APB Students Propose Policy Changes in Their Community

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Every day, when Ánimo Pat Brown Charter High School senior Viviana Hernandez drives home from school, she’s reminded of a persistent community problem: potholes. In the worst potholes, her car tire drops in, hits the pothole wall, and shakes the car as it struggles to move forward. It’s a constant annoyance that’s damaging her car, but where most people complain and often do nothing, Hernandez is hoping to fix the problem through a new opportunity in her Advanced Placement Government class.

Students in Joel Snyder’s AP Government class recently had the opportunity to pilot LawMaker, a website that provides users with a platform to voice their concerns to their government officials through the creation and promotion of new public policies. Amit Thakkar, a political consultant in California, and his partner Jon Brennan, a coder in New York, created the site to empower Americans.

"I believe the biggest thing we can teach anyone, is that there are countless ways to make a difference in the political world around you regardless of who you are."

-Amit Thakkar

LawMaker allows users to create a policy, share it widely via social media, rally support, and publicly send policy proposals to elected officials.

Their hope is that the website will serve as a reminder that every person in this country can be heard by our government. “I believe the biggest thing we can teach anyone, is that there are countless ways to make a difference in the political world around you regardless of who you are,” said Thakkar.