UW Tacoma’s NextGen Civic Leader Corps program grows its reach and offerings in its second year

In just its second year of operation at the University of Washington Tacoma, the NextGen Civic Leader Corps has empowered many students through its civic engagement and professional development programs. Developed through a tri-campus initiative between the UW Evans School of Public Policy & Governance and UW Bothell’s Office of Community Partnerships, this program helps connect undergraduates interested in public service careers to a national network.

This year, student officers debuted their first NextGen Social, designed to display the program’s many benefits, including the micro-credential that UW Tacoma students can earn in civic engagement. Students can earn a NextGen Civic Leader Corps Digital Badge in addition to learning key leadership skills through varied coursework, experiential learning opportunities, and professional networking.

With further events and collaboration opportunities on the horizon, NextGen is influencing the outlook for civic leadership at UW Tacoma and beyond.

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MisinfoDay @ MyCommunity, a program developed and launched by the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public (CIP), is being adopted around the nation.

A group of librarians at Des Moines University, a private medical university, were the latest to adapt the MisinfoDay activities for a community event. The university adapted the activities to help medical students better address misinformation between both patients and clients. Event attendees completed hands-on activities, including the Euphorigen Investigation, an educational escape room style game developed at the CIP in collaboration with Puzzle Break. Event organizers saw the games facilitating profound discussions of misinformation’s impact, particularly in clinical spaces.

In May 2024, nearly 100 high schoolers took part in California’s first MisinfoDay trainings, showcasing the proliferation of this important project. With media literacy increasingly critical, MisinfoDay @ MyCommunity is an important program that educators can use for a diverse range of audiences.

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