In October, we celebrated the winners of the 2018 American Civic Collaboration Awards - or "the Civvys" - in a ceremony at the National Conference on Citizenship in Washington, D.C. While all of our nominees and finalists do inspiring work to better their communities and strengthen the fabric of the nation, this year's winners represent exemplar cases of high-impact, truly collaborative initiatives.
We asked our winners to answer a few questions about the role of civic collaboration in what they do. This week, meet our winner in the Youth category, First Vote NC.
Hunter Buxton accepts the Youth award on behalf of First Vote NC.
First Vote NC believes that if students have an opportunity to practice voting, it will become a habit. They have built a track record of success with their virtual voting platform and civics lessons, which provide education, information, and room for engagement, while de-emphasizing the right versus wrong nature of today’s politics in favor of understanding how perspectives differ because of a myriad of factors. Through a mobilized network of teachers using the platform, the work of First Vote has reached over 40,000 students in 46 counties.
Here's what they had to say about their work and looking ahead to 2019.
What are your hopes for the upcoming year?
It is our hope that schools will use our platform to infuse their classrooms with energy and enthusiasm about local elections. We hope young people will gain a better understanding of the importance of civic participation at all levels of government.Why is collaboration important in today’s politics?

What do you wish people who have lost hope knew?

What does winning a Civvys award mean to you?

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