The Center on Representative Government (CORG), a nonpartisan organization founded in 1999 at Indiana University by former US Representative Lee Hamilton, provides opportunities for students to build the skills needed for active and engaged citizenship in a meaningful and interactive manner.
A collection of innovative and interactive educational learning tools and a library of videos provide teachers with resources to reach this goal. All materials are available at no cost from the center’s website.
Among the learning tools are five cross-platform multimedia simulations:
Engaging Congress includes 42 primary sources spread across seven units that focus on issues such as federalism, separation of powers, and voting rights. In the unit on executive powers, for example, students simulate advising the president on a policy statement from various perspectives.
Similarly, in Action Citizen, students learn about key environmental legislation and the citizens who helped make them happen. Then, as residents of a town, they focus on minimizing environmental catastrophes while choosing ways to reduce environmental impact going forward.
The six units in CitizIN align chronologically with a standard US history course. In the final unit, citizens act as the mayor of a small town. After creating a simulated annual budget for their town, they must make monthly decisions about spending while trying to end the year without a budget deficit.
In Freedom Summer 1964, students explore key events surrounding the early years of the Civil Rights Movement, the 1964 Mississippi voter registration drive, and the eventual passage of both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
And, set to launch in the 2025–26 school year, Democracy Quest combines primary source analysis with virtual reality to engage students in multiple modalities. Through a series of simulations in the virtual world, students practice civic skills in an evidenced-based and innovative manner. Democracy Quest is intended for students at grades 6–12 in US History, Government, or Civics courses.
The Center for Representative Government also provides Interactive Learning Modules that offer insights into the workings of representative government and the role of citizens in the process. The modules address the legislative process, the federal budget, the impact of Congress on everyday life, and more. Students can play these modular interactives online.
As a whole, CORG’s rich resources provide teachers with multiple options for developing the skills that students need to be engaged and informed citizens.