Research Guides: Civic Engagement: Community Organizations

Selected Civic and Community Organizations

WINCHESTER AREA TEMPORARY TRANSITIONAL SHELTER - WATTS

the Kid's Clubs of the Northern Shenandoah Valley

Kiwanis
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.
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Kiwanis Club of Winchester: https://winvakiw.org/
Winchester Rescue Mission
Winchester Rescue Mission has been serving men, women, and children experiencing homelessness and poverty in our community since 1973.
Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run has fun, evidence-based programs that inspire all girls to build their confidence, kindness and decision making skills.

This is not an exhaustive list in any way. There are many ways to be involved in your community. Contact local municipalities to locate community organizations, or the United Way portal for volunteer opportunities in your community.

Government Organizations

City of Winchester, Virginia
Frederick County, Virginia
Commonwealth of Virginia
Other State Goverments
A tool to find contacts in your state or territory, its governor, and major state agencies. Provided by USA.gov
Local Governments
A tool to find contact information for local governments by state. Provided by USA.gov

Civic Literacy - Am I Civic Literate?

The Institute of Museum and Library Services offers the following definition of Civic Literacy as the ability to:

Participate effectively in civic life through knowing how to stay informed and understanding governmental processes
Exercise the rights and obligations of citizenship at local, state, national, and global levels
Understand the local and global implications of civic decisions

Or from Generation Nation:

Know first-hand how their governments and communities work
Understand and can discuss civic issues and different points of view
Can intelligently find and use news and civic information
Build social capital, knowledge, and experience for positive civic leadership and problem-solving, now and for the future

Below is a selection of online resources to improve civic literacy.

America's Founding Documents
From the National Archive, these three documents, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom, have secured the rights of the American people for more than two and a quarter centuries and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States.
iCivics
Founded by Sandra Day O'Connor, iCivics is a equitable, non-partisan civic education site to inspire life-long civic engagement by providing high-quality and engaging civics resources.
Think the Vote
Think the Vote is a website run by the Bill of Rights Institute. Our goal is to connect you with resources to think critically about the things going on around you.