Civics Forum a lesson for more than just students

With the November 2018 mid-term elections a week away, much has been written about the importance of voting. Not only in this election, but any election.

Students from Buffalo Grove and Stevenson high schools
participate in the Oct. 22 Civics Forum

This is not breaking news.

However, an added twist in recent years has been the importance of civic engagement.  The message from major civic-minded foundations, government watchdog organizations and community advocacy organizations or the village clerk is simple – civic engagement is important.

Buffalo Grove’s Village Clerk, Janet Sirabian, is not someone who jumped on the band wagon.  In fact, Sirabian helped get the band wagon rolling years ago when she started coordinating the village’s annual Civics Forum.

The event includes students from Buffalo Grove and Stevenson high schools who, for a day, are involved in village activities that culminate with a Village Board meeting run by the students.

The Forum, held last Monday, gave students a chance to present village projects to the full board, made up of the students, with support from staff, also portrayed by students.

Students received information from village departments.  The proposals included a volunteerism video, community development manufacturing expo, purchase of 10-year smoke detectors, a bench and picnic table for the police department, purchase of a nitrogen generator tire-filling system, public workspace at village hall, and a daily endorphin for village employees.

Students had the day to study and analyze each proposal before presenting  -- and defending – them to the Board at the meeting.

What’s refreshing to note is that the students did what village staff and village officials do (or are supposed to do); and that is look at projects that impact the village. The students volunteered to participate in the Forum so they can experience first hand how government works and the importance of being involved in the civic process.

Which takes on seemingly more importance this year because of the mid-term elections. The easiest way to get engaged in civics is to vote. As said before, that’s not breaking news.

A more challenging way to get civically engaged is to follow village activities.  With Village Board elections coming up in April of 2019, you can bet there will be folks who will run for one of three Trustee seats available or, perhaps, even Village President.

Unless they are seeking re-election, some of the candidates who run seldom, if ever, attend Village Board meetings. Others may run simply to promote their own agenda rather than work for the issues facing the village as a whole.

While people want to jump on national or global band wagons, there is greater need for civic engagement at the grassroots level. There are more pressing issues than snow removal, skunks and parkway trees.

Sirabian knows this, which is why she gets young people involved.

And from the looks of things from last Monday’s Civics Forum – they get it.

Hopefully more people will.

When it comes to civics, the students get it -- but does anyone else?

            The village’s annual Civics Forum is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 23.  It is a great display of civic engagement by students from Buffalo Grove and Stevenson high schools who team up to discuss and debate matters of civic interest.

            Which is more than most residents do.

            The longtime event is coordinated by Village Clerk Jan Sirabian, who probably knows the importance of civic engagement more than most village officials – just ask her about voter turnout for village elections.

            A key component of civics education and civic engagement is a vibrant news media – just ask the Illinois State Board of Education, the Center for News Literacy or the News Literacy project.

No matter which side of the fence you may be on, the news media is more vibrant and important today than it has been in the decades. It is not perfect, but without a vibrant and independent media, news consumers – in this case Buffalo Grove news consumers – are left out in the dark.

            And it is getting darker.  For years residents had options for local news – the Daily Herald, the Journal-Topics, the Buffalo Grove Patch and the Buffalo Grove Countryside.  There have been others, but they have vanished.

            While local media outlets still exist, they are limited in the breadth of their coverage. The Daily Herald is anchored by veteran journalist Steve Zalusky.  But his gig with the Herald is part-time and there’s only so much one part-timer can do.  The Journal-Topics covers meetings and runs some press releases, but finding the paper is a challenge. Patch, which used to have a reputable reporter in Cristel Mohrman, is just plain useless without any credible reporting.

            Which leaves us to Pioneer Press. In its heyday – a long, long time ago, each Pioneer paper had local reporters to cover features, schools, and municipalities.

            That was, a long, long time ago.

            In more recent times, the Countryside has relied on community columnists Aileen Simons and Susan Dubin and staff writer Ronnie Wachter.

            Simons and Dubin provide editorial content that I have never been a fan of. These columns go back to the time when feature sections were called “Women’s News.”  Fortunately, we’ve moved forward. The society and gossip columns morphed into stay-at-home moms (seriously) who wanted to earn some extra money writing about things in their world. While, as noted, not a fan, Dubin and Simons provide a voice and outlet for local information, albeit at times a bit more personal than community information.

They used to rotate weeks. But not anymore. To save money, Tronc, which used to be Tribune company, pared Simons and Dubin back to once a month. This move no doubt will save thousands of dollars and will allow Buffalo Grove readers to get caught up on events in Harwood Heights, Barrington or Itasca.

            And then there’s Wachter. He’s been around Pioneer for what seems like decades and became a fixture at Village Board and school board meetings. He also wrote news and features about Lincolnshire, Long Grove and where ever else the folks at what used to be known as Pioneer needed him.

            But it seems that either Wachter got too expensive or the folks at Tronc decided that local news just ain’t worth it because Wachter, along with other veteran local journos are gone.

            Local news is important. So important that Report for America has embarked on a program to get 1,000 journalists trained and in local newsrooms (Report for America local initiative).

            But apparently Tronc doesn’t think so.

            Local media is essential in keeping local government agencies such as village boards, school boards, park boards, etc. accountable and transparent. This is not intended to point the finger at any agency in Buffalo Grove because it is the case in any city.

            It is difficult to get residents engaged if they are unaware of what is happening in their community. There are important issues that need independent and well-trained journalists covering them. Posts on social media just doesn’t do it.  All you need to do is look at the “Everything Buffalo Grove” Facebook page to see the rampant amount of misinformation that spews forth from emotional wags who have probably never set foot in Village Hall.

            What seems to be left for local news consumers is a smattering of news stories about local issues.  What’s fading are stories about everyday people who make a difference by volunteering, or who take an extra step in business or in their personal life.

            Yes, the delivery system of news has changed as have the habits of new consumers.

            But the need for civic engagement has not diminished, which is why there is now a mandatory civics education course in every Illinois public high school. In pursuing the course, the Illinois State Board of Education’s task force on civics education cited the need for essential news literacy skills from an independent news media.

            It is essential, perhaps now more than ever. Monday night’s Civics Forum is not a knee-jerk reaction to the times in which we live. Buffalo Grove has been at the forefront in working with high school students for nearly 20 years. It is a labor of love for Sirabian and she is disappointed when the audience is limited to village staff, students and, with luck, a parent or two. The key word is luck.

            Without a strong and vibrant community press, many people will not hear about the work done by the students.

            Which is, to say the least, too bad.

            If residents want to facilitate positive and constructive change, the need to be informed and become civically engaged.

            Attending Monday’s Civics Forum is a good place to start.

            We can all learn something from the students.

The annual civics forum is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 23, in the Jeffrey S. Braiman Council Chambers at the Buffalo Grove Village Hall, 50 Raupp Blvd. For further information, call village hall at (847) 459-2500.

Got news or story ideas?  Send them to me at gaggininthegrove@gmail.com

Get informed, get engaged

At its annual fund-raising lunch, the Better Government Association featured a video that has a clear message:  GetInformed, Get Involved

With the primary election on Tuesday, it’s not a bad idea. 

The idea of getting involved is not a message that’s unique to the BGA – Village Clerk Jan Sirabian has for years preaching the word about voting in all elections and has long been a proponent of civic engagement, as evidenced by her coordination of the village’s annual Civics Forum.

It would be a change of pace if board members added their support for civic engagement rather than personal interests.  It’s also too bad that the local media scene is so devoid of support for local civic engagement, opting instead to dedicate space to puffy haired soccer moms to rant about exercise gadgets or run spreads of folks slurping down wine at some fund-raiser for an inane cause.

The need for increased civic engagement was echoed loud and strong at the 2016 Illinois Civic Mission Coalition conference on Friday.  The focus was clear – Get informed, get involved.

Buffalo Grove Police Arrest Offender in Graffiti Case ….This from the village website --- Information obtained through the Lincolnshire Police Department School Resource Officer at Stevenson High School has led to an arrest in the Buffalo Grove parks graffiti case.

The offender, a 16-year-old juvenile who lives in Buffalo Grove, was voluntarily brought to the Buffalo Grove police station by his parents.

During the interview, which included the parents, the juvenile admitted his role in the graffiti case. Investigators are working with the Lake County States Attorney’s office to seek appropriate charges.

The police department and park district are working to identify and remove any remaining graffiti located in Buffalo Grove parks.

Watch, daddy’s deep pockets will get the kid off.

More from the website -- Applications are now being accepted for the Buffalo Grove Police Department Citizen Police Academy. The academy will take place each Wednesday night for eight weeks, starting March 30, 2016.

This academy is free and enrollment will be on a first come basis, limited to 20 attendees.

Academy attendees must be 21 years old and pass a background check. Classes are held at the Buffalo Grove Police Department located at 46 Raupp Boulevard.

Classes during this session will run from 7p.m. to 10 p.m. The academy will cover a wide range of law enforcement activities including K-9, traffic enforcement, firearms, forensics, criminal investigations, SWAT team and operational structure of the Buffalo Grove Police Department.

Applications are available online at http://www.vbg.org/DocumentCenter/View/1490 or in- person at the police station.  Any questions please call Officer Tom Derken at (847) 459-2560 or email police@vbg.org.

This is one of a variety of community education programs and projects the BG cops offer. You’ll find them well worth your time and effort.

Civics: A hot topic that gets a cold reception

The recent passage of HB 4025, which mandates a civics education course for all high school students, has helped make civics education a hot topic in some circles.

                But not in Buffalo Grove where it’s old news.  Very old news.

                As evidenced by the recent civics forum, an annual event for high school students at Buffalo Grove and Stevenson High Schools, civics education is alive and well in the village.

                The forum, spearheaded by longtime Village Clerk Janet Sirabian, give students the opportunity to research and present both sides of an issue and present their case to the Village Board.

                This year’s topic addressed raising the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21.  Students, as they have during past civics forum, demonstrated excellent research and presentation skills.  Several Village Board members even noted the performance, calling this year’s forum was among the best.

                And this is something which is both encouraging and important. That’s because, as Sirabian noted in her opening remarks, the Forum gives students a chance to experience the civic process, which can make a difference.

                Despite the uniqueness of the program and the opportunities it gives students from both schools, something was missing.

                It was not student energy.

                It was not the need.

                It was not the dedication of the village, especially Sirabian.

                It was overall interest.

                Apparently some residents and some area media outlets think the idea of area high school students engaging the civic process is either uninteresting or not on the list of things worth spending time on.  An online search yielded only one media reference to this year’s forum and maybe two for last year’s.

                But with reporters getting stretched to the limit and more and more media outlets going regional than local, it’s somewhat understandable.  Not acceptable, mind you, but understandable.

                That does not, however explain the pitiful turnout to see the students present the skills needed for an effective civic process. You would think that the Council Chambers would be packed with proud parents.

                You would think that would be the case, right?

                Think again.

                Hardly.  In fact, in checking with some folks who were at the Forum, they said there was only one parent present.

                So what does this tell you?

                It could tell you that the timing of the Civics Forum is just too inconvenient for parents. Unlikely.

                It could tell you that there just isn’t that much “glory” in a civics forum as there may be in, say, a soccer game or football game.

                Nearly 20 students participated in the Forum, so for the sake of argument, the potential was there for 40 parents to attend.  Granted, not all parents can attend, but still, only one parent was able to attend the Forum?

                Do parents think that the civic responsibility is just something high school students need to learn and not practice?  Too bad if they think that way because without fail, there will be some “pressing issue” that will impact them and they’ll want to storm the Bastille without a clue as to how the profess works.

                Granted, student presentations may not as exciting as a dominant defense, award-winning cheerleading formations; but it the challenges facing the student participants in the Civics Forum are no less taxing than those facing a football player, cheerleader, soccer leader, or thespian. That’s not to diminish the efforts of any student in any activity.

                But practicing civic responsibility carries with it something more than a lot of other student activities do. First of all, it requires use of cognitive skills. While it’s not quantifiable student achievement, like allegedly found in standardized tests, it’s an excellent demonstration of pedagogy. 

                Second, the Forum stimulated intergenerational interaction.  In addition to presenting the pros and cons of lowering the age for purchasing tobacco products, they fielded questions from members of the Village Board. This is a challenge for anyone, let alone high school students, most of whom, if not all, were attending their first Village Board meeting. Questions by Board Members were genuine and not gratuitous in an effort to make the students feel important, which is the way it should be because this is how the civics process works.

                The students understood that.

                Their teachers understood that.

                The Village Board and village staff understood that.

                But it seems as though most of the parents did not understand that.

                Maybe HB4025 came up short.  Maybe it should have done more than mandate a semester-long civics course for high school students.

                Maybe it should have mandated an adult education course.