Dear Colleagues,

As the newly appointed executive director of the Utah Coalition for Civic, Character and Service Learning, I want to convey the enthusiasm and commitment of the Coalition Board, under the direction of Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Christine Durham, and the Commission on Civic and Character Education, under the direction of Lieutenant Governor Gary Herbert, to support schools in accomplishing their important civic mission through civic, character and service learning education in the state.

The Coalition provides this support through high quality resources, programs and activities that will help young people become better students, workers, citizens and human beings. It supports the Utah State Core Curriculum and Life Skills, which teaches the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will help students become informed, responsible citizens, capable of contributing to our constitutional democracy.

The mission of the Coalition is “to instill in K-16 students the desire to become engaged citizens, who, with their community partners, are endowed with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and confidence to participate fully in democratic life. The collaborative effort of the Coalition is intended to increase community awareness of this civic education work and the need for engaged citizenship.” The Coalition headquarters are currently located at the Utah Law and Justice Center, and the Coalition works closely with the Commission on Civic and Character Education to carry out its goals and activities.

The genesis for the Coalition was the desire by many like-minded individuals and organizations to join together for the benefit of strengthening this important focus and goal of the basic school program—the civic mission of schools. This focus has been built on Utah’s strong, long-time commitment to civic and character education, and academic service learning.  In addition, the groundbreaking work of state legislators, the Chief Justice, and state education leaders here and at the annual Congressional Conferences held yearly in Washington, D.C. has resulted in a cohesive vision for civic education across the nation and in Utah being developed. This background, coupled with the work of many individuals and organizations has led to the development of a Coalition committed to mobilizing resources at the highest level possible.

One of the Coalition’s signature events is the annual “Dialogue on Democracy,” which brings students, teachers and community leaders together to stimulate civic participation. The two-day event includes educator and student (secondary and university) workshops and then culminates with a dinner program. In the past, the event has featured such luminaries as David Skaggs, Charles Haynes and Larry Sabato as keynote and workshop speakers. The Coalition has also featured high quality staff development events, such as its teacher workshop entitled “Educating for Civic, Character and Service Learning,” and in  summer 2007 a student and teacher workshop entitled “The Branches of Civic Engagement: A Civics Workshop for Teachers and Pre-Service Teachers,” which will give participants a glimpse behind the scenes of the three branches of state government.
 
The Coalition recently partnered with the The Salt Lake Center for Engaging Community, the Utah State Bar, Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County on “Creating a Culture of Connection,” where over 90 community leaders dialogued on how to create a more welcoming community and committed to a decade of work towards “creating a culture of connection” in the Salt Lake Valley. This long-term work is being led by the Salt Lake Center for Engaging Community, which hopes to create a model for the nation.

The Utah Coalition for Civic, Character and Service Learning is excited to have the opportunity to coordinate and mobilize program and human resources that support high quality civic education, character education and service learning, and believes that together we can leverage opportunities for the benefit of students, who are our future citizens, and the best hope for the continuing goodness and prosperity of our nation.

Best Wishes,
Kristie Fink, Executive Director, Utah Coalition for Civic, Character and Service Learning
kristindfink@yahoo.com, (801-531-9077 or 801-916-2026) Utah Law and Justice Center