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Illinois High School Students Head to State Capitol for International Civic Education Program
WHEN: Thursday, March 8, 2007, 6:00 p.m.-9 p.m., University of Illinois Springfield
Guest policy makers meet with student delegates to deliberate international issues. Guests include:
Dr. Stephen Shulman, Endowed Chair, International Relations Department, Southern Illinois University; Marie Tipsord, Attorney to Chair of the Illinois Pollution Control Board, Dr. Stephen Schwark, Director, International Studies Program, University of Illinois, Springfield; Ross Harano, CEO U.S. International Logistics Center.
Friday, March 9, 2007, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Keynote address, Dr. James Winship, Scholar, U.S.-China Relations, Augustana College, Rock Island.
Live deliberation in House Chamber from 1:00 to 3:15 P.M. (approximately).
WHERE: Illinois State Capitol, Springfield, House Chamber
WHAT: 8th Annual Illinois Capitol Forum on America’s Future: a live deliberation between high school students concerning our nation’s role in a changing international climate, addressing such issues as the environment, terrorism, global economy, nuclear proliferation and immigration. More than 130 Illinois students gather on the State House floor to craft their own vision for America’s future, the results of which are shared with elected officials and policymakers on local and state levels.
Through the assistance of the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, Capitol Forum will be streamed live on the internet www.ilga.gov. This will enable high school social studies classrooms across the state to experience this dynamic program as it is happening in the House Chamber.
WHO: High School students and Social Studies teachers from the following Illinois schools:
-Judah Christian School, Champaign
-SIUE-E St. Louis Charter School, East St. Louis
-Eureka High School, Eureka
-Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Flossmoor
-Lockport Township High School, Lockport
-Bureau Valley High School, Manlius
-Newark High School, Newark
-Normal Community High School, Normal
-Normal Community West High School, Normal
-Pontiac Township High School, Pontiac
-Streamwood High School, Streamwood
-Farragut Career Academy, Chicago
-E.S.P. Lafayette Center, Jacksonville
-Geneva Community High School, Geneva
-York Community High School, Elmhurst
Granite City High School, Granite City
Hinsdale South High School, Darien
BACKGROUND: The Illinois Humanities Council, along with the Secretary of State’s Office, presents the eighth Illinois Capitol Forum on Americas Future . The project, coordinated nationally by the Choices for the 21st Century Education Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute of International Studies, is intended to lay a foundation for student awareness of contested international issues, and for civic engagement.
Illinois is one of 13 states chosen by Brown University to participate in its Choices initiative.This year’s Capitol Forum was sponsored in part by a grant from the McCormick Tribune Foundation (MTF). The MTF grant helped supply materials and resources for teachers and accommodations and transportation for students.
The Illinois Humanities Council is an educational organization dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Through its programs and grants, the IHC promotes greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. Organized as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1973, the IHC is now a private nonprofit (501 [c] 3) organization that is funded by contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations; by the Illinois General Assembly; and by the NEH.
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