PORTLAND — The KIDS Consortium will offer a free Project Citizen Workshop for middle and high school educators from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, at Lyman Moore Middle School Library. Preregistration is required at www.kidsconsortium.org.

Throughout the day, educators will discover how to engage students in a cooperative learning process as they identify and research solutions to a public policy issue in their communities.

Matt Robinson, education consultant at KIDS, coordinates Project Citizen in Maine with the National Center for Civic Education. Project Citizen is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and is co-sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

KIDS Consortium, based in Auburn, is a nonprofit organization promoting hands-on learning by offering professional development for educators and community organizations.