The America I Want is a civics education initiative that promotes individual voices, collective listening, and student participation in high schools across the country
America is a teeming, raucous country filled with citizens of contrasting backgrounds and opinions. Our aim is to capture this diversity and foster a national dialogue in schools and communities, while exploring our common ground. Using Linley's intuitive digital platform, students will engage with peers and communities via cell phones, computers, or iPads. They will ask two questions: "What is your vision for America?" and "What needs to happen to attain that vision?" They will also collect basic demographic data. The responses will generate a daily-updated word cloud, visually reflecting their collective hopes and dreams. These word clouds will spark conversations within schools, communities, and across the nation.
Our Word Cloud
Some say America is too vast to truly know itself. We believe otherwise. The strength of the "America I Want" program lies in its local focus and its ability to foster statewide, regional, and national comparisons. Our platform will allow students from diverse communities—from Maine to Mississippi, Louisiana to Alaska—to compare their visions for America. By doing so, we will build our collective America, one voice at a time.
In their interviews with peers and members of their communities, students will invite participants to join in a short filmed recording if they choose to. Each participant will be asked to finish the sentence that starts with "The America I Want is…” These recordings will be shown during classroom sessions and at the final town meeting, where both students and community members will convene to discuss the insights gained from the word cloud research.
WHAT SOME AMERICANS HAVE SAID
VIDEO SUBMISSIONS SENT FROM ALLOVER THE COUNTRY
LEADERS SPEAK & WE LISTEN
We are taking the important topics you have raised and inviting experts and thought influencers to discuss them, drawing on their knowledge and experience. We are also asking leaders to tell us what they admire about their states. What can their states contribute to America? And how might America be better off it it were more like their states?
Many feel the American Dream has left our shores. How do we bring opportunity back home?
Diversity defines America. How do we get all Americans to embrace diversity?
Our Constitution never aspired to universal equality. How can it fulfill its promise to all?
The culmination of each school's participation is a town gathering where students and community members come together to discuss the visions highlighted by the word clouds. This event will foster a rich dialogue on differing perspectives and explore realistic pathways to achieve the expressed aspirations. Students will also have the opportunity to engage with their elected representatives, discussing how their ideas can be transformed into actions.