How to Use the Civic Action Scorecard

Using the Civic Action Scorecard

Do you want to incorporate more civic action and leadership in your course, program, or team?

The Civic Action Scorecard is a toolkit for students to flex their civic muscles, offering 80+ opportunities to participate in democracy and civic leadership and be recognized for their efforts.

How it works: As students complete an action, they record their participation by responding to three reflection questions and sharing about their experience. Once their responses are reviewed by Civic & Community Engagement staff, students earn points for that action which are tallied on a leaderboard. At 100, 200, and 400 points, students earn Civic Action Awards with associated rewards. Learn more about the details.

The Civic Action Scorecard is an accessible and flexible tool to increase and recognize the civic action students take part in. Here are some low-barrier ways you can incorporate the scorecard into your classes, programs, and groups

single column table with actions
Set a goal for the students you work with to accomplish over the course of a month or semester You can decide to identify specific actions for students to complete or give an overall points goal. Our staff is happy to present to your group about how to use the scorecard (the 5 or 30 minute version) and can also set up a leaderboard specifically for your cohort. We are also glad to collaborate and provide funding for a special incentive for the students who meet your goal.
Complete actions with students during classes or meetings There are multiple actions that can be completed together in 5-20 minutes during the course of a class or meeting. A few examples include, Register to vote (or check that registration is up to date) and create a voting plan Read & reflect on the article “What We Don’t Talk About When We Don’t Talk About Service” (5 points) Watch Sustainability in 4 minutes and What it means to be “sustainable” Watch “Pluralism is a big deal” and read one article from the Pluralism Challenge Read & reflect on “Individuals Are Not to Blame for the Climate Crisis” article Read and summarize the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Watch “How to Understand Power” by Eric Liu Take practice Citizenship Exam with passing score Participate in a citizen science project Your group could also attend various events on or off-campus that align with civic actions. A few examples include, Attend/participate in a local art, history or cultural fair/festival/event Visit a park, museum, or site of environmental or cultural significance Attend/participate in a workshop, training, or informational event relating to community well-being or a social issue Participate in a campus or community clean-up that removes waste from the environment Attend an event featuring a non-U.S. speaker sharing their perspective on a civic issue Attend, watch, or listen to a live debate, legislative session, or address Conduct an informational interview with someone in a public service career
Highlight actions regularly in your communications channels (e.g. newsletters, listserv,s or social media accounts). You're welcome to copy the action and content from Civic & Community Engagement's weekly newsletter and social media.
Share events that align with a civic action with Civic & Community Engagement for additional promotion. You can either recommend events to the Civic & Community Engagement calendar or email details to [[efmiller, Elizabeth Miller]]. We can also provide posters for your event that identify it as aligning with the scorecard and a QR code for students to record their participation and earn points.
Encourage participants at upcoming and past events to record their participation through the scorecard If you have a registration list from an event that aligns with a scorecard action (e.g. attend an event featuring a non U.S. speaker sharing their perspective on a civic issue ), either share the registration list with us and we will send a follow-up message encouraging attendees to record their participation or we can send you the language to send out yourself. Students can add actions they have taken at any point as William & Mary students, including retroactively recording past events.

Have more questions about the scorecard or want to discuss other ways to use the tool? Email [[efmiller, Elizabeth Miller]].

Set a goal for the students you work with to accomplish over the course of a month or semester

Complete actions with students during classes or meetings

Highlight actions regularly in your communications channels (e.g. newsletters, listserv,s or social media accounts).

Share events that align with a civic action with Civic & Community Engagement for additional promotion.

Encourage participants at upcoming and past events to record their participation through the scorecard