IMPACT for High School students
Join us for Impact – a unique and engaging virtual program designed to help middle school and high school students develop the skills necessary to pursue a passion, tackle a community need, and form a network with other young leaders from across the country. The National Network of Schools in Partnership and Close Up Foundation have partnered to offer Impact, a program designed to help young people connect to the world around them, develop their sense of purpose, and empower them to make a local impact on global issues. Led by Close Up Instructors, Impact has two program options:
IMPACT: CREATING YOUTH ADVOCATES
A major focus of education is preparing young people for their roles as citizens in a democracy. Now more than ever, young people want to play a pivotal role in developing solutions and addressing inequities in the United States. During the 2022-23 school year, Close Up & the National Network of Schools in Partnership (NNSP) will bring together students from across the country to build the tools and knowledge to meaningfully engage with systemic issues and become catalysts for effective change in their communities.
Over the course of the program, students will deliberate about pressing national issues; explore the political and structural barriers to equity in our country; deepen understanding of existing campaigns for change; and work together to create meaningful solutions. By engaging young people from communities nationwide in meaningful dialogue, we aim to help students develop empathy for the perspectives of others and build the skills and confidence needed to empower a generation of change-makers.
Deliberating Systemic Issues: How can you engage on controversial issues that matter to you and build empathy for diverse ideas and perspectives?
Six online synchronous 75-minute sessions starting October 11, 2022
Students will develop a deeper understanding of complex policy challenges facing the nation, connect those issues to longstanding values and tensions, and gain a rich understanding of the value of deliberation in a democracy. Students will examine major policy issues, evaluate proposals that represent a range of viewpoints, and consider, as a group, how to best address these issues. After developing a better understanding of their own values and priorities, students will participate in a training to develop the facilitation skills to lead controversial issue discussions in their own school communities.
Community Impact Symposium: Race, Justice, and Equity: How can you create positive, systemic change in your school or local community?
In-person, Washington, DC, January 28-30, 2023
Students from across the country will consider how to create positive, systemic change in their school or local community. Students will better understand the political and structural barriers to equity in our systems of education, health, or justice; identify various approaches taken at the local, state and national levels; and work in school-based teams to create a vision statement that incorporates their personal experiences and tangible action steps. The symposium will culminate with each school team sharing their vision with relevant administrators and community engagement experts at the 2023 NNSP Conference.
National Youth Policy Summit:
In-person, Washington, DC, Summer 2023
What if, instead of looking to others for leadership, young people stepped up to communicate and compromise across differences in an effort to address societal challenges? In-person, Washington, DC, Summer 2023 Join us this summer in Washington, DC! Students will gain the tools and knowledge to become catalyst for change in their communities. They will network with peers across the country; hear inspiring stories from young activists on strategies and models of advocacy and activism; deepen their understanding of issues and root causes in their communities. Students will work in diverse teams to create meaningful solutions and craft policy proposals to present to decision-makers on Capitol Hill.
Program Structure
The programming is open to students in grades 9-12. Each school will have an opportunity to nominate a cohort of six students to represent their school in an examination of today’s most pressing issues with students from across the country
Program Cost
Deliberating Systemic Issues
Tuesdays & Thursdays after school
October 11-27, 2022 | 8:00-9:15pm (EST) / 5:00-6:15pm (PST)
Cohort of 6 Students: $1,800
Individual Student Price: $300
Community Impact Symposium: Race, Justice, and Equity
In-person, Washington, DC
January 28-30, 2023 • Details coming soon!
National Youth Impact Summit
In-person, Washington, DC
Summer 2023 • Details coming soon!
Registration
register here>