Last week, student leaders representing colleges and universities across North Carolina gathered for Citizen Redefined Camp 2025. During this intensive and mind-activating week, the cohort explored how they could create a more hopeful civic culture and step into their role as powerful, responsible citizens.
Citizen Redefined Camp was anchored in the belief that “being a citizen” goes beyond a legal status. Citizenship requires a commitment to show up for the community, take action, and have faith that change is possible.
Over the course of the week, the cohort engaged with a series of essential civic skills to help them better claim their place in shaping civic life. Through hands-on activities, in-depth discussions, and self-reflection, they collaborated to understand their individual strengths and perceptions, examined how they relate to information and the community around them, and reflected on the moral grounds that guide their leadership. Then, they learned about and practiced methods of power and social change.
This was the second student cohort to graduate from Citizen Redefined Camp, a program born from a partnership between North Carolina Campus Engagement (NCCE) and Citizen University (CU). The curriculum, designed by CU, was first introduced to the NCCE network in 2023 when NCCE hosted the CU staff for two train-the-trainer sessions. These sessions offered campus administrators the opportunity to learn the Citizen Redefined curriculum and bring it back to their campus for implementation. In 2024, NCCE launched the inaugural Citizen Redefined Camp for students.
As participants formed stronger bonds over activities and games, they collaborated to dissect challenges and moral questions that were present in their communities. Together, they strategized and exchanged potential solutions to navigate these dilemmas.
After participants established a foundational understanding of how power functions and how to commit to the common good, they dove into a workshop on Theater of the Oppressed. This creative, embodied practice challenged participants to “think with their hands” and stand in their own power to reimagine personal stories of oppression through disruption.
Citizen Redefined Camp concluded with the Civic Confirmation Ceremony, a celebratory ritual that marked the cohort’s transition into a new phase of citizenship. To cement their commitment, each participant publicly presented a prepared declaration of their renewed civic identity: a statement of how they pledged to show up for their campus, community, and country as a citizen. Participants integrated poetry, personal stories, and photography into their declarations. Each student was presented with a certificate, and members of the cohort also led a private “civic superlative” and award presentation for each of the cohort members!
Mentors and other invited guests said farewell at the closing reception following the ceremony.
Scroll through the photo gallery to see more from the week!
Citizen Redefined Camp 2025 was made possible by funding provided by Citizen University and the Jená Cane Citizen Artist Grant. North Carolina Campus Engagement would like to extend our sincere gratitude to each of the powerful student leaders who participated, the mentors who supported their experience, and to Citizen University for their inspiring leadership into a national movement towards celebrated, hopeful citizenship. A special thank you to Elon University and the Gerald L Francis Center for hosting Citizen Redefined Camp, and the incredible catering, technology, facilities, and maintenance staff.
