CIVICS OBJECTIVES
• Identify effective ways to safeguard families and homes.
• Identify a local community need or civic-oriented complaint; research and address the issue.
• Locate and analyze preschool and childcare services in the community.
• Locate and map important places in the community, the state, and the country, and list services available or importance of each location.
• Research and describe the cultural backgrounds that reflect the local cross-cultural society.
• Describe and access services offered at DMV and read, interpret and identify legal response to regulations, roadside signs, and traffic signals.
• Interact with educational institutions including schools for children and schools or agencies with programs for adult learners.
• Identify educational opportunities and research education/training required to achieve a personal goal.
• Demonstrate basic knowledge and awareness of the emergency services available in the community and ways to contact and use emergency services and legal assistance agencies.
• Follow appropriate procedures and access community-assistance agencies available in the case of an emergency or disaster
• Analyze community resources and find appropriate ways to solve family problems (teenage children, substance abuse, spousal abuse, and gang violence).
• Access services in the community available to seniors.
• Access local and state agencies that specialize in immigrant rights and orientation to the new culture.
• Describe and evaluate children’s extra-curricular community activities.
• Access resources on parenting skills that help children at different levels of development.
• Access leisure-time, cultural and/or recreational resources.
• Access appropriate websites, yellow pages, and the library to obtain relevant and/or pertinent community service information.
• Describe ways to prevent accidents and avoid becoming a crime victim.
• Describe ways, such as neighborhood watch, to prevent personal accidents and avoid becoming crime victim.
• Identify and describe volunteer opportunities in the community.

Advocacy
http://www.charmeck.org/living/home.htm

Child Care
http://www.childcareresourcesinc.org/ An organization serving Mecklenburg and surrounding counties with information on daycare and after-school programs.
http://www.childcareaware.org/en/5steps/5 Steps to Choosing Quality Childcare

Directory
http://www.charmeck.org

Diversity
http://www.teachersdomain.org/special/civil/ Interactive presentation of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Includes lessons and materials for teachers.

Department of Motor Vehicles
http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/ North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles

Education
http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/ Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
http://www.ncccs.cc.nc.us/ North Carolina Community College System
http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/ North Carolina Department of Education
http://www.cfnc.org/ The College Foundation of North Carolina

Emergency
http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Police/Home.htm Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department

Family
http://www.zerotofive.org/home.asp/ A one-stop source of quality information about the health, development and education of pre-school children - for families, educators, and anyone interested in issues that affect children.
http://www.charlotte-parents.com/drupal/familyresourcepage/ Charlotte Parents

Senior Services
http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Just1Call/ENG/Home.htm/ Just1Call provides a unique service to the community with the help of experienced professionals and an extensive database of public and private organizations in Mecklenburg County that provide products and services to seniors and adults with disabilities. The provider database is maintained in partnership with the United Way of Central Carolinas.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Department of Social Services offers senior nutrition programs, transportation, protection against elder abuse and other programs for seniors and families. (704) 336-3171, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
Elderly General Purpose Transportation offers affordable rides in Mecklenburg County to people 60 and older. (704) 353-1500
Centralina Area Agency on Aging publishes Consumer's Guide to Housing and Long-Term Care; ombudsmen keep track of quality in assisted-living centers, nursing homes and other housing for the elderly. (704) 372-2416, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Immigrant Resources
www.ins.gov/ The Charlotte office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service is located at 210 E. Woodlawn Road, Suite 138, Building 6, Charlotte, NC; Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The office is closed on Saturday and Sunday and on Federal holidays.
http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Mayor/International+Cabinet/Resources/Advocacy+and+Social+Service+Organizations.htm#LatinAmericanCoalition/ Major’s International Cabinet includes a listing of community resources for immigrants in Charlotte and surrounding areas.
www.latinamericancoalition.org/ Latin American Coalition, Inc. Mission: To empower the Latino community by providing enhanced information and education initiatives that will promote full Hispanic participation in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region.
Contact: Angeles Ortega, Executive Director; Address: 5471-A Central Avenue; Charlotte NC 28212; Phone: 704-531-3848, Fax: 704-531-3850
www.ihclt.org/ International House. Offers Citizenship Classes/ESL / English Tutoring Program. Contact: Raquel Lunch, Community Services Director—Immigration Advocacy Project; Contact: David Stewart, Immigration Services Director; Address: 322 Hawthorne Lane; Charlotte NC 28204; Phone: 704-333-8099 Fax: 704-334-2423; Languages Spoken: English, French, Russian, Spanish/

Parenting
http://www.hffa.com/main.cfm?pagename=programs_family/ Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics
http://charlotte-eba.com/things.html/ A list of things to do and places to go with children in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area.
http://www.adajenkins.org/ Provides education, health and family services to families in need

Recreation
http://www.charlottechamber.com/content.cfm?category_level_id=157&content_id=365 Arts and Entertainment resources in Charlotte.
http://www.co.mecklenburg.nc.us/Departments/park+and+rec/home.asp/ Parks and Recreations website for Charlotte.

Resources
http://www.ihclt.org/bls.php#bls Basic Life Skills Manual begins with an introduction to the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, detailing the structure of local government and the range of services provided by the city and county. The following chapters offer information about particular local agencies, such as the Police Department, Fire Department, Community Relations Committee, Department of Social Services, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library, among others, as well as topics including housing, legal issues, banking and employment opportunities. Throughout the guide, there are tips and suggestions to help the reader better understand how to access available services and learn vocabulary and phrasing appropriate to each topic area.
http://www.ihclt.org/ International House includes more than twenty different programs and services, including citizenship classes, the English Tutor Program, Doorways Women’s Group, International House Book Club, and more.
http://hub1.worlded.org/docs/vera/index1.htm/ Civic Participation and Community Action Sourcebook.

Security
http://www.charlottecrime.com A prevention website with records checks, police links, crime stats, wanted list, repot a crime, fugitives, kidnappings, federal agencies, etc.

Volunteers
http://www.volunteermatch.org/orgs/org49851.html Volunteer Matching Services