Team Legislate
“We provide a platform to connect students to local government legislatures through legislative bill drafting and civic education.”
Model & Strategy.
Descriptor.
Students can connect with NGOs and nonprofits in their communities to learn about societal issues. They can use our research guide and bill formatting tool to draft a piece of legislation to improve their community. Other students can virtually sign bills, suggest edits, and form due diligence teams around topics. In the future, we will expand our platform to all citizens.
Problem.
Civic deserts are a major issue in the United States. Experts predict that our youth are becoming less and less civically inclined. The 2006 National Civic and Political Health Survey found that only 7% of 15-25-year-olds participated in a significant number of community service activities in the year prior and that these students scored significantly lower on a questionnaire regarding current civic policies. Currently, social media divides society through the use of echo chambers, the filter bubble effect, and influencer bias. Students trade civic participation in their communities for unproductivity online.
Solution.
Our platform creates a productive environment online while fostering change in our member’s communities. In order to nurture creativity and generate solutions to communities’ problems, our web app will (1) connect students with local NGOs and nonprofits and (2) provide educational tools for creating informed and well-formatted bills. We will create a discussion not only between students and local organizations but also between students and local government representatives. Students can form chapters at their schools to write bills or lead due diligence, research teams.
At A Glance
Concept Type: Web App + Database
Team: Michael Del Sesto, Madison Gothberg, Thomas Clark
School: Dartmouth College, Merrimack College
Watch Their Pitch!
Meet Team Legislate.
Michael Del Sesto • CEO
Brings a high-level vision and the ambition to fight for it.
Madison Gothberg • CFO
With aspiring dreams to become a lawyer, brings a powerful voice to advocate for underrepresented communities.
Thomas Clerk • Developer
Our organizational machine: ensures consistent, transparent communication.
1.
Regardless of who is in office, locally or federally, American citizens, particularly young people, have become frustrated with elected administrations and want to make changes but feel like their opinions are not being heard.
2.
There is no platform in which any American citizen can draft legislation that will reach the Congress floors, both locally and nationally. Team Legislate will host a website onto which students can post rough drafts of legislation they themselves have created. It will walk users through the process of drafting legislation and teach about our country’s legislative processes.
3.
Through legislative bill writing and political science research projects, Team Legislate will empower students to become civically engaged in their communities.
Unique Value Proposition
“Team Legislate sees the potential for young people-- highschool, undergraduate, and graduate students-- to advance change in their communities. Students can learn about our government and about their communities through participation and engagement.”
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