The Year of the Citizen can be summarized through its two main goals. First, we are committed to pursuing an intellectual inquiry into the concepts of citizenship and civic engagement. We will start with three fundamental questions and let the conversation proceed throughout the year:
- Who is a citizen?
- What are the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship?
- And, is it important to engage your fellow citizens in the political community?
The second goal assumes that the answer to the last question is yes and so focuses on the subsequent question: how can citizens engage their communities productively?
Through a variety of activities this year we will strive to help students recognize that the skills they learn here at Lynchburg College can also be used to engage their communities in a productive manner. While we will devote time and resources to helping students prepare to vote in November, we hope the focus of the entire year will be much broader and suggest to students that voting is only one of many important ways they can engage their community.