At Civic Roundtable, our team shares a core belief: The public sector is a force for good. From responding to emergencies, keeping our elections secure, and improving our health to spurring economic development, supporting people suffering from opioid addiction, and helping people experiencing homelessness recover, our public institutions have a critical role to play in the health and wellbeing of all our lives.
Gregg Amore was a teacher for nearly three decades before he was elected as Rhode Island’s Secretary of State. Like the Roundtable team, the importance of the public sector and civic education was deeply engrained in Secretary Amore, so when he was elected as Secretary of State in 2022, civics was “at the forefront of his office,” Rob Traverse told us. As Senior Advisor and Director of Civic Programming & Special Projects for Secretary Amore, Traverse is responsible for helping bring Secretary Amore’s vision to life.
“Secretary Amore didn't just pass the baton to us,” Traverse said. “The Secretary is in high schools, espousing the importance of civic duty. Ensuring the next generation of voters and public servants understand history, understand how our democracy operates, understand what civic responsibility entails — it’s critical."
From that desire, the Rhode Island Civic Leadership Program was born.
The Rhode Island Civic Leadership Program is primarily made up of juniors and seniors in high school. Schools around Rhode Island nominate a few students to participate in the program, where they learn about the importance of civics. “We hope our program inspires and empowers students to be well informed citizens,” Suzy Alba, Director of Civic Education said.
In practice, the RI Department of State uses Roundtable as the information hub to coordinate the Civic Leadership Program. Rather than relying on email, where attachments can get lost and receipt of information is inconsistent, administrators use Roundtable to pose questions to the students, post resources students need, and share meeting notices as well as other important updates and announcements. There are other communities, like members of the Rhode Island Department of Education, who also use Roundtable, to collaborate with students and educators from across the state, as well as government officials in other departments.
“In a world where rallying busy students is tough, Roundtable has become our virtual hub. Students needed a space to connect with each other across schools, hear the latest program updates, and connect with our staff,” Alba continued. “Roundtable’s government operations platform transforms collaboration and communication for students, educators, and community partners. It's not just about real-time interaction — it helps to ensure our communications with students and participants are seamless and effective.”
The Rhode Island Civic Leadership Program culminates in two major ways. The first are each student’s Civic Action Projects. “We give them free reign to explore their passions,” Traverse said. “We had one student who created a boutique at her school so students who were less fortunate could access prom dresses. We’ve had students go to middle schools across Rhode Island to share what they’ve learned. Others have created voter registration drives, and one student even testified on behalf of legislation being considered by the state legislature.”
Students use Roundtable to share their Civic Action Projects, further fostering a sense of community among students from across the state.
Then, program participants have the opportunity to attend the Rhode Island Civic Leadership Summit. They meet Rhode Island’s General Officers, tour the Rhode Island Supreme Court, interact with the Chief Justice, and even debate a bill on the House Floor.
“This year, students are debating an assault weapons bill. It’s a charged topic, to be sure. One of Secretary Amore’s main messages is, ‘Look, we can disagree on politics, we can disagree on ideals, but we do not have to yell at each other.’ And this is an opportunity for students to live that lesson,” Traverse said.
“I wish I was able to participate in something like this growing up,” Alba said. “Now, as one of the staff running the program, Roundtable makes things much easier behind-the-scenes. We’re able to bring students from across the state together in one digital platform, exposing them to new ideals, and adults with differing points of view.”
Traverse told us that, among all states in the nation, Rhode Island is the only one with such a robust civics engagement program for young people. “We’re really proud of that.”
And Roundtable is really proud to play a part.
To learn more about the Rhode Island Civic Leadership Program, visit: https://www.ricivicleadership.org/
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