Civics Unplugged

Meet our 2024 Civic Innovation Grant Winners 🎉! Civics Unplugged is proud to partner with Macy's in awarding each of the 4 outstanding CU Fellow-led projects below with a $10,000 Civic Innovation Grant powered by Macy’s to advance their exceptional work in the areas of mental health, environmental stewardship, and education. For over half a decade, CU has invested in committed and curious young innovators, and we are excited to partner with Macy's Mission Every One this year to further back the leadership our world deserves. The civic innovation projects, VR’ing Democracy, Learn AAPI History, Eco Brothers,Inc., and Fourddo, were each awarded this prestigious $10,000 Grant because of their innovative approaches that bring about meaningful impact. You can follow along on the Civic Innovation Journeys they're leading on their Instagram and LinkedIn pages: https://lnkd.in/exqHEdDK! Check out their pages to stay up to date on all the incredible work our Fellows will share in the coming weeks as 2024 Civic Innovation Grant Winners!

Speaking of being welcomed in -- thank you for inviting this New Yorker to Austin to participate. Learned a ton from Ana Villegas and Lorrie Schultz. There is such a clear path with this kind of approach -- lets make a simple theory a more adopted simple practice. #sxsw

Kicking off the first Club CMO Clubhouse session of the day: The Business of Belonging How Brands Grow Through Inclusivity. Ana Villegas Lorrie Schultz Josh Thompson shared how creating inclusivity strategies allow for tangible growth outcomes for companies and offered ways for brands are navigating it.

Why not? Our team loves heading in each year to visit with old pals from SXSW, The CMO Club, Brand Innovators, our brand, agency, technology, and AI clients from all over the world, new ventures and activations like Red Thread X, and the incredible reporters and influencers that cover it all. From the old days of music and film only to the launch of Twitter, President Obama's Torchy's Tacos drop-in when he ordered the Democrat, Republican and Independent, AdColony's astronaut pizza delivery crew, Grumpy Cat, an entire NFT street art gallery that we helped clients build overnight on Sixth Street and so much more. You can never be quite sure what will win the heart of Southby's global audience. Excited to find out! As always, very happy to be supporting Civics Unplugged and the Sustainable Media Center and their next generation of leaders, who are all over this year's speaking roster! On that note, Josh Thompson, Baratunde Thurston and Steven Rosenbaum, can't wait to see you and those leaders marching us forward! Local hint: if you stay for an extra day or two and love music, don't miss out on the Soco Stomp at C-Boys!

I am super excited to share that I am returning to Civics Unplugged full-time this summer as Director of Recruitment and Trust! When I joined the inaugural fellowship five years ago, I could not have imagined the many things CU would bring me — from mentorship, civic development, and a lifelong community. It truly feels like coming home and I can't wait to continue contributing to our mission to develop civic innovators 🚀 There are truly too many people to thank, but I want to shout out Josh Thompson and Nick Delis in particular for their long-standing support and the whole team for being great inspirations and co-conspirators.

Innovation in Action: A New Era for Democracy At Civics Unplugged, we believe democracy thrives when everyone has a voice. That’s why we’re proud to team up with Mobile Voting to bring real solutions to today’s biggest challenges. Together, we’re making elections more accessible, secure, and representative of every voice. By combining Mobile Voting Project’s cutting-edge technology with Civics Unplugged’s mission to empower the next generation of civic leaders, we’re creating a future where all voices contribute to the decisions that shape our society. This is democracy reimagined.

A civic revival is underway. Here's your chance to make a statement. At Civics Unplugged (CU), we’re not just imagining a better future — we’re building it. With unparalleled civic education and unyielding passion, our intergenerational community of partners and exceptional young leaders are breaking barriers, bridging divides, and building innovative solutions to our world's toughest problems. As we look ahead, we’re need YOU to be part of this mission. Your support is the key to ensuring that young leaders have the resources, connections, and opportunities to lead boldly and with purpose. Every dollar is felt. Donate here: https://givebutter.com/cu 🚀

I am excited to announce that The Learn AAPI History Project has received a $10,000 Civic Innovation Grant from Macy's Mission Every One and Civics Unplugged 📕 A youth organization that began as a case brief written during the Civic Innovators Fellowship, the Learn AAPI History Project works to increase representation and awareness for the AAPI community within and beyond the classroom by creating resources like lesson plans, podcasts, and children’s books. 🚀 A special thank you to Macy’s and Civics Unplugged for believing in our mission and giving us this generous grant! We will be using this grant to increase our impact in three main ways: 📣 Hosting in-person youth advocacy and professional development workshops. 🤝 Collaborating with diverse AAPI groups to represent a wider spectrum of AAPI identities. 👫 Bringing local AAPI affinity groups together with our new initiative AAPI History Day. Please reach out if you would like to support this journey! While we would love to add more members in the New Jersey area, we allow students and changemakers across the nation to join us in our mission. 🏷️ #missioneveryone #macys #youthorganization #aapi #civicsuplugged #civicinnovation #youth #aapiyouth #advocacy #education #explore.

I’m beyond excited to announce that my nonprofit, Eco Brothers, has been awarded a $10,000 Civic Innovation Grant through an incredible partnership between Civics Unplugged and Macy's Mission Every One! This grant will allow us to completely transform and grow initiatives within the organization and impact thousands of students locally and internationally over the next few months. Here’s how we’ll use this transformative funding: 📚 Expanding Access to Diverse Literature We’ll purchase thousands of brand-new books, including dual-language (English & Spanish) titles, to donate to underserved schools in Florida. These books will promote bilingualism and foster a love for reading among students who may not otherwise have access to diverse educational materials. 📖 Growing Our Books-With-Diversity Initiative Representation matters. Through this program, we’ll ensure students from all backgrounds see themselves reflected in the stories they read, sparking curiosity and self-confidence. 🌱 Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders The grant will also fund the expansion of our Youth Council, which engages passionate young leaders in educational and environmental projects. We’re committed to amplifying their voices and impact, and aim to continue to grow the council and provide these youth more opportunities to make change! I’m incredibly grateful to Civics Unplugged and Macy’s Mission Every One for believing in our vision and supporting our mission to create equitable opportunities in education and environmental stewardship. Their investment reflects their shared commitment to empowering young leaders and creating a sustainable future through Macy's Mission Every One initiative, which is dedicating $5 billion towards creating a more sustainable and equitable future! Stay tuned for updates as my team, including CU fellows Anushka Sashidhar, Tariq Lawal, and Zach Hartman, and I make a tangible difference in the lives of students, communities, and future leaders. If you’re interested in supporting or collaborating, feel free to reach out!

Exciting News! We’re thrilled to announce that VRing Democracy has been awarded the Civics Unplugged x Macy's $10K Civic Innovation Grant! This incredible support will help us continue empowering U.S. residents to vote confidently through immersive virtual reality experiences, overcoming language barriers and improving civic knowledge. A huge thank you to Civics Unplugged for nurturing changemakers like us and to Macy's Inc. for believing in our mission. This grant will allow our Co-Founders Anushka Kalyan, Emily Gorodetskiy, and Jasmine Liu to expand access to our multilingual virtual reality experience to more communities, refine our VR application, and create resources that educate and inspire individuals across the nation! Stay tuned for updates on how we’re putting this support to use and making an impact!