UNIT 6
Becoming an Active Political Player:
The Power of Connections

OBJECTIVES 1) Define who is a political player 2) Understand the importance of political access 3) Prepare students to become political players 4) Provide process for youth to contact public officials and other political brokers

TOOLS and MATERIALS 1) Web access for online projects and research 2) Surveys and handouts

ACTIVITIES 1) Group Activity 1: Survey "Whom Do You Know?" 2) Group Activity 2: What Do I Do? Where Do I Go? 3) Group Activity 3: Moving From Information Gathering to Action

SUMMARY of the LESSON

Building upon the previous discussions, this unit is designed to give youth a framework for political action. The unit may be used to prompt a long-term discussion of important issues to youth that will lead to a specific public policy action. Through an exercise, it gauges youth awareness of local political figures and introduces realistic, practical guidelines for accessing and contacting public officials. The unit teaches youth to be political players, thus developing skills that build future leaders in a democracy.