Students to Share Experiences, Efforts to Fix Social Issues
On Wednesday, May 1, third- and fourth-graders who participate in the University of Colorado's Public Achievement program will share their recent efforts to raise awareness about student-identified social issues, including bullying, child safety, immigration, and youth homelessness.
The presentations will take place during a brief project unveiling from 3:45 to 4:40 p.m. Wednesday in the library at Pioneer Elementary, 101 East Baseline Road. The unveiling serves as a culmination to CU's year-long Public Achievement program.
Incorporating skits and multimedia, seven Public Achievement groups will have an opportunity to discuss student-identified social issues and review subsequent actions that they took to address these issues. To raise awareness about bullying, for example, students created both a storybook, which they shared with the Pioneer community, and coordinated a school-wide anti-bullying handprint pledge.
"It has been incredibly rewarding to work with students this year," Public Achievement coach and CU senior Kiki Lathrop said. "It is clear that youth have the power to address critical social issues yet their talents and ideas are often overlooked. P.A. counters this."
More than 80 Centaurus High School students will also have an opportunity to unveil their year-long Public Achievement projects in a similar ceremony at Centaurus High School, 10300 South Boulder Road, on Friday, May 3.
Like Pioneer students, Centaurus students have developed cooperative team projects to address a range of salient public issues, including animal abuse, domestic violence, gun violence, marriage equality, school funding, texting and driving, and teen substance abuse. Presentations will be shared in the student activities center from 11:25 a.m. to noon, 1:20 -2 p.m., and 2:15 to 3 p.m.
Administered by the University of Colorado's Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement, with support from INVST Community Studies and the School of Education, and in partnership with the "I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County and the Boulder Valley School District, Public Achievement promotes civic engagement, student retention, and access to post-secondary education through a multidimensional and intergenerational service-learning curriculum.
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