The History of
the Democracy Project
The Democracy Project began as the vision of a group of Transylvania County residents about the need to encourage more civic education in our local schools and to involve students, parents and the broader community in working to educate our children more effectively as citizens. From the beginning, our committee (and now our board) has represented people with a variety of political positions. This is crucial both to our vision and to our involvement with the local schools. Our vision has to do with civic engagement and the values required (such as serving, listening, mutual respect and the like) as well as a basic understanding of the history and the values undergirding our democracy.
Beginning in the school year 2017-18, we have worked with students in the four local middle schools (Brevard Middle, Rosman Middle, Mountain Sun and Brevard Academy middle school grades). We choose a theme for the year and invite local community members from a variety of backgrounds to be our speakers. The project is coordinated with the curriculum and we have developed a teacher guide. Each school has a board member as their liaison to introduce the theme and to introduce each of the four speakers for that school. The students then create projects inspired by speakers and theme. We collect the completed projects and present them to a panel of judges who evaluate them according to our rubrics. We host an awards celebration in which projects are displayed and student awards given. Several students from each school receive cash awards as do the teacher teams. The celebration is attended by students, parents, teachers, administrators, sponsors, speakers, and invited guests. Sarj Singh (the brilliant caterer/ chef at Brevard College) creates an international sampling of food. The evening features student greeters and readers, as well as student presentations.
We are a 501 (c) (3). By second semester, 2018 over 100 students had participated. Second semester 2019, 138 middle school students created projects with 7 teachers in the four middle schools.
The project has been successful thanks to motivated folks on our committee, the trust of supporters who donated to the project even before we had obtained our legal non-profit status, innumerable folks who spent time doing things like designing our logo with us, designing publicity material, and a Facebook page. Volunteers help with the judging and awards events. Volunteers (including students) staff our tent at the downtown festivals, helping kids paint democracy rocks and answering questions.
We are, of necessity and by choice, fiercely non-partisan, or as I prefer to say “sub-partisan.” Our goal is to keep in our sights the deep underpinnings of our country’s values, things that transcend issues and political stances. We want our students to learn & practice democracy.
We also have had wonderful response to our Democracy Project tents at Brevard’s street festivals. We offer rocks for children to paint with inspiring words of connection and community. We constantly inspired by the students, teachers, parents and wider community’s participation in all this.
We use quotes and documents with the students in our introductory power point to emphasize that those who created this democratic republic believed that education of citizens and a free press were crucial elements of democracy if (as Franklin said) we could keep it.
“A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?”
“I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.”
If you look at our logo (designed by Craig Adams with Mary’s invaluable assistance with color and ideas) you will see that children are standing arm in arm on either side of the liberty bell, its crack clearly visible. The mountains are in the background because this project is connected to a place. But the crack in that bell seems emblematic. The experiment of America is powerful and in many ways unique, but it has always been tenuous. We have to work constantly to be sure that our children value it and work to keep it viable for the future.
Inspiring our young people seems to be our best hope. Our theme this year DEMOCRACY PROJECT 2021-2022 Speak Young Americans: How can you serve your community as a participating citizen in a democracy?
Past themes have been 2017-18: Where I’m From. 2018-19 Speak out Young Americans: How to practice democracy responsibly. 2019-20 SPEAK OUT YOUNG AMERICANS: How does democracy help us work together to … open communication, practice good citizenship, build the community, create solutions, shape the future? 2020-21 SPEAK OUT YOUNG AMERICANS: How can you make your voice count?
At our events, as well as on our Facebook page and PowerPoint introductions, we encourage the students to be aware of words that express the values crucial to a democracy and thus to the fabric of a vibrant community … words such as listen, learn, ask questions, serve, speak, connect, clarity, respect, kindness. These are the values that allow us to come together to solve problems in a life-giving way.