Frequently Asked Questions

1. What counts as a Civics or YPAR project?

A project may qualify if you identify a real community issue, investigate the issue and its root causes, take informed action, and reflect on what you learned and accomplished.

YPAR (Youth Participatory Action Research) specifically centers youth voice and lived experience and uses research or data collection to inform action.

2. My school doesn’t have a Civics track. Can I still earn the State Seal of Civic Engagement?

Yes! Civic engagement can happen in many places—not just a Civics course.

Experiences may come from classroom projects, Ethnic Studies YPAR, clubs, student leadership, community organizations, IB projects, service learning, advocacy, and other activities.

What matters is that you can demonstrate meaningful civic engagement through your application and reflection.

3. Does YPAR have to be through UCSD’s Listen Lab?

No. YPAR is a research and action approach that any teacher or school can use. Participation in UCSD’s Listen Lab is not required.

A YPAR experience generally involves investigating an issue, gathering and analyzing information or data, and using what you learn to take informed action.

4. Can clubs, service projects, leadership, or community activities count?

Yes, they can!

Community service or participation alone does not automatically qualify. You should be able to explain the issue you were addressing, what you learned about it, the actions you took, and what you learned through the experience.

There is no minimum number of service hours required. The focus is on the quality and depth of your civic engagement.

5. Can I use a project I already completed?

Yes. You do not need to create a new project just for the SSCE.

You may use an experience from a class, club, community organization, leadership activity, or another setting as long as you can describe your participation, civic action, and learning.

6. Do group projects count?

Absolutely. Civic engagement often happens through collaboration.

If you participated in a group project, your application should clearly explain your individual contributions, learning, and growth within the larger project.

7. What if my project didn’t accomplish everything we hoped it would?

That’s okay. Civic engagement doesn’t always result in immediate change.

What matters is that you can explain what you tried, what happened, challenges you encountered, and what you learned from the experience.

The process matters—not just the final product.