Where Middle Schoolers Become Leaders Who Change Their Communities
Student voices. Strong communities. Leaders united in action. DePaul University's Center for Middle School Civic Leadership gives students in grades 5–8 the knowledge, confidence, and real-world experience to lead now, not someday.
Bring the Center to Your School
Middle School Is When Leaders Are Made
Between the ages of 10 and 14, young people are figuring out who they are, what they believe, and whether their voices matter. It is the moment when a student either learns that they can make a difference or quietly decides that they can't.
Too often young students are left out of the opportunities that build civic confidence and leadership. The Center for Middle School Civic Leadership was established to change that. We believe every young person deserves to be heard, to lead, and to see their ideas turn into civic action in their communities and families
Two Proven Programs. One Powerful Pathway.
The Center brings together two successful and innovative programs, Barat Education Foundation's Our American Voice® and DePaul University's Inspire & Ignite: Future Leadership Micro-credential, into a single, integrated experience: the Civic Leadership in Action Micro-credential. Launched in fall 2026, it is unlike anything else available to middle schools in Cook County.
The Center is led in partnership with DePaul University's College of Education and Office of Innovative Professional Learning, the Barat Education Foundation and the Center for Representative Government at Indiana University and is supported by a U.S. Department of Education grant.
The Pathway
Every student's learning journey builds civic understanding and leadership, step by step. Teachers receive the program and training to guide their students to learn what civics really is: how our communities and government work, the rights we share, and the responsibilities each of us carries as a citizen and a member of a community. Then they put that understanding into action.
- Voice. Students discover who they are, what they value, and why their perspective matters in a democracy where every voice counts.
- Inquiry. Students learn how local, state, and national government work, who makes decisions, and how citizens can shape them. Then they investigate an issue they care about in their own community.
- Action. Students practice the responsibilities of citizenship: staying informed, listening to different points of view, and working with others. They develop a plan and engage the decision-makers who can help make change happen.
- Leadership. Students practice communicating, collaborating, and leading with purpose, and they learn that good citizens serve the common good.
- Impact. Students share what they accomplished and see that active, responsible citizenship makes communities stronger.
Program Spotlight
Our American Voice®
Developed by the Barat Education Foundation and now housed at Indiana University's Center for Representative Government, Our American Voice® turns students into active participants in democracy. Students choose a real issue in their community, research it, explore how representative government works, and build a plan to address it. Along the way, they learn to speak up, work with others, and engage community members and decision-makers. Civics comes alive because students are doing it themselves.
Inspire & Ignite: Future Leader Micro-credential
Created by DePaul University's Office of Innovative Professional Learning, Inspire & Ignite helps students discover the leader within. Through engaging, hands-on experiences, students explore their strengths, values, and identity, and build the skills every leader need: communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and the confidence to step forward. The program culminates in an action research capstone in which students apply their leadership to a real community challenge. It is leadership development designed specifically for the middle school years, when it matters most.
For School Leaders
What Your School Gains
- A ready-to-implement, research-based program that strengthens civic learning and social-emotional growth
- Professional learning and ongoing support for your teachers, who earn their own micro-credential
- Students who are more confident, engaged, civic leaders who are connected to their school and community
- Authentic, competency-based learning that connects to real community needs
- A partnership with DePaul University
- Digital badges that recognize student and teacher achievement and showcase your school's commitment to civic leadership
Leadership in Service of Community
Inspired by DePaul University's Vincentian mission, the Center believes leadership is ultimately about service: seeing the needs around us and responding with courage and care. We help young people discover that they don't have to wait to grow up to make a difference. They can start today.
Call to Action
Bring Civic Leadership to Your School
The Civic Leadership in Action Micro-credential is open to schools throughout Cook County, with a special commitment to historically underserved communities. Give your students the chance to discover that leadership begins with them.
School leaders interested in partnering with the Center can contact innovate@depaul.edu.