This winter, Carleton will celebrate nearly 10 years of partnership with Project Pericles, a non-profit organization which works with higher education institutions to integrate the ideals of civic and social responsibility into students’ classroom and co-curricular experiences. Project Pericles was founded in 2001 by Eugene M. Lang in response to growing concerns of political cynicism and disengagement by young people, and has since engaged in work across the country to foster model civic engagement programs on and between college campuses.
As one of 31 “Periclean” institutions in the United States, Carleton and the CCCE facilitate student co-curricular involvement through a variety of Pericles programs in the Debating For Democracy Series, or D4D. Carleton students have traveled across the country to engage with other undergraduates at D4D National Conferences, but students’ work with Pericles has also had effects locally.
In 2018, five Carleton students were selected as winners for their entry in the D4D Letter to an Elected Official Competition, writing on the topic of “Thwarting Domestic Terrorism by Restricting Potentially Violent Individuals from Access to Guns and to Prohibit Assault Weapons.” Addressed to Representative Jason Lewis, this entry allowed students a chance to participate in a national program as well as to raise their voices to a Minnesota elected official.
Numerous Carleton students have won or placed as finalists in this competition in the past few years and have carried their skills gained in this program back to youth in the Northfield community. After attending a D4D on the Road Workshop, several Carleton students ran a series of youth empowerment workshops for local high school students, who continued with the project by developing an active school reform campaign of their own.
Especially following midterm elections and timed with the beginning of a new term, the upcoming D4D on the Road workshop being held at Carleton is a great chance to develop new leadership skills and rethink strategies of advocacy and communication. Each year, Carleton and Macalester College rotate between hosting this workshop, and Carleton and the CCCE will be hosting this 6-hour, one-day training on Saturday, February 2 in Weitz 236.
Facilitated by Jay Travis, an organizer and trainer with the national training institute Midwest Academy who holds years of experience fighting for education justice and building labor/community alliances, this workshop is designed for both novice and experienced activists looking to gain new skills and collaborate with members of the Carleton, Macalester, and St. Olaf communities.
“The full-day commitment can be intimidating,” says two-time participant David Roizin ‘20, “but they use the time to go really in-depth about specific organizing and campaign skills. The first training I went to helped me develop the skills I have used in my organizing and leadership since, and now that I am relatively experienced I still feel confident that D4D will provide new insights.”
Registration for this event is on Eventbrite, and any questions can be directed towards Erica Zweifel, x7023. We hope to see you there!