The Prairie Landscape

Illinois Humanities Council Receives $20,000 Grant from the McCormick Tribune Foundation for Support of Capitol Forum

10/08/2003

CHICAGO - The Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) is pleased to announce that it has received a $20,000 grant from the McCormick Tribune Foundation (MTF) in support of Capitol Forum on America’s Future, a civic education initiative designed to give high school students a voice in the public debate about current international issues. The MTF grant will go towards materials and resources for teachers and accommodations and transportation for students. Capitol Forum on America’s Future is a national program; in addition to Illinois, participating states to date include Connecticut, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Utah.

In 1999, the IHC joined with the Watson Institute for International Studies and their "Choices for the 21st Century Project" at Brown University and the Illinois Secretary of State to bring Capitol Forum on America’s Future to Illinois. The goal of this project is to engage high school students in consideration of the nation’s role in a changing international environment.

Capitol Forum on America’s Future begins in the fall of each school year with workshops and planning sessions for teachers. High school social studies teachers receive and learn to use materials developed by the Watson Institute and work with their students throughout the school year to investigate the program’s yearly themes. Each year, more than 100 students from all over Illinois learn to analyze, discuss and evaluate our nation’s future in light of a changing international environment. During the year students master the issues in preparation for the program’s culminating event, The Capitol Forum.

During the final Capitol Forum event, each participating teacher or teacher team brings four to eight students to Springfield, Illinois, for a day of debate. Students deliberate, on the House Floor, issues of national and international concern including foreign trade, immigration, conflict resolution and the environment. Students then craft their own vision for America’s future, the results of which are shared with elected local and state officials. The heart of Capitol Forum is this exploration of four distinct visions or "Futures" for the United States in coming years. The Forum is broadcast live on the State’s legislative website and by IllinoisChannel on cable television. A number of students attending the event also serve as journalists for their school and community newspapers.

Students and teachers alike are enthusiastic about Capitol Forum. In the words of one Illinois teacher-participant, "[Capitol Forum] gave my students a chance to interact with students around the state and talk about issues they probably wouldn’t discuss by themselves." Student-participants agree: "I heard a lot of viewpoints that I wasn’t familiar with. It made me aware that my fellow citizens have a lot to say."

For more information about Capitol Forum or the IHC, please call (312) 422-5580 or visit www.prairie.org and click on "Programs."

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