By Sean Scott ‘25 (Editor-in-chief)
On Saturday, October 5, 2024, Friends’ Central participated in a day-long civic engagement summit hosted by Friends Select. With sessions and workshops covering a wide range of topics, the conference brought together representatives from various organizations and students from five schools for a day of community and education in preparation for the upcoming election cycle.
The event began with a keynote address from Al Schmidt, current secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and former city commissioner of Philadelphia. He spoke about his work in public office, Pennsylvania’s significance as the largest swing state in the context of the electoral college, and the powerful opportunity for young voters to help determine the country’s future. Following this, there were two morning sessions. One session focused on active listening and its potential to ease tension, and the other was a mock election. The latter emphasized the fact that there are many elections this November aside from the U.S. presidential election. Students had the chance to experience “voting” inside a functional voting booth where the multitude of elections happening was readily apparent.
After lunch, students were divided into their school groups to attend two workshops run by outside organizations. Campus Vote Project facilitated the FCS group’s first workshop, touching on how to spot and distinguish between misinformation and disinformation, and exploring the potential benefits of ranked-choice voting. FCS’s second workshop, run by Fair Districts PA and the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, was an informative talk covering the manipulative practice of gerrymandering and discussing other modern forms of voter suppression. Additional workshop topics included Indigenous voices, peaceful protest, and the importance of local elections.
Everyone gathered together again for a positive send-off to close out the summit. Thanks to Friends Select for organizing this valuable opportunity to come together with a shared goal of educating ourselves to become more knowledgeable citizens.
L-R: Maia Kalina ‘27, Sean Scott ‘25, Shane Heinzenknecht ‘27
Photo Credit: Ms. Saint-Hilaire
コメント