
CLP will:
• Translate its curriculum to online/mobile platforms
• Develop teachers’ and Instructors’ training workshops
• Develop on line subscription based high schools and
universities courses
• Develop online tutoring
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12. Tax Deductible Contributions
Civic Life Project is a 501 c 3 Not for Profit
incorporated in Connecticut
All contributions are tax-deductible
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14. Thank You.
www.civiclifeproject.org