Young lobbyists for civic engagement teach us a thing or two

BRAVO TO the young people from Lowell, Haverhill, and Greater Boston who are lobbying to make civics a graduation requirement (“These teens know their stuff,’’ Editorial, June 19). Many students are disengaged from school and community and believe that they cannot make a difference. But civic engagement offers students a challenging, empowering, and authentic opportunity. Whether these students are successful does not change the message that they are sending: We have a voice, and we can make a difference.

Since the writing of the Constitution, it is a commonly accepted view that we, as Americans, share certain values and ideals. And it is the knowledge of these shared civic values that binds us as a nation. To remain faithful to these principles, we must see that they are taught and practiced like any other skill.