OVERVIEW OF THE STUDENT SYMPOSIUM
The symposium was designed through a partnership of local teachers, CSUSM, and the North County Bar Association and Vista Superior Court to promote a deeper level of civics awareness in an underserved community in our area, namely that of5th through 8th grade students who are identified as gifted and talented. North County in general has few program offerings for this group of students who would benefit greatly from both an intellectual and social exposure to how the third branch of government operates in our society. High schools have several programs that meet these needs and a mock trail process that is available. Up to this point, the younger set have not had the opportunity to delve deeply into a “pre-mock trail” approach which can lead to future careers in the legal field or, at the minimum, a stronger sense of how our government works and what roles we as citizens must actively take on to support our democracy.
Students who participated in the program have asked to return. The impact was clearly positive.
We have a list of at least 12 students this year from Vista, San Marcos, Oceanside, Encinitas, and Carlsbad who have expressed interest in attending…even prior to our marketing implementation. Our goal is to give priority status to gifted students who may not have the financial means to have these opportunities, but, through the scholarships available, can participate fully in the program and help influence those around them regarding their new understanding of the third branch and how our system works. These children are our future leaders. With the On My Honor Student Symposium, we can reach a diverse population of bright thinkers who can impact our future positively.
We are hoping to staff an institute with 2 educators per 25 students this summer. A minimum of 4 attorneys and 1 judege is also required per 25 students to effectively run the program. Gracious donations of time, collaboration, meeting locations, and expertise are already offered by all the partners.
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to serve the youth in our community through education regarding their civic responsibilities and roles in our society.
The big ideas stated in our final survey results document mirror that of the Teacher Leader statewide model and are equally pertinent and core to our program.
DEMOGRAPHICS
The first year we pulled students who were mostly not their on scholarship to get the program up and running financially and to pilot ideas and structure of the program.
Last year, we expanded our efforts to reach out to underserved communities. We encountered several roadblocks in reaching teachers and students directly about the program with our current marketing strategy.
This year, we have new marketing approaches and strategies to reach gifted populations more directly in underserved areas. Our goal is to reach as many students who might otherwise not have an opportunity for a program of this caliber to be able to participate through full and partial scholarships. Districts we are currently planning on targeting include: San Marcos, Vista, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Escondido, and others if transportation to the court and the university can be supportive.
Budget
Currently, we estimate that the week long program which includes: an extensive mailer packet of case materials, student portfolios, student photos, and tshirts, costs approximately $250 per student inclusive of all costs of materials and a small stipend for the teachers leading the groups.