Mobile Computing

App Launched To Boost Student Interest in Congress

• By Michael Hart
• 10/23/14

The Student Governmental Affairs Program (SGAP), which provides high school government teachers with materials about current events, is launching a mobile app for students.

SGAP is a nonprofit arm of National Write Your Congressman, which gives teachers free, nonpartisan classroom materials on issues and bills that the United States Congress is considering. Among the materials it provides are a monthly newsletter that students can discuss in class, information that teachers can use to stimulate further discussion and a polling process they can use to gauge their students' positions on issues in relation to others in the country.

The SGAP app, which will be downloadable from either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, will feature:

• A discussion board that the 200,000 students across the country involved with the program can use to engage in conversation with each other on political issues;
• A My Reps tool that will give students both information about the political positions of their elected representatives as well as a way to communicate with them; and
• A Tasks and Achievements feature that will give students points for completing tasks like writing to members of Congress or local elected officials, taking polls, participating in online discussions or attending meetings of local city councils or state legislatures.

The app will also allow teachers to track students' activities on the app and potentially reward them for civic participation.

Randy Ford, president and co-founder of SGAP, said, "We believe the app will elevate the student experience by encouraging them to connect with other SGAP students, learn more about the political process and make a difference in their communities."