Civic Club Highlight - International School

The third club we will be keeping up with is International School civics club!

Firstly, the International School civics club has meetings on the first and last Monday of every month at 3 pm! At every club meeting, a topic is introduced, members are educated with general information, and then the club as a whole discusses the topic. Finally, at the end of the meeting, there would be some sort of activity related to the topic. There is a set topic for each meeting, and if the topic requires additional meeting time, sometimes the topic will span over the course of two meetings, rather than only one.

The topic of the latest meeting of the International School civics club was on identity, including how gender, sexual orientation, race, and economic status play into our identities. This topic is certainly a very important topic in the current discussion, as identity appears to play a huge role in our lives, and how we perceive the world. Different aspects of our identities may also affect our quality of life, affects how we make our decisions, and impacts our relationships. In society today, there still appear to be many people who struggle with their identity, whether it be due to discrimination, or due to societal influence.

International School has decided to incorporate this topic by first discussing and educating about how gender and sexual orientation play into identity in the first meeting of the month. This meeting included an activity in which each person put their personal pronouns into their social media bios. This is done in order to normalize the use of pronouns in biographies and introductions, and to allow for a more inclusive space online. Although it might not sound like a major activity, it is important, and as said by president Keira Wong, “it is just a step closer to a better, inclusive community!” On the second meeting of the month, the club will discuss race and economic status, and how that relates to identity.

Club meetings have been going well for the International School civics club, and Keira was able to explain some future plans for the club. First, they hope to be able to have in-person volunteer activities once everything is safe. The club plans on engaging more youth in civics and encouraging them to make a positive change in the world. As Keira states, “if we are passionate about something, we will strive to try to make the positive impact happen.”

Club Instagram: @is.civicengagement

Written by Megan Yi