Civics and Service International

Headquartered in the United States and Liberia, we partner with leading local organizations to engage local and international stakeholders, working collaboratively for lasting solutions. Since its founding, CSI has created programs that prepare Africa's young people to become leaders and change agents in their communities. Our organization was foun... ded in 2012, under the name Child Steps International, at a critical time for the people of Liberia. After years of war, endemic poverty, and trauma, the country possessed abundant natural resources but lacked the infrastructure and human capital needed for lasting recovery. Civics and Service International empowers youth and adults to become tomorrow's leaders through civics education and leadership programs. We created a comprehensive, interactive civics education program that teaches Liberians of all ages about laws, government structure, justice, and peacebuilding, as well as their rights and responsibilities. In partnership with the Ministry of Education, Republic of Liberia, and with the support of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), we piloted our middle and high school curriculum, LAW+YOU, in 40 schools across Liberia. In total, we trained 70 teachers and reached 10,000 students with civics education in schools. At the same time, civics education was sorely needed in other parts of society where citizens had experienced years of war and conflict with few opportunities to participate in democracy. CSI's weekly LAW+YOU Radio Show delivers civics education in the form of interviews, skits, poems, and other mediums to engage the public. Our LAW+YOU Community Program, a small group civics training for out-of-school youth and community members, has been taught in 10 communities across Liberia. Its interactive format makes it accessible to people regardless of their literacy level. In 2020, the Liberian Ministry of Education made LAW+YOU civics the approved curriculum for junior and senior high schools. across Liberia. We began the process of ...Read More