Civics Lab team members went to John P.  Ojeda Middle School, in Southeast Austin to discuss a project that teachers and students are collaborating to grow, market and finance the production of salsa.  Students and teachers have literally turned computer rooms into greenhouses and are applying the spirit of American entrepreneurship to address access to healthy foods.   Join in on this week's quick take! Websites on what Austin is doing to address food insecurity: https://www.austintexas.gov/content/austin-travis-county-food-policy-board https://reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectp ..read more

Join Michael Baumgartner and Esther Heymans as they attend and interview participants at the RevUP Texas (Register Educate Vote Use Your Power!) rally to promote voter registration and raising awareness of disability issues in Texas politics.  The Civics Lab team interviews Bob Kafka, organizer and advocate for RevUp.  Join them in this quick take! RevUp! Texas: https://www.revuptexas.org/ Twitter for RevUP: REV UP Texas @REVUP_Texas Bob Kafka https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKK7tIql9us ..read more

We sat down for a casual conversation revolving around some of the biggest political stories of the week, and some that might have flown under your radar. Listen in as we discuss the January 6th hearings,  Beto's defamation lawsuit,  and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.   Episode recorded on 3/8/22 ..read more

In this Quick Take, we sat down with Claire Campos-O'Neal, a candidate for state representative from an Austin district.  She discusses her passion for education and the way more women can run for office.   And check out Cosmic on South Congress! Websites: https://www.clairefortexas.com/ https://annieslist.com/ https://www.raiseyourhandtexas.org/ https://www.cosmiccoffeebeer.com ..read more

In this episode, we discuss the nature and scope of civics education.  We sit down with Braver Angels, Generation Citizen, and the Holy Cross Institute, as we explore what it means to be a citizen and how education plays a vital role in shaping our character and identity.   ..read more

What do fishing, clean water, public land access, and conservation all have in common? That's the topic of today's discussion as we sat down with Trout Unlimited's Greg McReynolds, who arguably has the coolest job title in America, Intermountain Regional Director of the Angler Conservation Program. In the episode we discuss: what Trout Unlimited is and what they aim to accomplish, Mr. McReynolds role in Trout Unlimited, why people who don't fish should care about native populations and clean water access, how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted participation in the outdoors, and so much more ..read more

On this episode, we had a conversation with James Barragan, reporter for the Dallas Morning News who covers Texas politics and the Texas Legislature. Days after the historic winter storm that blew through Texas, we discussed power outages across the state, ERCOT hearings at the Capitol, how the Covid-19 Pandemic has affected how reporters like himself receive information and cover the legislative session, the importance of free press in our society, and much more.  Respond to this weeks episode of The Civics Lab @TheCivicsLab on Instagram and Twitter.   Stay tuned for our next episo ..read more

Back in early December of 2020, The Civics Lab had a discussion with Mirek Konvalina; director of the Czech Center in New York and a seasoned diplomatic professional. In addition to the work Mirek has done at the Czech Center, he has also served as the Director of the American Center - US Embassy Prague, worked as Czech Radio's correspondent in D.C. and at the United Nations, served as Director for both Czech Radio Journal and Czech Radio, served as Vice President of the European Union Cultural Institute, and has authored two books on American democracy. In our discussion we talk about the cul ..read more

Representative Stephanie Klick, Chair of the Texas House Elections Committee, is in the Civics Lab, discussing the 2020 Texas Elections and how her committee is preparing for the upcoming Texas legislative session.   We discuss mandatory voting, a national election law, student id's as forms of identification, and the lack of a paper trail of ballots in Harris County. Respond to this weeks Civics Lab @TheCivicsLab on Instagram and Twitter.   Next month, the Civics Lab interviews Miroslav Konvalina, the Vice President of the European Union Cultural Institute and author of two books o ..read more

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