Americans’ trust in democratic institutions has fallen to historic lows, dropping from over 70% to under 25% over the last 70 years. This decline is fueled by a cycle of toxic polarization, where each side sees the other as threats instead of fellow citizens. People share core democratic values, but those shared beliefs get drowned out by louder, more extreme voices. As negative messages dominate and civic knowledge declines, more people disengage from civic life.
The Civics Credentialing System is a nonpartisan digital badge platform that recognizes and connects civic learning and action, making participation in democracy more visible, rewarding, and trusted. It disrupts the cycle of polarization and disengagement by:
Civics Credentialing enables nonprofits, schools, businesses, and government institutions to align efforts and strengthen their collective influence. It is built around five core pillars of a healthy democracy that were developed by leading democracy practitioners from a variety of disciplines.
Understand our democratic institutions and processes, and the civic responsibilities that help assure the freedoms and liberties we cherish
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Learn how to help mitigate polarization and strengthen collaborative processes by using important and powerful bridging skills.
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Promote fair, inclusive, transparent and responsive governance based upon safe, fair and lawful electoral processes.
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Learn how to evaluate news sources promote high quality and verifiable information; and discourage the spread of misinformation.
Actively contribute to your community through civic action that extends beyond voting to everyday life.
All credentials in the Civics Credentialing System must be non-partisan and democracy-affirming. Recognized experts, representing a diversity of political perspectives, establish a core set of skill credentials within each domain. Individual nonpartisan organizations also issue badges that adhere to the Civics Credentialing Standards.
Our approach is backed by evidence.Open digital badges and credentialing have already transformed education and workforce training by motivating participation, validating learning, and guiding people along clear development pathways. Civics Credentialing applies this same, proven model to civic life, recognizing that:
