Ask Your Government for a Change
Research a local issue, write and send a polite letter or email with a parent's help to an elected official proposing one small community improvement.
Step-by-step guide to Ask Your Government for a Change
Step 1
Pick one local issue you care about like a broken playground swing a messy park or a missing crosswalk.
Step 2
Spend about 10 minutes learning about that issue by asking a parent or looking it up online.
Step 3
Write down three short facts you learned about the issue on your paper.
Step 4
Decide on one small improvement the community could make and write it as a single clear sentence.
Step 5
Ask a parent to help you find which elected official can help and write down their name and contact info.
Step 6
Start your draft letter or email by writing a polite greeting your name and where you live.
Step 7
Write one sentence that clearly asks for the improvement you chose.
Step 8
Add two short sentences that explain why this improvement would help your neighborhood.
Step 9
Add a polite closing sentence and sign your name at the end of the letter or email.
Step 10
Ask a parent to read your draft and help you make any edits.
Step 11
With your parent’s help send the letter by mail (address envelope add stamp and post it) or send the email to the official.
Step 12
Share your finished letter or email and a short note about your idea on DIY.org
Help!?
What can we use instead of stamps or an envelope if we can't mail the letter?
If you don't have an envelope or stamps for the 'send the letter by mail' step, you can type the draft into an email from your parent's account or print your letter on plain paper and hand-deliver it to the official's office with your parent's help.
What should we do if we can't find which elected official to contact?
If you can't find the official while following 'Ask a parent to help find which elected official can help,' check your city's official website or call city hall with your parent to get the correct name and contact info before writing.
How can this activity be adapted for different ages?
For younger children, have a parent read facts aloud while the child draws the issue and dictates the single clear improvement sentence, and for older kids spend the full 10 minutes researching online and add one data fact into the two explanatory sentences before sending the email.
How can we make our letter or email more powerful or personal?
After you 'send the letter by mail or send the email,' strengthen your request by collecting neighbor signatures on a one-page petition, including a photo of the problem, and posting the finished letter and a short note with that photo on DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to Ask Your Government for a Change
Together We Can | Important Symbols of our Democracy | PBS KIDS
3 Videos
Together We Can | Important Symbols of our Democracy | PBS KIDS
How Voters Decide: Crash Course Government and Politics #38
What Are The Three Branches of U.S. Government? | Your Democracy
Facts about civic engagement for kids
🏛️ Local governments make everyday choices — like where parks or crosswalks go — that shape your neighborhood.
✉️ Elected officials often rely on staff who read and summarize letters and emails from constituents.
📬 Short, polite letters with a clear request are easier for officials to act on than long complaints.
🌱 Many small improvements (benches, community gardens, safer crossings) began because a resident asked for them.
🤝 Youth voices matter: letters and petitions from young people have led to new school programs and local changes.
How do we research a local issue and write a polite letter or email to an elected official?
What materials do I need to write and send a letter or email to an elected official?
What ages is this 'Ask Your Government for a Change' activity suitable for?
What are the benefits of doing this activity with my child?
