Levers of Change: Chicago-Kent Staff Member Honored with Civic Champion Award
“You can teach students the three branches of government, but teaching them access to power, access to change, is equally important,” says Dee Runaas, project director of Chicago-Kent College of Law’s Constitutional Democracy Project.
Runaas was awarded the Darlene Ruscitti Civic Champion Award by the Democracy Schools Network, a partnership of 90 Illinois schools who have made a commitment to providing civics education to their students. The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate outstanding commitment to expanding the scope and reach of civic learning in Illinois.
Named after Darlene Ruscitti, a trailblazing supporter of civic education and a longtime school administrator in suburban Chicago, the award celebrates those who advance her legacy of advocacy, leadership, and dedication to preparing young people for engaged citizenship.
“Trying to protect our institutions is my newfound passion,” says Runaas. “When the balance of the three branches is broken down, it’s literally only the law that’s there to save us. Trying to make people understand that is both challenging and yet strangely rewarding.”
Runaas has been in the field of civics education for more than 30 years. She began her career as a law-related education coordinator for the state bar of Wisconsin before moving to the Constitutional Rights Foundation in Chicago, where she began her current job directing the Constitutional Democracy Project. The project offers high-quality, hands-on civics education programs and teaching materials focused on the United States Constitution, law, and policy for middle school and high school students and their teachers.
In 2020 the Constitutional Democracy Project became part of Chicago-Kent, where Runaas has worked since.
“Teaching students how to access the levers of change is really important,” says Runaas. “As trite as it sounds, they are our future generation. I think they’re going to do a better job at it than we’ve been doing.”
