In 2008-2009, CC&E played a key role in establishing Killip Elementary School's Public Achievement program. Today, CC&E continues to work closely with Killip Public Achievement to educate the next generation of grassroots leaders in the arts and practices of democratic engagement.

Public Achievement is a youth civic engagement initiative focused on the most basic concepts of citizenship, democracy and public work. Public achievement draws on the talents and desires of ordinary people to build a better world and to create a different kind of politics. Public Achievement is anchored by a few core ideas:

---Everybody can do citizen work

All people - regardless of age, nationality, sex, religion, income or education - can be powerful public actors.

---Citizenship isn't easy

Democracy is messy and sometimes frustrating, but when you work hard with others you can accomplish extraordinary things.

---We learn by doing

The most important lessons of democracy come from doing public work and finding ways to cooperate with people who are different and may disagree. We learn from each other when we solve problems together. This is the kind of politics that everyone can do, not just politicians. 

Watercolor by Roberta Rogers