These ITAV students are studying the national budget, making recommendations and perhaps lobbying state lawmakers for change (Photo Credit: ITAV).
Some eighth graders in Chicago have a few things they’d like to tell Congress. Their message? Stop prioritizing bombs over books and the military over healthcare.
“We should focus on what makes the people more safe, more happy,” said Cedric Washington, a student at It Takes a Village Family of Schools (ITAV). “Then, as we focus on civilians, we’ll start to realize that other problems will get better.”
Washington is one of several students participating in a bold, yearlong project at Village Leadership Academy (VLA), part of ITAV. This isn’t just a civics lesson—it’s a real-time political education rooted in activism and analysis. They call it the Grass Roots Curriculum (GRC), which blends classroom learning with service-based action—real action in the community.
Beyond Textbooks: Teaching Through Action
Each student chooses a current, real world issue—for this class, it’s the federal budget—and delves deep into the numbers, priorities and consequences.
In 2020, ITAV students did a GRC project that resulted in a name change for Chicago’s Douglass Park on the West Side. The park now commemorates the life and legacies of Black abolitionists Frederick and Anna Douglass.
An ITAV kindergarten class developed and implemented a conflict resolution workshop with preschoolers to address violence in their community. The class also participated in the Cease Fire anti-violence rally and wrote letters to lawmakers requesting more funding for violence prevention initiatives.
Another first-grade class raised money to purchase CTA bus cards to assist families, collected and donated gently used business clothes to a West Side women’s and children’s shelter and even traveled to Springfield to advocate for more childcare funding.
With these GRC campaigns, students don’t just study policy. They question it, propose changes and apply what they’ve learned in the real world. Then they propose changes.
And this year’s GRC project is no different.
“I learned that the government spends the most on healthcare,” said Telvir Williams. “But it doesn’t really seem like it since most healthcare stuff is really expensive. It’s kind of concerning.”
Others, like Madison Harper, called out the high levels of military spending. “We’re spending for some countries,” she said, “on the wrong things. Like we’re giving money and military machinery to Israel and not really helping Palestine or Gaza.”
If They Controlled the Purse Strings
Asked how they’d allocate federal funds, the students didn’t hesitate.
“We should fix our own issues first,” said Williams. “Like homelessness and inflation.”
Jayden Smith agreed: “We have to hit the points where people are being affected the most—like healthcare, schools or places for homeless people. We can’t help other countries if our country is dying itself.”
Jordyn Parker had a similar view, with a generational twist: “We should help our people first, but also focus on the young ones. They’re our future doctors, firefighters, even our future presidents.”
With support from their teacher and guidance from organizations like Chicago Votes, they’ve studied the U.S. budget, analyzed global happiness rankings and examined how taxes and inflation shape public perception.
‘We Don’t Know Where Our Money Goes’
What shocked the students the most wasn’t just how the money is spent—but how little the average American understands about it.
“There’s a lack of knowledge people have about our national budget,” said Harper. “People still think inflation is Biden’s fault when we’re still under Donald Trump’s tax plan.”
For La’Mar Bramlett, it was the gap between values and reality: “They say kids are the future, but how are we supposed to be the future if they won’t provide the tools we need?”
Others, like Washington, were stunned to learn about “Christmas tree bills,” where lawmakers tack unrelated measures onto must-pass legislation. “It was surprising,” he said, “because the original bill was important—but they just kept adding more and more.”
The Real Lesson: Power and Possibility
Photo Credit: ITAV
The Grass Roots Curriculum began with one guiding principle: expose students to problems they may not yet see. Climate change. Gun violence. War. Government spending became the unifying issue.
“Our goal wasn’t to change the federal budget,” said their teacher, who also comes from a community organizing background. “It was to build values, critical thinking and political awareness. These students are already taxpayers—every time they buy something at a store, they’re contributing.”
The GRC is structured to stretch across the academic year, ending with a presentation of their findings and action plan. Some campaigns in the past, like the one to rename Douglass Park, have gone on for years. Whether this group’s project continues beyond graduation remains to be seen—but the imprint it’s leaving is already profound.
The ultimate goal for this year’s GRC project is to have the students lobby their elected officials for a fair national budget—taking what they’ve learned and catalyzing change.
Their Message to Leaders
Before wrapping up their interview, the ITAV students were asked: If you had one thing to say to the government, what would it be?
“I would plead for the government to lower how much they pay for the military,” said Jayden Smith. “You could use that money for different things that are hurting people here.”
Madison Harper added: “We should start thinking about our people. This new tax plan helps the rich get richer and the poor stay the same.”
Washington closed with a plea: “The U.S. isn’t just our military. We have people living here. Focus on them.”
Parker also summed it up: “Cut military spending in half. Focus more on education and community. Get rid of these tariffs. That would help our country be better.”