The South Carolina Coalition for Black Voter Participation will host
its "Youth Citizenship Academy" this summer at the North Charleston Fine
Arts Building, Sterrett Hall, Old Naval Base, North Charleston. The
primary objective of the Academy is to educate and enlighten young people
about political laws, issues, and philosophies. The Academy is a non-
profit 501(c)(3) organization developed under the South Carolina Coalition
for Black Voter Participation as an outreach initiative to the youth in our
community. The program was incorporated on April 17, 2002 by the Office of
Secretary State for South Carolina.
The concept for the Academy materialized back in 1986 with the
Chairman of the South Carolina Coalition for Black Voter Participation,
Mr. Marion Welch, who felt that the process of molding responsible adults
had to begin at an earlier age. With this in mind, the Academy was
designed to help develop teenagers so that they would have a greater
understanding of the political process while they were still maturing into
young adults.
The Academy is geared towards students age thirteen (13) to seventeen
(17), from Berkeley, Dorchester, and Charleston counties. The program
will be held on Saturdays from 8:45AM-1:30PM. The Academy will formally
begin on Monday, June 9, 2008 thru June 19, 2008 and will consist of
lectures, interactive activities, and presentations, as well as large
and small group discussions and end with a graduation ceremony on Saturday,
June 28, 2008 at Bethel Reformed Episopal Church, Helms Avenue, North
Charleston at 11AM.
Mr. Welch stated that, "As part of the program, these young
scholars will participate in academic mini-courses focused on the
following topics: Voting laws; Parliamentary Procedure;
Activism/Volunteerism; Public Speaking; Business Etiquette; Personal
Finance For Youth; How Bills Become Law and Health/Wellness. These are
just a few of the topics that they will be exposed to while participating
in this program. In fact, the program is designed so that each
participant finishes with a well-rounded experience in personal
development and newly developed skills which they can immediately use to
help educate and uplift their communities." Participants in the program
will be introduced to a variety of political leaders who have different
political views. They will also be given hands-on opportunities and
instruction on how to use the voting machines. Finally, they will have
numerous opportunities to interact and associate with other highly
motivated young people who, like themselves are also interested in
learning about political issues and philosophies. "We have included two
field trips in the programs so that these students can revisit their
history", stated Mr. Welch.
There is no registration fee to participate in this program and
lunch will be provided at no charge. Teachers, Guidance Counselors, and
Parents are requested to encouraged their youth to apply for this program.
Students who would like to request an application for the Academy or who
want to get more information, may call or (843) 797-1021 (Edwina Hughes) or
(843) 693-7514 (Mr. Leroy Bennett). Also, anyone who has an interest in
possibly teaching one of these courses may also contact our office.
The CBP Youth Citizenship Academy is an affiliate of the South
Carolina Coalition for Black Voter Participation, the state's largest, non-
profit, non-partisan African American political education organization,
based out of North Charleston, SC.
