After-School Civics Projects Earn Top Marks from State

By CHRIS SPINALE and KELVIN CURRY

An Orlando chapter of Boys & Girls Club that shares a partnership with the Lou Frey Institute (LFI) recently earned recognition as top club in the state.

The 2020 Best Overall Program Impact Excellence Award comes from Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Florida Area Council. It’s awarded to the Civic Action Project (CAP), a joint project between LFI and Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida (BGCCF) to foster increased understanding and awareness of local, state and federal civics. The curriculum was originally written by the Constitutional Rights Foundation and adapted with permission for the program.

Since its launch in 2017, over 100 middle school students used CAP to identify a community issue or problem, research it and propose a detailed solution. The projects are presented to policy makers and community stakeholders at the Civic Education Showcase on UCF’s main campus.

In support of these students and their facilitators is the Institute’s Civics Instructional Specialist, Chris Spinale. Participating students attend a Civic Education Showcase on the UCF campus where they present their projects and findings to community stakeholders and policy makers.

Both LFI and BGCCF are committed to continuing the work of creating citizens who are informed and engaged in their communities. Questions about the program can be directed to LFI Interim Director Steve Masyada (Stephen.masyada@ucf.edu) or Civics Instructional Specialist Chris Spinale (Christopher.spinale@ucf.edu).