Civic Leadership & Civic Identity Formation

Student Leadership Awards

Since 2006, NCCE has acknowledged students who demonstrate outstanding civic leadership. In 2015 we added the Marshall Alternative Break Scholarship to fund student leadership during service trips.

Learn more about our awards under the Recognition menu or at the links below.

Community Impact Student Award (CISA)
Barnhill Civic Trailblazer Award
Marshall Alternative Break Scholarship

NC Civic Impact Fellowship

In fall 2023, NCCE launched the NC Civic Impact Fellowship. Exceptional student leaders are nominated, with support from their institution’s president/chancellor, to engage in an 18-month civic leadership initiative resulting in a civic Impact Project that will positively impact civic life on their campus. Civic Impact Fellows receive monthly project support and skill-development training throughout the fellowship. 

Learn more about the NC Civic Impact Fellowship. 

Student Hunger Ambassadors

Since 2018, NCCE has partnered with Food Lion grocery stores, and their Food Lion Feeds initiative to host the NC Collegiate Hunger Challenge. NCCE member campuses who join the Challenge select one to two students to serve as their Hunger Ambassadors. These students plan and implement activities and food drives to raise awareness about food insecurity, while competing with the other campuses for cash prizes. The winning campuses use the prize money to support their campus food insecurity initiatives. Visit the Challenge page to view the videos of the Ambassadors in action.

Citizen Redefined Camp

Citizen Redefined Camp is an overnight, week-long civic leadership experience where student leaders explore what it means to boldly show up for their campuses and communities as citizens.

Engaged student leaders have an extraordinary power–and responsibility–to affect change on campus, in the community, and in our nation. Citizen Redefined Camp, curated from the Citizen University Citizen Redefined curriculum, offers a highly immersive, hands-on opportunity for involved student leaders to reflect on, develop, and fully step into self-defined identities as citizens. In doing so, they graduate from camp prepared to pursue social change with a stronger sense of their power in within our national fabric. Students practice skills in topics relating to communication, critical analysis, civic culture, moral character, power, collaborative leadership, and service. 

Citizen Redefined

We agree with Citizen University that “citizenship” in America is not a legal designation but a way of living as a problem-solving contributor in a self-governing community.  However, most Americans do not receive civic training to prepare for this critical role.

In spring of 2023, we collaborated with Citizen University, a non-profit organization headquartered in Seattle Washington with the mission to build a culture of powerful, responsible citizenship across the country. They have developed a K-12 curriculum, Citizen Redefined, that equips individuals to be civic culture catalysts. In the training, which focuses on “citizen identity formation,” participants gain skills and tools, develop connections, and build a renewed sense of civic spirit. NCCE is the first organization to expand the curriculum into a higher education context.

2023 Special Event
Civically Engaged Student Webinar Series

In spring 2023, NCCE hosted a 4-part webinar series highlighting student civic leaders from campuses in the NCCE member network. Click on the QR code or follow this link to watch the video replay of the series.