For six years, USF St. Petersburg and the Florida YMCA have partnered to offer the Civics Fellows Program, an initiative designed to enhance civic education in the state by giving high school students hands-on experiences in government and public service. It is the first and only such civic education partnership between a university and the YMCA in the nation.
As part of the program, students from across Florida participate in a week-long Summer Civics Institute on campus. High school fellows are immersed in local and county government to learn how these institutions interface with state government.
In addition to enhancing understanding of how local, state and national government functions, the Civic Fellows Program seeks to increase rates of millennials participating in important societal institutions including volunteering, voting and school events.