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Today, most citizens register to vote without regard to race or color by signing their name and address on something like a postcard. But it was not always so. Prior to passage of the federal Voting Rights Act in 1965, Southern (and some Western) states maintained elaborate voter registration procedures whose primary purpose was to deny the vote to nonwhites. This process was often referred to as a "literacy test." But in fact, it was much more than just a reading test, it was an entire complex system devoted to denying African-Americans (and in some regions, Latinos and Native Americans) the right to vote.

Each year, Sociedad Latina serves 3,000 youth and adults. Three hundred of those youth age 11-21 engage intensively with Sociedad Latina through our comprehensive array of daily programming designed to build skills in four areas, identified by our constituents as those most in need of support: Education, Workforce Development, Civic Engagement, and Arts & Culture. Programs promote long term engagement and positive relationships with adults, providing youth at-risk with a vast network of support that enables them to grow into confident, competent, successful and self-sustaining adults.

- See more at: http://www.congresslink.org/print_lp_simulatecongaction.htm#sthash.4eyBetIr.dpuf

from the Congress Link website

(there are many resources provided by Bar Associations in various states) - Here is one state.

Each year, the D.C. Street Law Clinic at Georgetown University Law Center develops a mock trial for use in the citywide high school mock trial competition. These mock trials are free for use by teachers in their classrooms and/or with their mock trial teams. Additional uses are prohibited. For information on additional uses of these mock trials, contact Allison Hawkins.

Robin mentioned knowledge of voting and voter registration law. In the 2012 election, this was a major issue nationally, which came through in our summer 2012 youth poll

Close Up believes that a strong democracy requires active and informed participation by all citizens; therefore they seek to reach participants of every race, creed, geographical community, socio-economic level, and academic standing. To carry out their mission, they partner with educators, schools, and youth organizations throughout the country to help young people develop the skills and attitudes to become informed and engaged citizens. Since 1971, nearly 800,000 participants have participated in Close Up programs.

College students face special challenges when attempting to register and vote in their college communities. They lack information about voter registration rules and deadlines, do not have acceptable ID for voter registration or voting purposes, are confused about where to vote, may not have transportation to the polls, and occasionally are confronted by unfriendly or unsympathetic elections officials or poll workers. In 2011 the situation got worse when state legislatures around the country pursued new laws that sought to limit access to the polls, with particularly damaging effects for student voters. The Campus Vote Project seeks to address these challenges well in advance of Election Day to pave the way for successful student voter turnout in 2012.

A new CIRCLE study, "Understanding a Diverse Generation: Youth Civic Engagement in the United States," shatters stereotypes and dispels conventional myths about the ways in which young people ages 18-29 are involved in the United States political system. The study from CIRCLE, which is part of Tufts University's Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, uses U.S. Census data on young voters from across the United States and compares youth engagement in the 2008 and 2010 election cycles. Despite the over-simplified portrayal of young Americans in the news media, their political engagement is diverse. The study shows that at least three quarters of youth were somehow engaged in their community or in politics in both 2008 and 2010. But they engaged in very different ways. The key finding of the study is that young Americans were divided into six distinct patterns of engagement in recent years. In 2010, the clusters were: * The Broadly Engaged (21% of youth) fill many different leadership roles; * The Political Specialists (18%) are focused on voting and other forms of political activism; * The Donors (11%) give money but do little else; * The Under-Mobilized (14%) were registered to vote in 2010 but did not actually vote or participate actively; * The Talkers (13%) report discussing political issues and are avid communicators online, but do not take action otherwise; and * The Civically Alienated (23%) hardly engage at all.

The Gephardt Institute for Public Service promotes lifelong civic engagement and sustained community impact through service initiatives at Washington University. Our definition of civic engagement is purposefully broad. We include volunteering, community service through groups or as individuals, service-learning courses, long-term partnerships with neighborhoods and organizations, as well the pursuit of political life and public service careers.

The Teaching with Primary Sources Program works with colleges and other educational organizations to deliver professional development programs that help teachers use the Library of Congress's rich reservoir of digitized primary source materials to design challenging, high-quality instruction.

Looking for an interactive way to teach about the legislative branch? The Youth Leadership Initiative's E-Congress program allows students to learn about Congress by writing original legislation and following it through the lawmaking process.

Developed by Tufts University's Tisch College and Emerson University's Engagement Game Lab -- Where civic engagement meets social gaming. We believe learning becomes even more powerful when you have fun doing it. Civic Seed is an experimental gaming and teaching platform designed to do just that. By playing Civic Seed, you'll learn more about yourself and your peers, Tuft's host communities, how to build mutually beneficial relationships with them, and the philosophies behind meaningful and effective civic engagement. Best of all, you'll be certified by Tufts to engage with the vibrant host communities it partners with, and build your own Civic Resume as you play!

The Foundation seeks to foster the concept of peace not as a utopian dream but as an attainable goal to strive for, and to stimulate the creative development of tools for this effort. It supports development of collaboration and communication skills for resolving and transforming conflicts, and the development of the skills of compromise, all while accommodating different perspectives and interests.

Have you ever avoided discussing controversial issues in the classroom? Teachers report often avoiding these types of discussions due to concerns about the unpredictability of student reactions, accusations of trying to push a political agenda, and insufficient knowledge or skills to work through complex issues. Debates, however, have been shown to have a direct and positive impact on students' critical thinking skills and democratic commitments. With some preparation and facilitation techniques, teachers' concerns can be addressed and open discussions of current events and social issues can become an extremely rewarding experience for both teachers and their students.

Take a look at Youth Speak Collective, which targets "natural" leaders, rather than student body officers. Youth Speak Collective is a youth-driven organization founded on the idea that all young people can succeed if provided with the right opportunities. We follow a "for youth, by youth" philosophy in which young people are empowered to help design and implement our programs.

good intro to participatory budgeting from Frontiers of Democracy conference in 2012

The Middle School Public Debate Program is designed to foster debate participation in class and in competition. Students who debate in class may use any number of debate formats to facilitate research, discussion, and deliberation on important issues and events as well as topics derived from the curriculum. Students who debate in competition use a unique debate format designed for middle school students. The MSPDP format is the only competitive debate format designed for students in the middle grades in cooperation with middle school teachers. The format draws from multiple popular debate formats and educational standards to combine rigorous practice and preparation with accessibility and fun. To learn more about the MSPDP debate format, click here , or go to the Curriculum Center .

Example of a lesson plan from Close Up that they use by teachers (or others who work with youth) that use our methodology, even if they don't focus on the type of content we typically discuss during a program in Washington.