"Speak Up! Speak Out!"

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"Speak Up! Speak Out!"

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Empowering 6-12 graders to learn civics by doing civics!
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Speak Up! Speak Out!

(SUSO), part of UT's Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life, is an empowering program that engages high school and middle school students directly with their schools and communities. Students form a team, identify a community problem that matters to them, perform research, and design a workable solution to address it. Teams then present their findings and solutions to community leaders at the 2018 State Civics Fair in Austin, Texas. Teams can participate in person or via video conference and winning teams receive funds to use toward the implementation of their solutions.

07/15/2026

‼️Attention Texas Middle and High School Teachers‼️

Looking for a meaningful way to bring civics to life in your classroom? The Annette Strauss Institute at UT Austin offers a free, project-based civics curriculum. Through our Speak Up Speak Out program, students work in teams to identify a real-world community issue, research its root causes, and propose a practical solution.

Want to take their work to the next level? Enter your student teams into a nearby Speak Up Speak Out Regional Civics Fair! Qualifying teams will earn the chance to advance to the State Civics Fair, hosted at UT Austin. Fair participation is free, and you can pre-register now!

Click the link to visit the Speak Up Speak Out website and access the project curriculum, as well as helpful planning tools!

04/28/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 Speak Up Speak Out State Civics Fair Winners!!

04/24/2026

We are so grateful for the sponsors that made this year’s Speak Up Speak Out State Civics Fair possible! Thank you for supporting the next generation of civic leaders.

04/23/2026

We’re so excited to introduce even more of our judges for the Speak Up Speak Out State Civics Fair! 🌟
Stay tuned as we count down to Saturday at the LBJ School! 🤩

04/20/2026

Less than a week to go until the Speak Up Speak Out State Civics Fair this Saturday! 🌟
We’re excited to introduce the next group of judges who will be joining us to hear students’ ideas, ask thoughtful questions, and help celebrate their hard work. Stay tuned as we continue to highlight the incredible professionals supporting this year’s fair!

04/14/2026

We’re excited to begin introducing the judges for this year’s Speak Up Speak Out State Civics Fair!

Our panel brings together leaders and experts from across fields who are passionate about civic and youth engagement. Learn more about our incredible judges on the Civics Fair Judge Panel page on our website!

04/06/2026

Be part of something impactful!

Volunteer at the SUSO State Civics Fair and help showcase student-led solutions to real community issues across Texas. Sign up through the QR code!

02/16/2026

A recap of the San Antonio Regional Fair! 🤩
We had a day full of thoughtful conversations, confident voices, and students showing what civic engagement looks like in action. So proud of everyone who participated and made this event such a success!

02/05/2026

Huge thanks to Headwaters School for having us at Civil Rights Day! 🏫

Our own Abby Gray spent the day with some seriously impressive students. She tackled the art of collaboration with middle schoolers and helped high schoolers master the ‘frame’, ensuring their messages hit home with any audience.

Future leaders in the making? We’d say so. 🎤✨

11/04/2025

Big updates in the Curriculum Corner! 🤩📝🍎
We’ve fully revamped the Speak Up Speak Out lesson plans, complete with fresh resources and guides to make civic engagement learning even more impactful. Explore the new materials today on our website!
https://straussinstitute.moody.utexas.edu/k-12/suso-curriculum

Address

2504 Whitis Avenue, (R2000)
Austin, TX
78712

Website

http://bit.ly/actioncivics

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