We are hoping to replicate this in other areas of Tug Hill. Thanks for our dedicated staff Jillian Lee and Mickey Dietrich for taking the lead, for the partnership with Jefferson-Lewis BOCES, and to all the students who participated.
I had the privilege of kicking off the new Civic Service Student Activity Program (CSSAP) through the NYS Tug Hill Commission on October 24 with Mickey Dietrich at the Jefferson-Lewis BOCES's Howard G. Sackett Technical Center. CSSAP aims to develop and support students and future leaders in exploring leadership opportunities in public and government service and workforce development in a two-day course. The program’s vision is to foster an environment where communities develop a clear path for the next generation of leaders. The Commission recognizes the need to involve younger community members to fill board and volunteer positions throughout the Tug Hill region. We had 11 students participate in three activities related to real-life scenarios that might occur in local government, including solar developments, town budgets, and toxic waste cleanups. Students split into two groups and were able to act in various roles: a town supervisor, town clerk, board member, concerned citizen, town highway superintendent, and town water manager. Each group had two civic service mentors, who were municipal officials, government employees, professionals, or volunteers, and they provided real-life experiences for each activity. Thank you to our civic service mentors, Anna Platz, MPH, Heidi Lehmann, Yvonne Boliver, and Patrick Shumate. Both groups of students found success in each activity while approaching each one differently. They expressed their enjoyment of the real-life scenario activities, as they could relate to actual problems and questions the villages and towns need to address. They also appreciated the opportunity to learn about local careers. Each student received a certificate awarding them five hours of civic participation credit for the NYS Education Department’s Seal of Civic Readiness. This seal is a recognition of a student's high level of proficiency in terms of civic knowledge, skills, mindset, and experiences. The second day of the course will be in the spring. It will include field trips to government offices, essential service sites (e.g., water treatment plant, fire department, etc.), and administrative facilities to show students different careers available in their area. We are thrilled with how successful the first day was and are really excited about expanding this program to other areas of the Tug Hill region in the near future!