Civics in the City
Connecting NYC History to Civic Engagement Today
Civics in the City, a new initiative from the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY), aims to support civic education by empowering students and educators to explore the connections between historical activism and contemporary civic engagement. This innovative program aligns with the New York City Public Schools' Civics for All initiative and invites the next generation to shape the city they call home.
Ready to make a difference? Now accepting applications for our Spring 2025 Teacher Advisory Group - Deadline Dec 15, 2024!
Why MCNY is Leading Civics in the City
As New York City’s storyteller, MCNY celebrates the resilience, diversity, and activism of people who have shaped our metropolis. Located in East Harlem, the Museum has long been a platform for amplifying diverse voices. With experience serving hundreds of thousands of students and teachers through the acclaimed exhibition Activist New York, the groundbreaking exhibition New York at Its Core, and special exhibitions like Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100, Civics in the City reflects our commitment to lifelong learning and civic education, encouraging young New Yorkers to connect the city’s past with their potential to make a difference today.
About the Project
Civics in the City will result in educational resources that connect New York City’s history of activism to modern civic practices, empowering students and their teachers to explore the city’s past and shape its future. Drawing on the Museum of the City of New York’s extensive collection, the initiative will create curriculum-aligned online resources, professional learning workshops, and field trips that foster civic literacy by showing the links between historical activists and community leaders who have impacted change in New York City and how the city functions today - including ranked choice voting and participatory budgeting - to foster students' greater civic participation in their communities. This two-year project will focus on developing resources for 8th-grade students and programs for middle and high school teachers.
Supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Museums for America program, the project highlights NYC’s role as a historic center of politics and activism, offering tools for educators both locally and nationally to teach civic engagement through the city’s stories. Launched in the lead-up to the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, Civics in the City will inspire students to see themselves as active participants in shaping their communities and our democracy.
Join the Civics in the City Teacher Advisory Group (TAG) for Spring 2025!
Are you an educator passionate about shaping the future of civic education? Join our Teacher Advisory Group (TAG) and collaborate with us on this exciting initiative.
Who? We’re looking for twenty (20) Social Studies and ELA teachers who care about middle school students and civic education. You should teach within a few miles of East Harlem or be willing to travel to the Museum for meetings.
When? January to May 2025, including four evening meetings, document review, and work with your students. Meetings will occur on Wednesdays from 4:30-7:30 pm on January 15, February 26, March 26, and May 14, 2025. Dinner provided.
Where? Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue, East Harlem, NYC
What? As a TAG Member, you will:
Directly influence the development of new classroom resources to support civic education, ensuring they meet the needs of educators like you.
Join four TAG meetings to collaborate, share insights, and contribute to the project’s success.
Receive up to $450 ($100 per meeting plus a $50 travel stipend for your participation).
Meet with curators, historians, and civic engagement experts and enjoy behind-the-scenes experiences in the Museum of the City of New York.
Bring your students on a free guided field trip to the Museum’s exhibitions and help collect feedback from your students on their experience at the museum.
Pilot the new resources in your classroom and share feedback to refine the materials.
Join us! Now accepting TAG applications through Sunday, December 15, 2024
Sponsors
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-255888-OMS-24.
The Frederick A.O. Schwarz Education Center is endowed by grants from The Thompson Family Foundation Fund, the F.A.O. Schwarz Family Foundation, the William Randolph Hearst Endowment, and other generous donors.
