Windows to Our Community
Overview
In this activity, participants will explore their community, creating a piece of
art representing their community as it is, as well as how it can be improved.
Prior to this activity, lead sections I and II of the Constitutional Rights
Foundation’s Lesson 3, “Problems, Policy and Civic Actions” (see www.crfcap.org.)
After completion of this activity, use Section III of “Problems, Policy and Civic
Action” to introduce students to the Civic Action Project.
Grades
6+
Activity Type
Individual or Partner
Large Group
Materials
 Handout, “Windows to Our Community” template, or ideally larger chart
paper/poster board cut in the same fashion as the template instructs
 Art supplies (construction paper, glue, scissors, crayons/markers, old
magazines if available)
Duration
45 minutes+
Instructions
Part I: Exploring Our Community
1. Explain to the group that you want them to focus on the community in which they
live. Lead group members in a verbal brainstorm of the word “community”.
Encourage them to explore all aspects of the word that comes to mind. As a
group, create a definition, such as “a social group whose members live in an
area, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical
heritage.” Also discuss:
 What makes up our community? What might people see, hear, do, etc. in our
community?
 What do you most like about your community?
 What types of things need to be improved in our community?
 Why should we care about our community? Why should we care about things
even if they don’t affect us directly (i.e. if our community has people who
are homeless, yet we are not homeless, why should we care)?
2. Explain to the group that they will be exploring their views regarding their
own community in an art activity. It is the facilitator’s choice whether this
will be done individually or in partners.
3. First, give each participant a copy of the handout “Windows to Our Community”.
Instruct each participant to illustrate and note the positive things about
their community on the handout. Make sure participants understand that there
is no right or wrong. Students can use a mixture of words and art, and can
create drawings that are literal or symbolic. If magazines are available,
students can cut out images, words, phrases, etc. to glue to the paper.
Students may illustrate objects, places, people, actions, emotions & feelings,
etc., but all should represent positive aspects of the participant’s community.
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(Instruct students that they can draw/color across the two lines located on the
handout.)
**Ideally, provide larger sheets of chart paper for students to use instead of
the handout.
4. As participants finish, instruct them to make two cuts on their drawings on the
two lines shown, cutting from the bottom up, stopping where the line ends so
that the flap will remain attached. This creates a square that can flip up.
(**If you have substituted larger paper for the handout, just have students cut
that paper in the same way the handout shows.) Then, have students glue or
tape the edges of their positive illustrations paper (both sides and the top
only) to another piece of paper that is the same size as their art (or a bit
larger.) Make sure participants only glue the edges, and that they do not glue
the flip-up square. If done correctly, students should be able to lift up the
flap (which is covered with positive images on its outside) and see blank paper
underneath.
5. Once finished, instruct participants to again illustrate their community
underneath the flap, but this time focusing on things that they feel need
improvement. Participants will illustrate these problematic objects, places,
people, actions, emotions, etc. on the bottom page by lifting up the flap and
drawing underneath it. Help students brainstorm needed community improvements
by asking:
 Is there anything about your community that you do not like and that you
feel needs to be improved? What problems and/or issues have you witnessed?
 Is there anything or any place that makes you feel unsafe or worries you?
 Are there any improvements needed in your school? In your park? On your
streets?
 Is there crime or violence that you feel is problematic?
 Are there any particular groups of people that you see struggling or that
you feel could use some help?
 Did you read anything in the newspaper that you feel needs attention?
 Are their particular policies that are negatively impacting your community,
or policies that are missing and thus creating a problem?
Remind students that these should be problems and issues they see in their own
community. As you help students brainstorm, encourage them to understand the
importance of really focusing on vital improvements. For example, stating that
economic development is needed to create jobs is better phrasing than “I want a
mall put in our town so I can shop more.”
6. Once all participants are finished, allow them to share their “window”, first
showing and discussing the positive aspects they noted, then lifting the flap
to describe the improvements they think are needed. As participants share,
note their comments in a place all can see. When everyone has shared, discuss:
 What similarities were there in the positive things we noted about our
communities?
 What similarities were there in the things that need improvement?
 If you were able to choose one community problem to try and improve, which
would you most want to improve and why? (Compile these main issues on a
master list.) Which would we most likely be able to have an impact on?
Brainstorming a Civic Action Project
7. Next, move on to Section III of the Constitutional Rights Foundation’s lesson,
“Problems, Policy and Civic Actions” (Lesson 3 of the CAP curriculum) and tell
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students that they are going to have the opportunity to identify a specific
problem, issue, or policy in their community that they want to have an impact
on. As explained in Section III, provide students with the CAP Proposal form
and go over it in detail, explaining what it means to take a “civic action,” as
well as providing examples of such.
8. The CAP can be completed individually, in partners, or in groups. One option
to assist students in choosing a problem, policy, or issue to address in the
CAP is to take the main issues identified in the master list (see #6 above) and
label large pieces of paper with one issue on each. Tape the issues around the
room and instruct students to consider which they most care about or think is
most important to try and address/solve. Tell students it is important they
really think about this choose an issue important to them, because they are
going to be working in groups to brainstorm ways to address this issue.
Finally, tell students to go to the area of the room where that issue is
labeled and to circle up with the other students who arrive there. These
groupings can be the basis of the CAP working groups. (If a particular area
has too many students, split the group into smaller working groups.)
9. Continue with the CAP instructions and curriculum.
Additional Activities
 Arrange for your group to attend a local government hearing or meeting (i.e.
city council or county commissioners), plan a fieldtrip to a local
nonprofit, or arrange a visit from a resource person (local government
official, nonprofit employee) who can address the issue. For example, if
students identify homelessness as their issue, arrange someone from the soup
kitchen to come and speak with them, or take a fieldtrip for students to
tour the facilities and volunteer.
 To enhance students’ Civic Action Projects:
o Host a community evening displaying participant’s “Windows to My
Community” and allow them to present on their CAPs. Participants can
give speeches about their communities and needed improvements, present
skits based on community issues discussed, etc. Invite parents,
community members, and government/community officials to attend. Use
this event to advocate for the issues students identify in their CAPs.
o Implement a service learning project, fund raiser, volunteer day,
letter writing campaign, etc. based on student CAPs.
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Created by the North Carolina Civic Education Consortium
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