Women in Storytelling

At just 11 years old, Luke Gialanella ‘23 founded GOVLEARN, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization committed to providing easily accessible and nonpartisan government & politics education to students after discovering that there was a lack of substantive civics education for elementary and middle schoolers.

We sat down with Luke to learn more about GOVLEARN and its efforts to empower youth through civic engagement.

Future

of Politics

What led you to found GOVLEARN.org?

After the 2016 Presidential election, and realizing the lack of civic engagement and education amongst my peers, I decided to start teaching others about the topic I was passionate about! I put together a website and threw some videos up on YouTube! Fun fact: the original name for GOVLEARN was going to be “CEEMS,” or “Civics Education for Elementary & Middle School,” but GOVLEARN had a much better ring to it.

How did you first become involved in the world of Politics?

I’ve been interested in politics for as long as I can remember. To pinpoint a specific time, it would probably be a trip I took to Washington, D.C. in 4th Grade. I had been interested in geography and history around that time, but seeing Capitol Hill & the White House truly solidified my passion for politics. I then began reading dozens of books on the subject and became involved in the 2016 Presidential election.

Why is it so important to educate young people on politics? Why do you think the youth should be civically engaged?

I know this has been said many times before, but the youth generation is the future of our democracy, and soon enough, will take up a large proportion of our country’s voting bloc. If this new generation is to truly make a difference in society and at the polling place, education is the first place to start, and in my opinion, it’s better to start younger than older. Young people should be given a chance to learn about the structures of government before determining how they stand on the issues. They should be able to come to their own conclusions and consensus, without the influence of others or social media and should understand the structures of how the government works. Over the past year, we’ve seen much more civic engagement among young people, be it organizing and protesting for racial justice, climate change, or campaigning in the 2020 elections. Hopefully this trend continues in the future amongst our youth.

What can youth do to be involved if they’re not yet old enough to vote?

There are so many ways young people can participate in government and politics besides voting. Firstly, you can volunteer in local government offices, or with campaigns that you support! You can also sign up for newsletters, newspapers, or magazines about government that interest you so you can stay in the know. Of course, for new members of our democracy, I’d recommend you go to GOVLEARN’s website or just explore the issues that interest you and determine where you stand. It’s never too early to get involved in democracy!

What was the process like to create the GOVLEARN app?

I worked with a group of developers to design and format the GOVLEARN app (which is still under construction). It took a lot of work transferring the design of our website to a mobile format, but so far we have been successful. Having a mobile app has also given GOVLEARN legitimacy as an organization, leading us to become an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization as approved by the IRS.

How has Windward helped you along this journey?

Windward has been incredibly helpful along this journey, especially the faculty, who have been so kind and flexible with me, as I have continued to work on GOVLEARN. I even had the chance to speak at a Monday Morning Meeting once about my organization and was able to present my work!

Do you see yourself working in politics in the future?

Yes! What lane I choose to enter in that field is still uncertain; I’ve been recently considering becoming a diplomat, as a result of my wanderlust during the pandemic, though I’ve always aspired to becoming a politician here in the United States. Plans can always change, but I have a feeling that this one might stick.

Any additional details you’d like to share?

Even though it is a few years old, GOVLEARN is only just getting started on its goal to provide accessible nonpartisan government and civics education to students across the country.

If anyone would like to get involved with GOVLEARN, you can send us an email at contact@govlearn.org.

QR CODE: Scan to visit the GOVLEARN website.