Civic Lens USA is a storytelling and reflection-based civic platform rooted in the belief that civic engagement grows from self-knowledge. When people understand who they are and what matters to them, participation becomes natural and meaningful.
We exist to help individuals, especially young people and young women of color, understand their relationship to civics through identity, culture, and lived experience.
The most important opinion you will ever develop is the one you have of yourself.
Most people spend their lives forming opinions about everyone else, yet rarely stop to form a clear opinion of themselves.
Over time, other people’s expectations, labels, and assumptions begin to shape how we see who we are.
The Opinion of Me Journal was created to interrupt that pattern. Instead of absorbing everyone else’s perception of you, this journal invites you to pause, reflect, and develop something far more powerful: a strong opinion of yourself.
Through thoughtful prompts and guided reflection, the journal helps you explore the experiences that shaped you, the values that matter to you, and the beliefs that influence how you move through the world. The goal is not to become someone new, but to become more grounded in who you already are.
When you develop a clear understanding of yourself, you begin to move through the world differently. You walk into rooms with more confidence. You make decisions with more clarity. And you become far less influenced by other people’s perceptions of who they think you should be.
This digital edition allows you to write directly into the journal using your tablet or stylus. The downloadable file is fully compatible with journaling apps like GoodNotes, making it easy to reflect, write, and revisit your entries whenever you need to reconnect with your own perspective.
Because the strongest voice in your life should be your own.
