What does the future of democracy look like on Mount Desert Island? Join us on Zoom for a presentation and community discussion led by MDI Historical Society intern, Chebacco author, and lifelong MDI resident, Sabrina Calas. This program is a collaboration with the Jesup Memorial Library.

While national trends show a decline in youth civic participation, Sabrina Calas’ research, conducted during her internship with the MDI Historical Society, uncovers a different story. Drawing from her article in the 2026 Chebacco, Sabrina will explore how we teach citizenship within MDIRSS AOS 91 and beyond. Through interviews with local educators and officials, she highlights the ways our students are spearheading community initiatives with maturity and drive.

Sabrina Calas is a lifelong MDI resident, having gone through Conners Emerson Elementary School in Bar Harbor and graduating from Mount Desert Island High School in 2020. She received her BFA in Political Science from the University of Southern Maine in 2024 and returned to the island, focusing on community organizing, grassroots movement-building, and investigating civic engagement on MDI and beyond. Sabrina explored civic engagement through an internship with the MDI Historical Society in the spring of 2025. She currently works at Triple Chick Farm and believes that helping provide year-round access to locally grown, organic produce is one of many ways to keep the community mobilized and organized amidst uncertainty and political turbulence.