Student Councils were originally formed in the early 20th century to both provide students an opportunity to engage at their school, and to prepare them for "citizenship." Indeed, having a student council was seen as being part of the civic mission of schools to prepare students to participate in representative democracy.

PASC honors this legacy today by working to amplify student voice and engagement in schools and communities. Through our partnership with PA Principals, we work to help connect students to school leaders and provide them an opportunity to represent their peers. We also provide support to the student representatives on the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, host the annual student summit at the state capitol in Harrisburg, and select the students who represent Pennsylvania for the United States Senate Youth Program as well. Additionally, we encourage schools to consider adopting the RSVP program to promote engagement at their own schools. 

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Recently, PASC has worked with the Pennsylvania Department of State to encourage all schools to host voter registration drives for their eligible students. We encourage schools to participate in the Governor's Civic Engagement Award and are proud to recognize those PASC member schools who have received this award at our annual state conference.

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If you have questions about these programs, please email gr@pasc.net.