Browse by:
Time commitment: 5min - 30min
Chalk Talks
Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr used his platform, microphone and influence to speak passionately about gun control during a press conference just before game 4 of the NBA Playoffs following a mass shooting on an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. What do you want to put your voice behind? How will you use your influence to make a difference?
Chalk Talks
"Whether you realize it or not as an athlete, you have a great impact and influence amongst peers and young people and others and this is a time to use it." - Senator Cory Booker. Watch Senator Cory Booker, former Stanford football player, talk about his belief that "Democracy is not a Spectator Sport." After you watch this short video, discuss how your team how will "get on the field" to support Democracy.
TikToks and Reels
Watch Eric Liu, CEO of Citizen University, give a TED Talk on why voting matters, and how it brought joy to different communities. Discuss ways that your players might reframe and engage with voting as a joyful, community experience.
SAACs are the student advisory committees that represent student-athlete voices to NCAA leadership. Ask your team: Do you know who your SAAC representative is? How do their beliefs and actions align with your values? How can you contribute to or influence their decisions? Learn more about them here and consider reaching out to get to know them or follow them on social media to keep up with their activities and positions.
Athletes are natural leaders, garnering influence well beyond their sport. P/Ath Sports offers short video clips from sports greats on life skills that have helped them live authentic, fulfilling, and purpose-filled lives. Try watching this video of Julie Foudy talk about the power of using your voice as an athlete. Watch even more of their videos and use their reflective prompts to foster new conversations and learning within your team.
Netflix created a new collection of video shorts on reimagining civic education through the work of contemporary singers and performers. Pick one or more, watch with the team, and discuss its significance.
"The WNBA’s impact on the 2020 Senate race is not singular, but it’s undeniable…The WNBA changed history.” Watch HBO Films Level Playing Field documentary "The Assist," a 20 minute film about how the WNBA and the Atlanta Dream channeled its influence to organize, inspire, and mobilize votes in the 2020 Georgia Senate Race. Ask your team to reflect on what they did, how they did it, and what actions you can take to become "the assist" for your community.
Time commitment: 30min - 2hours
Plan a field trip to a meaningful spot on campus, local museum, or historic monument or environmental site to prompt conversation and meaning. Check your campus, community, or local chamber of commerce for suggestions on where to go that is historically significant to your team. Or, consider hosting a virtual history museum tour with your team with one of these sites.
“Slay the Dragon" is about the connection of gerrymandering to the Flint, Michigan water crisis
“The Vote” about securing the right for all women to vote
Curious to explore how values can be shared across difference? Check out Citizen Film's documentary American Creed.
Watch a documentary on an athletic “civic leader.” Examples include: Muhammed Ali, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, Lebron James, Jackie Robinson, Bill Russell, and Megan Rapinoe, among others. Discuss how these athletes flexed their civic muscles and skills for positive impact. Check out this starter list of movie ideas.
John Lewis’ story in “Good Trouble"
Watch this short video from iCivics about Patsy Takemoto Mink who became the first woman of color elected to Congress. In her 24 years as a Representative, Mink battled inequality by changing the laws. Her greatest legacy is as the co-author of Title IX, the landmark legislation that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal money.