Some of the Good Citizen Challenge Activities Completed So Far 

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• #9 See the Spot

What can you do to improve your community? Take the Good Citizen Challenge to Find Out!

This summer’s Good Citizen Challenge asks K-8 students to learn about their communities — and current events — and find ways to lend a hand.

Complete the Challenge by September 4, 2023, for a chance to win a $100 gift card to Phoenix Books and a FREE trip for two to Washington, D.C., from Milne Travel!

All who finish the Challenge will receive a Good Citizen sticker and patch, a pocket-size U.S. Constitution, and an invitation to a VIP reception at the Vermont Statehouse this fall.

Here are some of the activites completed so far:

#1 Remember This

Public memorials commemorate events a community wants everyone to remember. Visit a memorial near where you live and find out who it honors and why.

"I picked the 9/11 memorial in the cemetery near my house. The memorial is to honor those who died in the World Trade Centers, Flight 93 and the Pentagon. Above the memorial is a piece from one of the World Trade Centers. The words written on the stone are, 'May we never forget.' This means that we must never forget those who died and those who sacrificed themselves to save others. I learned what Americans can accomplish when they come together."

— Harriet Sterling, Fair Haven

# 23 The Social Dilemma

Listen to the episode of "But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids" titled: "Why Is Social Media So Addictive?" and tell us what you learned.

"I learned that the social media companies collect what people like or get sucked into for hours and then show that person more of that same content."

— Charlotte Krueger, Jeffersonville

#14 Organize Support

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• Morrisville students are doing the Challenge: #14 Organize Support

Gather donations for a local nonprofit or charity of your choice. Expand your impact by using Front Porch Forum.

From a Front Porch Forum post by Emily Mars Raymond, Hinesburg:

"My fifth grader, Oliver, is doing the Good Citizen Challenge this summer and one of the tasks is to organize support for a charity. Oliver would like to collect donations of nonperishable food for Hinesburg's Little Free Pantry. Have a bag or box of food you keep forgetting to drop at the pantry? We will come pick it up from you!"

From a Front Porch Forum post by Christopher Foley of Colchester:

"Riley Foley, age 9, is participating in the Seven Days Good Citizen Challenge. Riley is organizing a drive to supply hygiene kits to the COTS program for the unhoused. Between 8/7/23 and 8/21/23, you can help by donating any of the items on their wish list, including: razors for shaving, body wash, shampoo and conditioner, deodorant and mini toothpastes."

A group of Morrisville students are doing the Challenge through the Morristown Centennial Library. In July they hosted a bake sale fundraiser to benefit the Johnson Public Library, which was damaged in the floods. They announced it on Front Porch Forum, and the local bridge club responded with donations and some baked goods. In one hour, they raised $539.

#7 Connect With Neighbors

Join your neighborhood's Front Porch Forum — or, if you're under 14, have an adult in your household subscribe — and contribute a post sharing something you've learned about your community while doing the Challenge.

"I've been participating in the Good Citizen Challenge, and it has made me connect with my community and people who keep our community safe and people who volunteer in our town. I've learned about my town's history, and now I appreciate where we are today more."

— Charlotte Krueger, Jeffersonville

#9 See the Spot

Visit a state historical marker and draw a picture to show us your interpretation of the person, place or event it depicts.