The Essential Elements of Public Achievement

• Participation in Public Achievement is voluntary.
• Public Achievement involves children, youth and adults, all of whom are treated as equal citizens.
• Citizens participating in Public Achievement work in small groups known as teams.
  Teams are usually composed of younger citizens and an older more experienced citizen known as a coach (who might also be a teacher). The mission of the coach is to guide, facilitate and educate the other team members towards becoming effective citizens. Strictly speaking the coach is not a team leader but a fellow citizen and team member.
• PA teams adopt their own rules and consequences. However, the teacher/coach, as the most experienced and knowledgeable member, maintains ultimate responsibility for keeping the team on task by maintaining order, direction and momentum.
  Citizens in PA join teams to work on issues or problems in which they have an interest.
• PA team meetings are public and strive to be democratic. Equal participation and respect of all team members is the ideal.
  Teachers must be oriented and prepared in the philosophy, concepts and techniques of PA.
• PA teams engage only in actions that are legal, peaceful, nonviolent, respectful of, and civil toward other people.
• Teams practice regular self-evaluation as a way of learning, planning and improving. They use democratic core concepts and language and rotate roles in meetings.
• Teachers and/or coaches should meet together after PA team meetings to evaluate and debrief group progress.