Students from University City High School, Parkway North High School, St. Joseph's Academy, and Rosati-Kain High School at Civitas Active Citizenship Conference discuss educational reform issues to present to MO State Senator Jeff Smith.
Dear Arthur,
Notes:
- Hundreds of photos from last weekend's Active Citizenship conference are available by clicking here.
- The Active Citizenship dialogue continues. See below for information on how to join our on-line forum. The first topic is sex education in schools.
Dozens of proposals, many having to do with a Student Bill of Rights, were suggested by students at the conclusion of the Active Citizenship Conference. Reflecting the seriousness of purpose by the students, the only two that received spontaneous ovations were abolishing the electoral college and eliminating superdelegates from the presidential nominating process. Reflecting upon the miscarriage of electoral will in 2000 and the potential confusion in 2008, students want democracy to to be transparent, fair, and convenient for all voters.
The conference was part of an ongoing project in promoting active citizenship. The conference gave students an opportunity to reach consensus on some proposals and to set the table for further discussion on others. We will further hash out the issues in discussion groups and on-line, with the new Civitas web forum.
The conference began with students working in three committees to discuss a series of "starter questions" on active citizenship with emphasis on the rights, responsibilities, and privileges in a democracy. This set the stage for each committee to divide into three project groups: (a) developing a student bill of rights, (b) taking MO State Senator Jeff Smith's challenge for students to propose ideas for legislation, and (c) reforming elections in the United States to ensure more equal participation by all citizens.
Saturday morning, the project groups from each committee joined together to compare and critique ideas and to finalize recommendations. The work was challenging, the stakes were high, but the rewards of new ideas formulated through collaborative thinking made it worthwhile.
Most photos by Marian Brickner
|
|
The project is being documented by film-maker Frank Popper ("Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?"). Frank is combining group discussions with individual interviews. As the school year proceeds and more students are involved in their own active citizenship projects, Frank will often be there to record their contributions.
|
|
Active Citizenship Forum -- Let's Start With Sex Ed
Active Citizenship is like a hub where all kinds of concerns, constituencies, and convictions come together. If it was easy, it would all be collaboration; in reality there is an element of conflict.
One of the issues that was discussed in the conference was sex education in schools. Options include (a) None, (b) Abstinence only, (c) Optional comprehensive education, and (d) Mandatory comprehensive education.
We want the thoughts of everyone in our community who is interested in sharing their views. With our new web site, we have a forum, where you can go and present your own thoughts and respond to others. Here's how to use the forum:
Joining the New Civitas Forum is easy! 1. The first step should always be finding the forum. Ours is located at http://www.civitas-stl.com/forum/ . (There will be a link to it on the home page of the website but feel free to book mark it as well) 2. Once you’ve found the forum (congrats!) you’ll need to join if you want to post things. Right under the Civitas logo on the upper left hand side of the page is a nifty little button called “Register” hit it. Agree to the rules, fill out the next page (don’t worry, it’s short), and you’re good to go. 3. Almost good to go. Now you need to sign in. (You’ve signed in to something before, right?) Just toss in your user name and password and you should be logged in.
From here it’s pretty self explanatory. Read the boards. Post something. You can even start your own thread. Just keep in mind a few things. Civitas has the right to delete any posts deemed “offensive”. We’d also like to keep the flame wars and trolling to a minimum.
To enter the discussion on Sex Ed, go to the Active Citizenship board [listed on the left] and then the Sex Ed thread [listed on the right]. If you have any questions, e-mail us at info@civitas-stl.com or call (314) 367-6480.
Upcoming Civitas Events
(Actual events in bold -- always subject to change when change occurs!) Black: High School Blue: Middle School | Date | Time | Place | Activities | | Mon., 02/25 | 4:00 PM -
5:00 PM | "The Heights" (Richmond Heights Community Center) | Middle School MUN Teacher Meeting #3 (Resolution Selection) | | Sat., 03/01 | 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Crossroads | High School Discussion #12 | Sat.,
03/15 | 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Crossroads | High School Discussion #13 |
|
|
New Civitas Web Site
Thanks to some wonderful work by CIO Services, Civitas has a new web site. It is not completely finished, but we are adding important pages to it every day. Navigation is much easier and our aesthetics have moved from the early 1990s to the present. www.kidswhothink.org
|
|
Middle School Teacher Meeting Next Monday
On Monday, February 25, classroom teachers will converge on The Heights (map) for one last meeting to iron out the details for their spring General Assembly sessions. The meeting on the 25th will last from 4:00 until 5:00 and teachers are asked to bring rough drafts (or at least the topics) of their resolutions. We look forward to seeing everyone there! Middle School Model UN had a very busy month! Lisa and Arthur (98% by Lisa) just finished visiting all of the schools participating in the program, working with the students on understanding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and how to write a UN resolution for their session in the spring. In the course of the visits, there were interesting conversations about infant mortality rates, the difficulties of funding new programs, and even the art of diplomacy. The students were remarkably attentive and inquisitive, and we can’t wait to see the resolutions they come up with.
|
|
Arthur H. Lieber 314-367-6480 |
|
|
Civitas Associates 10845 Olive Blvd.
Suite #155
Saint Louis, Missouri 63141-7760 Phone: (314) 367-6480
Fax: (314) 367-7742 Tuesday, February 12, 2008
(Abraham Lincoln would
be 199 years old today)
|
|
|
