Capitol Forum on America's Future, a year-long civic education initiative of the Choices Program at Brown University, raises international awareness and promotes educated civic exchange among high school students statewide.
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Capitol Forum educates high school students about controversial international issues and difficult choices facing America in the 21st century. Guided by their social studies teachers, students research, analyze and discuss core issues – particularly those focusing on human rights – in preparation for a public forum on the campus of Illinois State University (ISU), Normal, where they deliberate and debate these concerns with peers from across the state. The program gives students of History, Government, World Affairs, International Relations, Civics, Economics, and American Studies a voice in consideration of current U.S. foreign policy issues, and helps them develop a foundation for long-term civic engagement.
Illinois is one of a number of states affiliated with the Choices Program. Choices materials, which participating teachers receive free, complement the social studies curriculum and meet the state's standards for social studies education.
In their classrooms, students research, analyze, deliberate and debate five specific case studies in preparation for the culminating event, the Capitol Forum, at Illinois State University (ISU). There, representatives from schools across the state engage in extended dialogue with each other and with experts and policy makers, and craft an outreach project to be implemented following the Forum. By focusing on citizen advocacy and human rights issues, Capitol Forum aims to extend students’ involvement in these issues beyond the social studies classroom.
The Illinois Capitol Forum on America's Future is funded in part by the McCormick Foundation, and is presented in collaboration with the Illinois Humanities Council, the Illinois State University (ISU) and The Choices Program at Brown University.
