Politically, our country is seemingly at the edge of a precipice – where intense division on social issues causes deep crevices along partisan lines and lasting resentment toward our fellow man. A pandemic, economic turmoil and revisions to fundamental statutes are consistently and combatively debated with no middle ground met.

The Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy institute in New York and Washington, D.C., recently revealed that 43 percent of state legislators had experienced some kind of threat in the last two years and 18 percent of local officeholders experienced threats.

Turning the tide on the American political turbulence doesn’t seem promising, but when we look to a new generation, hope remains.

TRANSFORMING CIVIC LEADERSHIP

The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) is a nonprofit with a mission to transform civic life in Kansas by encouraging leadership in communities and progress across the state. They teamed up with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the chambers of commerce in Hutchinson, Overland Park, Pittsburg and Wichita to offer civics competitions for middle school students locally and at the state level. In May, the Wichita-based KLC’s high-tech conference room held the inaugural Kansas State finals of the National Civics Bee.

With parents, students, KLC staff and others in attendance, the stage was set for 11 competitors who advanced from the local competitions to test their knowledge, showcase their understanding and demonstrate their capacity for civic engagement.

The day was filled with energetic speakers, including David Adkins, a fifth-generation Kansan who served four terms in the Kansas House of Representatives and one term as a Kansas Senator. He currently serves as the executive director and CEO of the Council of State Governments, a nonpartisan organization committed to connecting, informing, inspiring and empowering public servants in all three branches of state government to put the best ideas and solutions into practice.

“This is Public Service Recognition Week,” Adkins said in his keynote address. “And in this particular moment in history, I think it is important that we take just a moment to recognize all of those people who have stepped forward – from the locally elected office to the highest offices in our land, particularly all of those people whose careers are spent serving the public. The people that run the water treatment plant, the folks who ride on the trash trucks and pick up our waste. The highway patrolman, like my father, who patrol the streets, the local police officers, the members of Congress, whether we agree with him politically or not, and all of the people who each day spend their time and talents lifting up the public good.”

His address pointed out the complexities of civic leadership and the issues that can stem from being in the public eye, including threats against them and their families.

“More than 40 percent of local office holders said they were less willing to run for reelection or higher office at this time,” he said, referring to more statistics from the Brennan Center for Justice. “This is a troubling sign in a democracy. It's a cancer growing in democracy in which our elected officials – often those who serve with no pay or little pay are being subjected to the kinds of threats that make them say, ‘I don't want to step into the public square.’ I hope you will let them know the voices of hate are not the only voices that deserve to be heard.”

EMPATHY AND INNOVATION

There were no voices of hate at the Kansas State finals of the National Civics Bee – with presentations from students that covered topics such as antisemitism and the need to stand up against it, the empathetic need for better sidewalks in their town for public safety and the importance of healthcare, the students competing held levels of empathy beyond their years.

At the state finals, the first two rounds of the competition consisted of multiple-choice questions ranging in difficulty from 6th to 8th grade, focusing on civic history. The third round saw six finalists deliver three-minute presentations on ideas they have to improve their community.

Caleb Bonnema, Pranjal Adhikari and Rishaan Panchal were the top three finishers, with first place going to Panchal, a sixth-grade student at Lakewood Middle School in Overland Park. He will represent Kansas at the National Civics Bee in November in Washington, D.C.

“My teacher told us about this competition, and it was originally an assignment,” Panchal said. “When I thought about the topic, I picked healthcare because my mom and dad are doctors and one day I heard them discussing shortages in the hospital. In my research, I found a lot of people are left without help for mental illnesses so it’s an issue.”

His final speech was poignant, thoughtful, forward-thinking and hopeful. Perhaps the generation of tomorrow is the progress needed today.

“There’s always the temptation that people will say you are the future,” Adkins said of the competitors. “I'm going to say you're not the future. You are the now – in your schools, in your family, in your neighborhood, in your faith communities. You have the power to positively impact people's lives. And ultimately, that is the best expression of civic engagement.”

“As my grandmother would say, my heart is big tonight,” said Kaye Monk-Morgan, president and CEO of the Kansas Leadership Center. “Congratulations to the students who took home prizes, but to me, every student here is a winner. Each has demonstrated both civic knowledge and a passion to serve and benefit their communities.”

HAPPY MOMENT

Panchal succinctly expressed his joy about winning the competition.

“I’m really happy,” he said.

Whether he follows in his parent’s footsteps and becomes a doctor or develops a deeper love for civic leadership, we’re “really happy” he’s a Kansan.

If you want to learn more about opportunities in civic leadership, get involved with Engaged Kansas, a nonpartisan, unbiased coalition of state partners committed to encouraging and supporting people who are considering public service.

 

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