Step aside, honey bees and spelling bees – there’s a new type of bee rising up in America – the Civics Bee! The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is working to promote greater civic knowledge among young people, families, and communities through their National Civics Bee. Similar to a spelling bee, the Civics Bee allows young students to show off their civics knowledge in a competitive environment.
The latest update: Recently, the Daniels Fund announced a three-year grant of $4.5 million to the U.S. Chamber Foundation to expand the National Civics Bee to compete in all 50 states and create a national championship by 2026.
Why it matters: Civic literacy in American citizens is extremely important, but it’s a topic that has consistently been a weakness in our country. According to a the findings from the most recent Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey, a significant amount of Americans can’t even name all three branches of government. A survey commissioned by the U.S. Chamber Foundation further proved that something needs to be done to increase access to civics education for young people. Only 53% of American mothers reported that their children learn about civics. The expansion of the National Civics Bee will increase the number of children across the country that can compete, encouraging the younger generation to take an interest in civics and take the initiative to educate themselves.