Experiencing Civic Life is an exciting two-week, residential, summer program at the University of Rochester for high school students living in the City of Rochester. The only humanities-based pre-college summer program in the local area, it brings 10-15 participants together with UR faculty members to engage in reading and discussing classic texts in the liberal arts. The group considers such questions as: What are the limits of individual freedom? What are the responsibilities of citizenship? How have people lived together in diverse communities? What roles do the arts play in creating ‘the good society’? How do we think about race and justice in our democracy?
At a time when many Americans bemoan a lack of civics education among young people, Experiencing Civic Life, which includes field trips to such places as City Court and Ganondagan State Historic Site, fulfills a vital need. The program also builds confidence in the participants, many of whom are potential first-generation university students, by showing them that they have the capacity to do college-level work at a four-year, liberal arts institution.
Your support is essential as Experiencing Civic Life strives to meet a $250,000 fundraising goal in order to sustain the program beyond its initial foundation grant.
