For the second year, the USF St. Petersburg campus and the Florida YMCA are partnering to offer the Civics Fellows Program, an initiative designed to enhance civic education in the state by giving high school students hands-on experiences in government and public service. As part of the program, students from across Florida will participate in a virtual Summer Civics Institute on June 12-13, 2020.
The Institute is designed to instill a better understanding of state and local government to young adults, preparing them to be active, engaged and effective citizens. High school fellows will be immersed in municipal and state government to learn how these institutions interface with state government. Through online platforms, students will directly engage with elected officials, emergency responders and many others who help run government in the state.
“Back when I used to train field organizers on the campaign trail, my number one rule was to “Improvise, Adapt and Overcome,” said Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan, a political science professor at USF’s St. Petersburg campus and coordinator of the program. “That is exactly what we are doing with this virtual Institute this summer, as we develop creative and robust programming to engage students. In fact, this online platform will allow for more elected officials and presenters from around the state to participate.”
Governor Ron DeSantis will kick-off the Institute with a video message to the students. A packed agenda of panels, workshops, seminars, presentations and small group discussions will follow, including:
- A discussion on George Floyd – Where do we go from here? led by Representative Fentrice Driskell;
- A COVID-19 local government response panel with Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, City of Seminole Fire Chief Heather Burford, Pinellas County Commissioner Charlie Justice, Representative Ben Diamond, and Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis;
- A 2020 legislative session wrap-up panel, so students can learn more about the legislative process and legislative politics in Tallahassee, with panelists Senator Lauren Book (D-Plantation), Senator Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg), Representative Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa), Representative Jamie Grant (R-Tampa), Representative Chris Latvala (R-Clearwater), and Representative Susan Valdes, D-Tampa;
- A conversation on education policy with Florida’s Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran;
- A panel exploring power, money and influence in Florida politics with seasoned lobbyists in Tallahassee; and
- A meeting with the Pinellas County Deputy Supervisor of Elections about vote by mail and the impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 General Election; and
- A panel exploring careers in state government with staffers from the legislative and the executive branches
There will be time for students to reflect on and discuss what they have learned with their peers as well as present a portfolio of their civic work as a year-long fellow of the program.
“An event like the coronavirus pandemic emphasizes the vital importance of public service and bringing people together to solve major challenges,” said Rep. Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, who is speaker-designate of the House in 2021-22. “I applaud USF St. Petersburg and the YMCA for continuing to partner to bring this unique program to Pinellas County and I hope the students participating will use this wonderful opportunity to challenge themselves by wrestling with big ideas and thinking about their future in new ways.”
Students will earn six college credits at the USF St. Petersburg campus for their participation: three in leadership and three in political science. At the end of the Civics Fellow Program, students are expected to be able to:
- Research community needs and draft legislation in response to those needs
- Develop arguments in support of and in opposition to a variety of solutions and challenges addressed by Florida’s government
- Research policy from a range of sources and summarize the findings into a concise summary
- Work with others to bring together diverse points of view and to organize common support for a particular solution in the context of a governmental session
The Civics Institute is the capstone for the year-long Civics Fellows Program. Over the course of the year, selected high school students have participated in a number of civic projects – from creating their own local COVID-19 response to developing a manual on who to contact about different issues related to local government issues and services. They also attended city council and school board meetings and participated in a virtual Youth in Government State Assembly, an annual statewide gathering typically in Tallahassee, where students create a model state government to debate and craft legislation.
“This year, the three-day State Assembly was held virtually and it went smoothly,” said McLauchlan. “I was inspired and encouraged by how students responded to the new online format. Typically, students are in the House, Senate, Supreme Court and Executive Chambers in Tallahassee, yet the students proved resilient and excelled in their simulation despite the new format. I know they will get a lot out of the engaging panels and workshops with leaders from around the state of Florida that we organized for the 2020 Civics Institute.”
The partnership between the USF St. Petersburg campus and the YMCA’s Youth In Government (YIG) program is the first and only such partnership in the nation. For more than 60 years, YIG has provided civics and character education to middle and high school students with an emphasis on direct experiences and service learning.
“The Civics Fellows Program is providing students statewide the opportunity to learn how they can affect real change in their communities,” said Lily Tysinger, state director, external affairs for the Florida State Alliance of YMCAs. “Through a hands-on and immersive experience, our students are positioned to convert education to action in a time when it is most vital. The Civic Fellows are showing up and participating as civic leaders, today and for the future.”