NORMAL, IL- April 5, 2012— This April, the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) will be bringing together students from six Illinois high schools and experts to learn about and deliberate on citizen advocacy and human rights issues, expanding their involvement beyond the classroom.
The Capitol Forum on America’s Future, a program of the Illinois Humanities Council, will take place Thursday, April 12, 2012 at the Bone Student Center at Illinois University in Normal Illinois.
In existence since 1999, the civic education initiative returns after a year of planning and re-imagining. This year’s program focuses on various human rights issues, including freedom of expression, right to health, rights of children, and military intervention for human rights. Guided by their social studies teachers, students read, analyzed, and discussed these issues in advance through case studies, and each school chose delegates to represent them at the Forum. The delegates will deliberate these case studies, meet with various guest experts, engage in a human rights simulation, and design a final outreach project to be completed by students in their classrooms.
The six schools attending the Forum are Eureka High School (Eureka, IL), Maine East High School (Park Ridge, IL), East Peoria Community High School (Peoria, IL), Newark High School (Newark, IL), and Normal Community High School and Normal Community West High School (Normal, IL).
Guest experts will be:
Richard Hughes, Associate Professor of History, Illinois State University
Maryam Judar, Community Lawyer, Citizen Advocacy Center
Greg Koos, Executive Director, McLean County Museum of History
Patrice Olsen, Associate Professor of History, Illinois State University
Kathren Sammis, Lecturer, School of Communication, Illinois State University
The Illinois Capitol Forum on America’s Future will take place Thursday, April 12, 2012, 8:30-3:30pm, at the Bone Student Center at Illinois State University, (100 N. University St.) in Normal, Illinois., Illinois. For more information on the Capitol Forum, please call Carole Cosimano at 312.422.5580 or visit www.prairie.org.
About the Illinois Humanities Council
The Illinois Humanities Council is an independent, nonprofit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. The IHC creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and private funds.
Media Contact:
Carlos Velázquez
(312) 422-5580, x233
cav@prairie.org
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