A new four-part PBS documentary about the We the People competition premieres on VPM at 9 pm next Tuesday, Oct. 8. The other three episodes follow on the rest of the Tuesdays in October.
Description: High schoolers from every corner of the country face off in a national civics competition in this inspiring coming-of-age series. “Citizen Nation,” a new Retro Report series, follows teenagers with different backgrounds and political sensibilities as they come together from across the U.S. to compete in the nation’s premier civics competition, “We the People.” In this innovative four-part documentary, journalists embedded in the daily lives of students [including some MLWGS students] for nine months in eight states. It shows their challenges and quiet triumphs as they embark on their senior year and offers a rare glimpse into the way this generation is thinking about their role in the world. As we follow these bright and competitive students through the regional – and then state – competitions, we watch as they answer questions in mock Congressional hearings, showcasing their understanding of the U.S. Constitution and democracy, and how that connects to their lives today. The competition culminates in a championship showdown in the heart of Washington, D.C. After months of preparation, they are firing on all cylinders, giddy and nervous and dressed to the nines as they prepare to be challenged by contest judges with a barrage of critical questions about democracy and grapple with what it means to come of age in a contentious political environment.
On the show’s home page @ https://www.pbs.org/show/citizen-nation/ you can find 2023-2024 MLWGS We the People team members in photos 4, 5, and 13 of the sixteen-photo gallery. Our We the People team, with several national championships in their long history, is coached by the dynamite Sam Ulmschneider, himself a former We the People participant when he attended MLWGS.
All the best to Sam and our current WTP team for a fabulous 2024-2025 season.
Ms. Wendy DeGroat, MLWGS Librarian
