Empowering Students to Shape Pandemic Budgets

Posted by Pulitzer Center on December 7, 2021

Are you looking for a project that engages students in creative thinking and civic action? Explore this unit plan by Chicago social studies educator and Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellow Jackson Potter, designed to provide opportunities for students to directly influence the budget process.

After students sketch out their budget priorities, they learn about different forms of advocacy and select one to take action: speaking out at a city council meeting, organizing a protest, writing opinion editorials in their local newspaper, and more. Read about the experience of one student in Potter’s 10th-grade class at Back of the Yards High School:

“Before taking action, I felt that my voice was less effective, because I’ve always heard that there [is more power] in numbers. But after coming together with other students with similar mindsets, I realized that my voice actually had some form of influence, and I found that it wasn’t as impossible as it seemed previously…I gained more confidence & felt more informed of what’s going on around me. My experience so far has inspired me to continue to advocate and put my voice out there. I hope to continue to advocate to ease my fear of public speaking and make genuine changes that my community can benefit from.”

Access the complete unit plan.