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Find Your Voice!

Find Your Voice!. Political Participation. Write down three words that come to mind when you see:. POLITICS. How would you define “ politics ”?. Politics : a :  the art or science of government; b :  the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental  policy.

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Find Your Voice!

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  1. Find Your Voice! Political Participation

  2. Write down three words that come to mind when you see: POLITICS

  3. How would you define “politics”? Politics: a: the art or science of government; b: the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy So what would political participation include?

  4. Political Participation • Political participation is the way citizens participate in their government. How do citizens participate in government? Click the image above to view Facts of Congress: Citizen Participation!

  5. Political Participation There are many ways to participate in government. Today, we are going to look at ten ways in which citizens can participate in government: • Becoming and staying informed on political issues • Boycotting a product/business • “Buycotting” a product • Contacting media outlets • Contacting public officials • Peaceably protesting and/or petitioning the government • Running for public office • Voting • Volunteering on a political campaign • Joining an interest group

  6. Becoming and staying informed on political issues • Why is it important to be informed about political issues? • Citizens should know what is going on in government: • To hold government accountable • To know what policies exist and are being proposed… • …and how these policies will impact the public Consider this: What if every voter cast their vote with no knowledge about the candidates or the issues? What if the people didn’t know what was going on in government?

  7. Boycotting • What does it mean to “boycott” something? • Boycotting is an expression of protest or disfavor with a person, organization, company, or country usually for political reasons by not dealing with or buying from that entity. For example: Following the BP oil spill in 2010, many residents of Florida and other gulf states “boycotted” BP gas; by not buying their gas, the people were sending a message that they were unhappy with BP and that the company and the government should change their drilling procedures/regulations to protect the environment, and, thus, the economies of those states. Image from: http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/2010/04/30/news/economy/bp_gulf_oil_spill_cost/gulf_oil_spill_100428a.top.jpg How can this be used as political participation?

  8. Buycotting • Buycotting is the opposite of boycotting. A buycott is an active campaign to buy the products or services of a particular company or country to show support. For example: On August 1, 2012, people participated in a “buycott” of Chick-fil-a to show support for the company’s stance on same sex marriage. So how does “buycotting” send a political message? At the same time, many people have decided to boycott Chick-fil-a for their stance on same-sex marriage.

  9. Contacting media outlets • Media outlets are a way to make the voices of individuals heard. This gives people access to public forums to discuss, debate, and even protest issues. • Websites • Newspaper articles and opinion pieces • Radio • Television news programs • Facebook • Twitter • Blogs What are some media outlets we use to make our political voices heard today?

  10. Contacting public officials • Public officials are in office to represent We the People • This means they are accountable to the people and should listen to the ideas of their constituents. • How can you contact your public officials? • Letters • E-mails • Phone calls • Media outlets (newspaper, websites, blogs) Constituent: the voters and other individuals being represented in government by an elected official

  11. Protesting and/or petitioning • Petitioning is appealing to the government for change or other specific action • Organizations like www.change.org provide a forum for people to create and sign petitions on various topics at a local, state, national, and even international level • Protesting is the act of showing disapproval or disagreement with something. Protesters gather outside of a Florida courthouse to protest a display of the Ten Commandments Have you ever heard of a protest or petition? What was it about? Image from http://img.scoop.it/10OPfgBFWFv5ZniH1whGXjl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVaiQDB_Rd1H6kmuBWtceBJ

  12. Run for public office • As citizens, we are allowed to run for public office as long as we meet the constitutional and legal requirements at the federal and state levels. • This is a way to solve problems that impact our local community, represent the people in our community, and support causes we find important.

  13. Voting • Citizens eighteen years of age and older are allowed to vote in elections in the United States. • Voting is a way to have a political voice in who represents you and who supports and/or opposes policies that will impact you and your community. Click the image above to watch Facts of Congress: One Vote

  14. Volunteering for a political campaign • Political parties are groups of people who share similar views on the role of government. • By volunteering for a political campaign, you are able to show support for candidates and issues you find important

  15. Joining an interest group • What is an interest group? • An interest group is a group of people who work together to support a cause and/or impact public policy. …or trying to influence individuals in government to vote in certain ways. This could mean encouraging certain public policies created by government… …or opposing certain public policies created by government… …or funding a particular candidate… Some Examples of Interest Groups: American Federation of Teachers

  16. Now that you have more information on political participation… • Read each of the methods of political participation on your Find Your Voice handout. • Rank the methods of participation in order of most effective to least effective. Questions to consider: How accessible and/or easy is this method of participation? Does this method of participation actually accomplish a goal? How effective is this method of participation?

  17. Once you finish your individual rankings… • Work in a group of 3-5 to decide on your Top 5 Ways to Make Your Political Voice Heard handout • Come to a consensus on the top 5 most effective ways to participate in politics. Challenge: Can you think of five more ways to participate in government?

  18. Poster Project • Next your group will need to create “campaign posters” advertising your Top 5 Ways to Make Your Political Voice Heard. • Use great visuals, color, slogans, and persuasive techniques to encourage others to participate in government

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