New York City Public Schools Celebrates Eighth Annual Civics Week

Students Across the City Explored Civic Engagement With Visits From 51 Agency Leaders

NEW YORK, NY - This week, New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) celebrated the Eighth Annual Civics Week, a citywide celebration of youth voice, civic empowerment, and the importance of democratic participation. This year's theme, "Voices Then, Voices Now," encouraged students to explore how historical movements for justice and democracy continue to inspire civic action today.

"Civics Week reminds students that power is not handed down from the top - they have the ability to affect real change in our communities," said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. "As a former New York City Public Schools student government representative, I know that a strong and healthy democracy begins in the classroom. This week, through student government elections, Soapbox speeches and community engagement, our youngest New Yorkers are building the lifelong skills they need to shape the future of our city."

"This week has been a powerful reminder of why civics education is so important," said Schools Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels. "Our schools are showing students that their voices matter, their choices have power, and each one of them can shape the future of their communities. I encourage all eligible students to register to vote, because you have the power to make a difference. This week has proven our city is in capable - and passionate - hands."

The week officially kicked off in District 4 in Manhattan, where students, educators, and civic leaders gathered to celebrate the civic engagement young people are doing across NYCPS. The successful launch highlighted many ways students are already making their voices heard, both inside and outside the classroom.

Throughout Civics Week, schools across the five boroughs hosted events, lessons, and discussions designed to help young New Yorkers understand that their voices matter and connect classroom learning with real-world civic participation.

Students delivered Soapbox speeches, in partnership with Mikva Challenge, responding to the question: what is the biggest issue facing your community, and what should be done about it?, held assemblies to share participatory budgeting proposals and tested their knowledge through a civics-themed game show. Schools citywide hosted poster competitions inviting students to consider creative ways to use their voice and amplify why voting and civic participation is important.

"At Mikva Challenge, we believe young people learn democracy by doing democracy. As we celebrate Civics Week, it's more important than ever to ensure students have opportunities to practice civic voice and leadership," said Verneé Green, CEO of Mikva Challenge. "We're proud to partner with NYC Public Schools to bring SoapboxNYC to classrooms across the city and help empower young people to speak out on the issues that matter most to them."

This year, leadership from 51 municipal agencies visited schools to give talks and participate in various activities. These agencies include:

• Administration for Children's Services
• Business Integrity Commission
• Center for Innovation through Data Intelligence
• Civic Engagement Commission
• Civilian Complaint Review Board
• Commission on Human Rights
• Department of City Planning
• Department of Citywide Administrative Services
• Department of Consumer and Worker Protection
• Department of Buildings
• Department of Correction
• Department of Design and Construction
• Department of Environmental Protection
• Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• Department of Records and Information Services
• Department of Social Services
• Department of Veterans' Services
• Department of Youth and Community Development
• FDNY
• Mayor's Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education
• Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice
• Mayor's Office of Community Mental Health
• Mayor's Office of Contract Services
• Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence
• Mayor's Office of Food Policy
• Mayor's Office of Nonprofit Services
• Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants
• Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
• Mayor's Office of Operations
• Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice
• New York City Probation Department
• NYC Aging
• NYC Department of Finance
• NYC Health + Hospitals
• NYC Housing Preservation and Development
• NYC Parks
• NYC Sanitation
• NYC School Construction Authority
• NYC Service
• NYCHA
• NYPD
• Office of Chief Medical Examiner
• Office of Labor Relations
• Public Design Commission

Civics Week also marks the launch of the 2026 Student Voter Registration Drive, an annual effort to support eligible students in registering or pre-registering to vote. Since 2019, the Student Voter Registration Drive has helped register and pre-register over 100,000 new voters, marking an important first step toward preparing youth leaders to become life-long informed and engaged voters. This year, several drives were supported by the Mayor's Office of Mass Engagement and the Mayor's Public Engagement Unit.

On March 26th, hosted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and alongside our partners at Mikva Challenge, outstanding Soapbox speeches from across NYCPS will be showcased.

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Contact Chancellor's Press Office: [email protected]