ENACT logo
THE EDUCATIONAL NETWORK
FOR ACTIVE CIVIC TRANSFORMATION

a national program based at Brandeis University
ENACT: Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation is a national, non-partisan program based at Brandeis University, engaging undergraduates at colleges and universities in state-level legislative change. Learn More
- ENACT Students & Alumni: search student work. Network with students and alumni. Click to Login
- ENACT Faculty Fellows: access ENACT teaching resources and student work.
- Public: access student work on bills from across the U.S., including op-eds, issue research and more.



Who we are & What you can do




What We Do

The ENACT: Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation is a national program engaging undergraduates at colleges and universities in state-level legislative change by learning to work with legislators, staffers, and community organizations to advance policy. It is becoming a major voice in addressing challenges to American democracy by engaging young people around the country in civic activism built on knowledge, cooperation, justice and integrity.



The ENACT Model

• Workshop: ENACT launched with a workshop at Brandeis University in May 2016. Under the leadership of the program’s academic director, ENACT Fellows shared ideas and worked on course development.
• Courses: In ENACT courses students learn about participating in the legislative and advocacy process at the state level, with a substantial hands-on component in which they engage directly in that process, as in the “Advocacy for Policy Change” course at Brandeis.
• Online Network: The ENACT Network is a national in-person and online network of students, faculty, activists and legislators. It is a strategic and information hub for state-level players that enables them to connect with counterparts throughout the country.



Public resources




Transformations Through Civic Engagement: A National Evaluation of the ENACT Course on Student Attitudes, Knowledge, and Behavior

  • Description:
    A National Evaluation of the ENACT Course on Student Attitudes, Knowledge, and Behavior. Students who enrolled in ENACT courses between January 2022-May 2023 were surveyed immediately following completion of their course (or as a final course activity). The survey asked about students’ attitudes, knowledge, and behavior around civic engagement, as well as their perceptions of the impact the ENACT course had on them. During this period, 32 ENACT courses ran with approximately 333 total students enrolled across courses. In total, 143 students (31%) from 16 schools (73%) completed the survey. Authored by Kaitie Chakoian, Ph.D. Candidate Social Policy: Economic & Racial Equity, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University and Melissa Stimell, JD, Professor of the Practice, Director ENACT, The Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation Brandeis University.
  • State:
    Not state-specific
  • Link:
    click me
  • Institution:
    Brandeis University
  • Author:
    Kaitie Chakoian, Melissa Stimell
  • Topic(s)/Issue(s):

Transforming the Civic Engagement of Future Generations: A Pilot Evaluation of the Impact of the ENACT Course on Alumni Civic Engagement and Career Trajectories

  • Description:
    Key Findings • ENACT Alumni feel competent to participate politically and feel that their participation can have an impact on political outcomes. This political efficacy translates to heightened levels of civic engagement. • ENACT Alumni are more civically engaged than a national sample of U.S. residents. They vote in national, state, local, and primary elections at very high rates, as well as participate in various other forms of civic engagement such as attending public rallies and demonstrations and donating money to campaigns or causes that are important to them. • ENACT Alumni retain knowledge and skills from the Advocacy for Policy Change course. The knowledge of the political process they learned in the ENACT course allows them to continue to engage with it. They use the skills they learned through hands-on advocacy projects in their professional careers. • ENACT Alumni credit the course with impacting their professional journeys in various ways. Alumni have gone on to graduate school, and many have pursued law degrees. They note the impact of what they learned in the class, the networks they developed, and the mentorship of ENACT faculty.
  • State:
    MA
  • Link:
    click me
  • Institution:
    Brandeis University
  • Author:
    Kaitie Chakoian, Charlotte Powley, Melissa Stimell
  • Topic(s)/Issue(s):

Healthy Youth Act Storybook

  • Description:
    A storybook on the Healthy Youth Act done by Brandeis students Tori Sanchez and Sabrina Bell in Spring of 2021.
  • State:
    MA
  • Link:
    click me
  • Institution:
    Brandeis University
  • Author:
    Sabrina Bell, Tori Sanchez
  • Topic(s)/Issue(s):
    education,LGBTQ+,public health,violence and sexual assault








Events




Present and Defend – Brandeis ENACT students advocate for Massachusetts legislation

  • Description:
    Present and Defend – Brandeis ENACT students advocate for Massachusetts legislation: Join us Tuesday, April 25, 2023 from 10:00-11:15 AM at Alumni Lounge in the Usdan Student Center at Brandeis University for “Present and Defend” and exercise your right to influence public policy! (If interested in joining via Zoom contact ENACT@brandeis.edu before April 13.) The students of the Brandeis University ENACT course “Advocacy for Policy Change” (LGLS 161b) will try to persuade you to vote for their bills, which are currently being considered by the Massachusetts State Legislature. Bill topics include gun control, housing and homelessness, immigrant rights, juvenile justice, menstrual equity, pregnancy care, sex education, universal school meals, and water resources management. "Advocacy for Policy Change" is a part of ENACT: The Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation, a national non-partisan program based at Brandeis. Across the United States undergraduates in ENACT courses engage directly with their state legislatures. In 2022 ENACT completed its expansion to all 50 U.S. states: http://www.brandeis.edu/ethics/ENACT/index.html For more information, email enact@brandeis.edu.
    https://enact-resources.s3.amazonaws.com/DSC_8605.JPG
  • Date:

    Tue Apr 25 2023 14:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

  • Start time:

    Tue Apr 25 2023 14:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

  • End time:

    Tue Apr 25 2023 15:15:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

  • Link:
    click me

ENACT Networking Night for Students and Alumni

  • Description:
    Are you wondering where ENACT will take you? Curious about how to use your time in ENACT to find a career you love? Want to interact with established professionals involved with politics and advocacy all across the country? Join us for our April 2023 ENACT NETWORKING NIGHT! Come learn about the post-college journeys of some ENACT alums and get a chance to engage with them one-on-one! Featured alumni include: Myeisha Boyd, MPA - Senior Analyst, Goldman Sachs (University of Hartford '17) Kate Alexander, MPA - Policy and Campaigns Officer at MADRE and Board Chair of Peace Action Fund of New York State (Brandeis '12) Zosia Busé- J...
    https://enact-resources.s3.amazonaws.com/2023 ENACT Networking Night.png
  • Date:

    Thu Apr 20 2023 23:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

  • To view details, Click to Login

Brandeis ENACT Students Visit Massachusetts State House

  • Description:
    The Brandeis ENACT class visited Beacon Hill, hosted by State Senator Becca Rausch. They met with legislators and legislative aides to discuss the bills students are working on. Pictured: Amanda Lanciult ’23 and Vishni Samaraweera '23 meet with State Senator Patricia Jehlen and a legislative aide to State Representative Jay Livingstone in the Senate Reading Room at the Massachusetts State House (left to right). Photo: David J. Weinstein
    https://enact-resources.s3.amazonaws.com/DSC_8636_final.jpg
  • Date:

    Tue Feb 14 2023 16:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

  • Start time:

    Tue Feb 14 2023 16:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

  • End time:

    Tue Mar 14 2023 18:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

  • Link:
    click me






Join Us




For Students

• Are you a student in an ENACT course? Contact your professor for the PIN you need to login, create a profile. You will then be able to access all resources, and upload your own work. Already have a profile? Login above to gain full access to the site.

• Are you an alum of an ENACT course? If you do not already have a profile, contact ENACT@brandeis.edu to request a pin. Include the year and school where you took the ENACT course.

For Professors

• Are you an ENACT Faculty Fellow? Login above to gain full access to the site.
• Are you interested in teaching an ENACT course? Contact ENACT@brandeis.edu

For Public

• Are you an interested member of the public? Search publicly available resources created by ENACT students from across the United States. You can browse, enter a keyword in the search box, or search using any or all of the categories below. For example, search by content type, issue area, state, and more.




Intro Videos

What is ENACT?

A Brief Tour of enactnetwork.org