Civic Engagement Toolkit

One of the goals of the Center for Leadership, Engagement and Service is empowering students to be engaged, global citizens. We recognize that there are many different ways for students to fulfill that role. Here are a few resources for students to further interact with our democracy.

Agnes Scott's Part

Below is Agnes Scott's All-In Democratic Engagement Plan and our student voting data from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement. You can see more about what Agnes Scott is doing to increase civic engagement on our campus at these resources. 

• Agnes Scott's All-in Democratic Engagement Plan 
• Agnes Scott's NSLVE Student Voting Rates Report 

Voting

• Register to Vote
• Already Registered? Sign up to get election reminders and absentee ballot assistance at agnesscott.turbovote.org
• Work as a Poll Official with Dekalb County Board of Elections
• Hold a voter registration drive for your student organization, residence hall floor or group of friends. Contact Blayne McDonald to get a specialized registration link for your drive and to find out about funding for your event.

Civic Participation

Attend and speak at local meetings of city and county commissioners, the board of education and other forms of local government. For the City of Decatur and Dekalb County, check out:

City of Decatur City Commissioners Meetings
City Schools of Decatur School Board Meetings
DeKalb County Board of Commissioners Meetings
DeKalb County School District Board of Education Meetings

Advocacy

• Find your elected officials at all levels and their contact information using http://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
• Write a letter or email to your elected officials, a guide developed by the ACLU on how to write an effective letter or email to elected officials
• Host a Letter-Writing Campaign: from the Resource Centre in the United Kingdom, a charity dedicated to assisting community groups to obtain their goals
• Attend an Advocacy Day. Many nonprofits, organizations, and causes will hold an advocacy day at either state or federal legislatures. If you are interested in finding one for a cause you’re passionate about, please email cles@svztur.com.
• Attend the Spring Lobby Weekend with the Friends Committee on National Legislation. The Friends Committee on National Legislation hosts a Spring Lobby Weekend every year that Agnes Scott students have the opportunity to attend. Applications are released in the fall semester and students are notified in the late fall or early spring semester to start preparing for the trip

Protesting

• Safety During Protests, an infographic from Amnesty International
• Know Your Rights: Protester’s Rights, a guide developed by the ACLU
• Protest Resilience Toolkit, a comprehensive guide compiled by Civicus for creating and leading social movements
• 26 Ways to Be in the Struggle Beyond the Streets, ways to support social action when you are unable to march

Please contact Blayne McDonald, Assistant Director for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, for more information or questions. 

Community and Civic Engagement Recognitions 

Agnes Scott is proud to have been recognized for our continued work with Civic Engagement. Learn more about these recognitions below. 

Agnes Scott has been recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, an initiative of Civic Nation in the following ways: 

• Champion Award for Highest Registration Rate Overall 
• Best in Class Award for Highest Registration Rate at a Private 4-Year Institution 
• 2022 Georgia Campus Voting Challenge Highest Voting Rate: 4-Year Institution 
• 2022 Georgia Campus Voting Challenge Highest Registration Rate: 4-Year Institution 

Additionally, Agnes Scott College was included on ALL IN's inaugural list of Top Campuses by 2022 Voter Turnout for 4-year Private Institutions. 

Agnes Scott College has also earned a Platinum Seal from ALL IN based on our 2022 campus voting rate from our National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) report from Tufts University. You can see our current seals from ALL IN on their webpage.

We are also proud to have designated a 2023-2024 Voter Friendly Campus by the Voter Friendly Campus program, a partnership between the Fair Elections Center and NASPA.