Decision Making

Awareness & Understanding

Every day you make hundreds of choices — what to eat, who to hang out with, how to spend your time. But have you ever thought about how you actually make those decisions? Start by paying attention for one full day. Each time you make a choice, ask yourself: Am I doing this because I thought it through, or just because it felt easy? Watch iCivics.org's "Executive Command" to see how leaders weigh trade-offs. Talk to a parent, teacher, or mentor about a big decision they once made and how they approached it. You're ready for the next step when you can describe two different ways people make decisions and what the trade-offs are for each.

Research & Investigation

Smart decisions are built on good information. Pick one real decision you or your community faces — maybe it's choosing an extracurricular activity, or how SLC should spend park improvement money. Research it using at least three sources: one from a trusted news outlet (Salt Lake Tribune, KSL), one from a government site (slc.gov or utah.gov), and one from a person you interview. Make a simple pros-and-cons chart. Khan Academy's "Probability and Statistics" section can help you understand how to weigh uncertain outcomes. You're ready for the next step when you have a completed pros-and-cons chart with sources listed for each item.

Planning & Preparation

Now build a decision-making framework you can reuse. Try the "5 Whys" method: state your decision, then ask "why does this matter?" five times to find the real reason behind it. Also try a simple decision matrix — list your options across the top and your most important values down the side, then score each option. Tools like these help you make decisions you can explain and defend. Practice using your framework on a low-stakes choice first (like picking a weekend activity) before applying it to something bigger. You're ready for the next step when you have used a decision matrix or the 5 Whys on at least two different decisions.

Taking Action

Put your framework into action on a real community decision. Attend a public meeting where decisions are made — try a SLC City Council work session, a school board meeting (Salt Lake City School District streams theirs), or a neighborhood council meeting. Watch how the decision-makers gather input, weigh options, and explain their choices. Afterward, write a one-paragraph summary of the decision process you observed: what information did they use, whose voices were heard, and what was decided? You're ready for the next step when you have attended or watched a real public decision-making meeting and written your summary.

Leadership & Expansion

Help others make better decisions by teaching your framework. Create a simple one-page worksheet based on the decision matrix or 5 Whys method and share it with your class, a younger sibling, or a community group. You could also approach student government at your school and propose using a structured decision framework for one upcoming group choice — like planning a school event or allocating student activity funds. Utah's student government association (USGA) has resources for youth civic leadership you can tap as well. You're ready for the next step when at least three other people have used your framework and given you feedback on it.

Impact & Reflection

Reflect on how your decision-making has changed. Look back at a choice you made before this quest and compare it to a recent one. Write a reflection that covers: which framework worked best for you and why, one decision you made better because of what you learned, and one area where you still find it hard to decide well. Share your reflection with a teacher or mentor. If you want to go further, submit a short op-ed to your school newspaper about why teaching decision-making skills in schools matters for democracy. You're ready for the next step when you can teach someone else your preferred decision-making method in under five minutes.