Month: January 2024

Close Up and A Starting Point Host Students for White House Q&A

Posted on by Ashleigh Barber

WASHINGTON—The Close Up Foundation partnered with A Starting Point (ASP) to bring students from Maryland and Virginia to the White House on January 30 for a wide-ranging discussion with administration officials about youth civic engagement and policy priorities relating to energy, the environment, and the economy.

Approximately 60 students and teachers took part in the event, which included remarks by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and a Q&A with Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo. ASP’s co-founders, actor and director Chris Evans and actor and director Mark Kassen, moderated the discussion.

“It means a lot to us to be here,” said Kassen. “There’s a lot of people who will be coming of the age where it’s their first chance to participate in democracy officially, and our goal of making sure we can help … demystify government, making people feel it’s a little more accessible, is really important to us.”

Close Up is the official education partner of ASP, a website, app, and media distribution platform that seeks to be an unbiased resource for information and civic engagement. Together, the two organizations created ASP Homeroom to educate students on pressing current issues, bring lawmakers into the classroom, and create interactive learning opportunities.

“We have been working with students for more than 50 years and creating opportunities for them to become informed and engaged citizens,” said Close Up President Mia Charity. “So, a platform like A Starting Point is a great resource for young people to get their first bites of what’s going on in politics and the issues that are impacting their lives and communities.”

Participating in the White House event were 11th- and 12th-graders in two Washington-area school districts: Virginia’s Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) and Maryland’s Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS).

As the second-largest school division in Virginia, PWCS is partnering with Close Up to implement student voice committees in all 14 of its high schools, giving students a place at the table where decisions are made. As part of that effort, Close Up has worked with PWCS students to build community, conduct facilitation training, and lead deliberations about important issues impacting their communities.

Close Up is also a longtime partner of PGCPS, one of the nation’s 20 largest school districts. In 2023-2024, Close Up is facilitating a congressional simulation series for PGCPS high school students, giving them the chance to engage with peers across the county on critical policy issues. Close Up is also partnering with PGCPS to conduct week-long summer civic engagement programs that include meetings with elected officials, workshops on political values and current issues, and college readiness seminars.

Contact us today for more information about partnering with Close Up.

Close Up and the Arizona Cardinals Kick Off Civics Matters Arizona 2024

Posted on by Maura O'Brien

GLENDALE, Ariz.—Leaders of the Arizona Cardinals, the Close Up Foundation, and Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL) gathered at State Farm Stadium on January 17 to kick off this year’s Civics Matters Arizona program alongside community partners and elected officials from across the state.

Now in its third year, Civics Matters Arizona is an annual civic engagement initiative that connects Arizona high school students with their peers and with their government. The program, conducted in partnership by the Cardinals, Close Up, GPL, and the office of the Arizona governor, targets a geographically diverse group of high schools and organizations serving Title I communities.

Students in participating schools and organizations take part in an essay contest about the importance of civic engagement, with the winners flying to Washington on the Cardinals’ team plane for an all-expenses-paid summer trip with Close Up. In D.C., students meet with elected officials, participate in issue deliberations, and visit memorials, museums, and government institutions.

New for 2024, the program gives participants an opportunity to stay engaged as Arizona Civic Ambassadors after the trip. Using the MobileServe app, Close Up will provide students with monthly toolkits and guidance to organize their own civic engagement activities in their home communities, as well as earn the Arizona Seal of Civics Literacy for their diploma if they choose.

“Our goal is to continue to think about how we extend the impact of what we’re doing,” said Close Up Chief Innovation and Programs Officer Lindsay Greenberg. “What can students do when they get home? How do we create Civic Ambassadors who can bring what they learned and the enthusiasm and excitement from D.C. back into their schools, back into their local communities?”

Conceived by Cardinals team owner Michael Bidwill, Civics Matters Arizona began in 2022 as an effort to give students a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse of their government in action while boosting schools’ focus on civics. In its first two years, the program has impacted more than 2,500 students in over 50 schools through the essay contest, the D.C. trip, and civic engagement classroom curriculum.

“Going on this trip and meeting Sen. [Kyrsten] Sinema, for example, or shaking hands with Gov. [Doug] Ducey or hearing Gov. [Katie] Hobbs, it gives kids this experience that the government is a real thing full of real people,” said Jake Richardson, a two-time participant and social studies department chairman at Empower College Prep in Phoenix. “That sort of word spreads through a small school like mine. You can contact an elected official. They will listen to you and be interested in your ideas to change your community. That definitely makes kids sit up a little straighter in government.”

The Civics Matters Arizona 2024 trip to Washington will take place June 11-14. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) is among the Arizona leaders and elected officials who will join students for the experience.

For more information, contact us at support@closeup.org.

Middle East Conflict and the Regional and Global Impact

Posted on by Scot Wilson

In the weeks since the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, Israel has conducted a military campaign with the stated goal of eradicating Hamas as both a military and governing organization.1 The death toll in Gaza currently stands at around 22,000 Palestinians and 170 Israeli soldiers, in addition to the more than 1,200 people Hamas killed on October 7.2 While further negotiations over a second ceasefire are ongoing (as of January 3, 2024), officials in the United States and around the world are also concerned about broader regional and global conflict boiling over.3 Many in the United States share these concerns.4

For discussion of other aspects of the conflict, please see our previous posts about Israel and Hamas, including Teaching and Discussing the Conflict, Discussing Antisemitism and Anti-Islamic Bias, and U.S. Foreign Policy Decisions.

In this blog post, the final in our series exploring the Middle East crisis, we will take a look at the region surrounding Israel and Palestine and consider the challenges the United States faces in navigating it.

WATCH: “U.S. Working to Keep Israel-Hamas War from Spreading,” from CNN

Israel-Lebanon crisis

Lebanon shares a border with Israel, and there have been skirmishes between Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah—which is based in Lebanon—several times in recent decades. In 2006, there was a month-long war in which almost 1,200 people died.5 Hezbollah remains a potent force in Lebanon. During this ongoing war in Gaza, Israel has also exchanged fire with Hezbollah militants along and across the Lebanon border.6 On January 2, senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an explosion in a suburb of Beirut. Israel is widely believed to have carried out the attack.7

The Lebanese National News Agency condemned the killing, as did Hezbollah. Some see the strike as evidence that Israel is carrying out its stated goal to eradicate Hamas. The U.S. government continues to publicly support Israel’s actions taken since October 7.8 White House spokesperson John Kirby said, “Israel has a right and responsibility to go after the threat that Hamas poses, which means they have a right and responsibility to go after the leadership of Hamas.”9

Yemen’s Houthis

The Houthis—or Ansar Allah as they call themselves—are a Shiite Islamic movement that “has been fighting Yemen’s Sunni-majority government since 2004.”10 They are supported by Iran’s government, which is also Shiite. The Sunni-majority government in Yemen is supported by Saudi Arabia.11 One of the animating elements of Houthi ideology is to combat what they view as U.S. imperialism; they view Israel and Saudi Arabia—U.S. allies—as participants in the U.S. empire.12

In recent months, Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on ships traveling through the Red Sea. The United States has warned Iran that it might be held responsible for Houthi actions if this continues.13 Eighteen shipping companies are routing their vessels around South Africa to avoid Houthi attacks; this significantly increases shipping times and costs. As much as 15 percent of international trade typically flows through the Red Sea.

U.S. diplomat Christopher Lu said, “We also know that Iran has been deeply involved in planning operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea.” He said the United States does not want a confrontation with Iran, but a confrontation is possible. “It can continue its current course,” said Lu, “or it can withhold its support without which the Houthis would struggle to effectively track and strike commercial vessels navigating shipping lanes through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.”14

U.S. Involvement in the Middle East Conflict

Both the Israel-Lebanon crisis and the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have the potential to draw the United States into more widespread, significant conflicts in the region. Already, in Iraq and Syria, there have been over 100 attacks on U.S.-led coalition forces, and the United States has struck facilities used by militia groups who are also supported by Iran.15 On January 4, the United States carried out a drone strike in Baghdad that killed at least four members of an Iraqi militia group with ties to Iran.16

Iran plays an important role in supporting Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and many other militant and terrorist groups around the Middle East. Some political leaders in the United States are calling for a tougher stance against Iran that could include military action. For example, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said, “Without Iran there are no Houthis. … The Houthis are completely backed by Iran. I have been saying for six months now … hit Iran. They have oil fields out in the open, they have the Revolutionary Guard headquarters you can see from space. Blow it off the map. … If you really want to protect American soldiers, make it real to the ayatollah [that if] you attack a solider through a proxy, we’re coming after you.”17

Discussion Questions

  1. What questions do you still have about the Middle East crisis?
  2. What do you think the United States should do? What more would you want to know to help answer that question?
  3. How high a priority should the U.S. government put on each of the elements of the conflict discussed in this post?
  4. In general, do you support the continuation of the U.S. involvement in the Middle East conflict? Around the world? Why or why not?

As always, we encourage you to join the discussion with your comments or questions below.

Close Up is proud to be the nation’s leading nonprofit civic education organization, working with schools and districts across the country since 1971. If you would like to partner with us or learn more about our experiential learning programs, professional development, or curriculum design and consulting, contact us today! 

Sources

Featured Image Credit: Mass Communications Spc. 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/U.S. Navy via Associated Press
[1] NPR: https://www.npr.org/2023/11/05/1210734100/israel-says-its-goal-is-to-remove-hamas-from-power-what-comes-next-is-unclear
[2] The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/30/gaza-death-toll-israelis-idf-refugee-camps-famine-lebanon-border-gaza-war; NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna132013
[3] NPR: https://www.npr.org/2023/12/27/1221761431/gaza-israel-ceasefire-palestinians-war; The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/dec/29/israel-gaza-war-live-updates-hamas-egypt-delegation-ceasefire-cairo?page=with:block-658f21408f087c86f6957b23#block-658f21408f087c86f6957b23; CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/27/politics/fears-middle-east-war-biden/index.html
[4] PBS: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/poll-most-americans-fear-broader-conflict-may-arise-from-war-between-israel-and-hamas
[5] International Committee of the Red Cross: https://casebook.icrc.org/case-study/israellebanonhezbollah-conflict-2006
[6] CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/03/israel-lebanon-killing-of-hamas-leader-stokes-fears-of-wider-conflict.html
[7] USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/israel-hamas/2024/01/02/saleh-al-arouri-hamas-leader-oct-7-killed-israel/72085458007/
[8] Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-war-biden-administration-protest-016e100792ece81b69dd6301de08cd3d
[9] USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/israel-hamas/2024/01/02/saleh-al-arouri-hamas-leader-oct-7-killed-israel/72085458007/
[10] Wilson Center: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/who-are-yemens-houthis
[11] Ibid.
[12] Peace Research Institute Oslo: https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/ad7da277-b471-48f6-93d1-36d285160df8/Palik%20and%20Tank%20-%20Rebel%20Governance%20Ansar%20Allah%20in%20Yemen%20and%20the%20Democratic%20Union%20Party%20in%20Syria%20MidEast%20Policy%20Brief%201-2022.pdf?inline=true
[13] Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/us-un-yemen-houthis-shipping-red-sea-08d42a18873ce55979c755ea1a9cc1b5
[14] Ibid.
[15] CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/04/politics/us-targeted-iranian-proxy-group-baghdad-strike/index.html
[16] Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-carries-strike-targeting-iraqi-militia-leader-baghdad-official
[17] Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/lindsey-graham-biden-lloyd-austin-iran-houthis-1856123