A Changemakers Media Lab initiative
CivWiz is an innovative and interactive mobile app designed to promote civic engagement, awareness, and education among the University community and beyond. This Pitt Seed-funded mobile gaming application project aims to foster and assess student civic and cultural literacy across academic disciplines and increase student access to and engagement in civic learning beyond traditional civic learning mediums. CivWiz aims to address the critical need for the University, and higher education at large, to prioritize campus environments that integrate civic learning into students’ educational experiences across all academic disciplines to equip them to address a spectrum of societal challenges facing them in an increasingly polarized sociopolitical and sociocultural climate (Matto, McCartney, Bennion, & Simpson, 2017).
Empower and connect with CivWiz: Your free ticket to gamified civic learning and vibrant community discussions that together foster a more informed and engaged citizenry.
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Download CivWiz on Google Play and the Apple Store.
Questions? Reach out to cbd27@pitt.edu and civwiz@pitt.edu.
Meet the CivWiz team:
Connor Diaz, Class of 2025
Hello, my name is Connor Diaz, and I am a senior pursuing a degree in history and law and criminal justice & society. I am a Chancellor's Scholar, a Brackenridge Fellow, a Newman Fellow, and CivWiz's Outreach and Content Lead. I joined CivWiz in January 2022 as a question writer and have been with the project since. In the future, I hope to attend law school and start a civil rights firm.
Kiara Evans (Class of 2028)
Hello, my name is Kiara Evans, and I am a first year planning to declare a biochemistry major and history minor. I am very interested in history and the government as a whole. I believe spreading civic awareness will lead people to make an impact on the government, whether through voting or joining organizations. I wanted to be a part of the CivWiz team since they contributed to this issue by spreading information on civics to create a more educated population.
Hunter Foster (Class of 2025)
Hello, my name is Hunter Foster and I am a fourth year student majoring in digital narrative and interactive design with minors in information science and law, criminal justice & society. I wanted to join the CivWiz team because I feel the work being done with the app is crucial in today's world, where misinformation and disinformation is spread widely and rapidly. Providing a reliable source of verified, accessible information empowers people to make informed decisions, especially on civic matters.
Shriya Krishnamurthhy (Class of 2028)
Hi, my name is Shriya Krishanmurthhy and I am a first year student planning to major in electrical engineering. I wanted to join CivWiz because I am interested in combining my love for technology and my experiences with civic and community engagement to bring civic literacy to various communities. I took AP Government in high school and was a poll worker, which made me interested in civics. Realizing the lack of civic literacy in the US, I wanted to help be part of a solution, and CivWiz is doing just that!
Vivian Greenwood (Class of 2027)
Hello! My nwame is Vivian Greenwood, I am a current second year majoring in public health and political science. I'm also pursuing a human rights and social justice certificate. I run the social media, send the biweekly CivWiz newsletter, and create promotional materials related to CivWiz. I wanted to join CivWiz because I believe its the perfect intersection of education and empathy -- one can be gained through the other, and each are essential to a thriving democracy.
Kumar Chinmay, MBA candidate
I'm Kumar Chinmay, an MBA candidate specializing in business analytics with a background as a software developer at Akamai. Currently working as a Product Manager at Coherent, I’m focused on advancing my career in product management by driving innovative solutions and strategic growth. I joined CivWiz to contribute to impactful civic engagement projects and apply my analytical skills toward meaningful change. Fun fact: I’m a big soccer fan and love discovering new cuisines!