"Remake Civics: A New Paradigm for Civics Education" - LIGHT Education Initiative Moonshot Grant

This project is supported in part by a Moonshot Grant from Remake Learning.
In the fall of 2023, LIGHT was awarded a Moonshot Grant from Remake Learning to support our project "Remake Civics: A New Paradigm for Civics Education." Moonshot Grants provide resources to help educators approach the future of learning with boldness, intentionality, and integrity. Since 2021, Remake Learning has awarded Moonshot Grants to more than 20 projects, totaling more than $1.5 million in support. Our Remake Civics project sought to expand and nurture relationships between schools and communities in order to create joyful, safe, supportive, and culturally-sustaining learning environments in which students can practice citizenship.
LIGHT's Moonshot Grant allowed us to better support educators in Carlynton School District, showcasing Carlynton as a model for civic engagement and humanitarian education. With its close proximity to the city of Pittsburgh, mix of urban and suburban communities, active business districts, rich history, and growing population of recently resettled families, Carlynton was the ideal school district to “remake” civics education.
It is our hope that this model will open doors among the various places in which people learn, work, and live: in first places (homes), in second places (school and workplaces), and in third places (libraries, parks, community spaces, etc), expanding the geography of learning by supporting community relationships that students can grow within.
Remake Civics also created new opportunities for teachers to build relationships with educators across southwestern PA, and new pathways to grow meaningful support systems between students, families, teachers, and community members within Carlynton School District. Our team of educators was/is uniquely positioned to develop programs, relationships, and educational tools and models that uplift and expand on the work Carlynton School District is already doing to inspire, prepare, and empower the next generation of humanitarians. We are very excited to think deeply with our regional programming partners about how to connect their offerings across grade levels and social contexts to Carlynton School District through the lens of citizenship.
To learn more, visit www.lightinitiative.org or follow us on instagram @LIGHT_init
Remake Learning is a free, peer network for educators and innovators in the greater Pittsburgh region. Learn more at remakelearning.org.