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CIVITAS VOLUNTEERS REACH OUT TO HUNDREDS
AT INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE "FESTIVAL of NATIONS"

Civitas staff, students, and teachers met with hundreds of interested St. Louisans at The International Institute's annual "Festival of Nations" the weekend of  July 22 - July 23.  Because so many of the attendees at the Festival are interested in international aficionados and supporters of the United Nations, we were able to inform many potential participants about our programs.  We anticipate
that this will help increase
our numbers in the Fall.

Civitas staff members Lisa Granich-Kovarik and Bobbi Clemons along with Metro High senior Devarati Das speak with an interested woman at the Civitas booth at the Festival of Nations.

Special thanks to the following who personed the booth over the weekend:

Staff: Arthur Lieber Gloria Bilchik Bobbi Clemons Lisa Granich-Kovarik	Teachers: Jane Garvin (St. Joseph's Academy)
Students*: Devarati Das (Metro, 2007) Becca Kunce (Maplewood-Richmond Hts., 2007) Becca Lueken (Maplewood-Richmond Hts., 2007) Anna Nickless (Lindbergh, 2007) Allison Reed (Rosati-Kain, 2008)	Alumni: Maurice Harris (Metro, 2004) Annie Van Dielen (Lindbergh, 2006) Michael Wilson (Hazelwood Central, 2006)

*REMINDER: Civitas has re-instituted its student scholarship reward program in the 2006-2007 year.  The five students who worked at the Festival of Nations have already begun earning points.

By participating in a large percentage of our events and producing quality work, Civitas provides up to $500.00 scholarship grants for students to apply for college, their present school (if they attend a non-public school), summer workshops, or other special educational programs.  We will provide you with more information on the scholarship program in upcoming newsletters and discussion groups in September.






LINK to International Institute Web Site

 JEFF SMITH WINS STATE SENATE ELECTION

(see below if you are interested in going to the film!)

Normally we would not report the outcome of political races, but many of the students and teachers involved in Civitas were the first "test audience" last Spring for the movie, "CAN MR. SMITH GET TO WASHINGTON ANYMORE?"  Director Frank Popper appreciated the fine feedback from the thirty or so who were there and many of the ideas were incorporated into the final version.

The movie has had a very successful summer; winning the "Audience Choice Award" at the Silver Docs Film Festival in Silver Spring, Maryland (just outside of Washington, DC).  It also had a very successful debut in New York City.  The first public presentation in St. Louis was on July 27 at the Tivoli Theater in the Delmar Loop.  Crowds have been large and very responsive to it.  The movie will continue at the Tivoli through this Thursday, August 24 at the Tivoli.

For those who are unfamiliar with the documentary, it is the story of Jeff Smith, then a twenty-nine year-old instructor from Washington University who ran for Missouri Third Congressional Seat in August of 2004 (this was the seat vacated by the retiring Richard Gephardt).  In a field of thirteen candidates (including another named Smith who was also a professor at Washington U.), Jeff overcame enormous problems with money and name recognition.  While he did not win the race (Russ Carnahan, son of the late Governor Mel Carnahan and his wife, former Senator Jean Carnahan, won), Jeff came in a very close second and actually won the sections of St. Louis City and St. Louis County that were in the district.

It was a difficult loss for Jeff and the scores of volunteers who worked with him.  Jeff was determined to come back and ran in last Tuesday's Missouri primary for the 4th state senatorial district against four other candidates.  This time Jeff had hundreds of volunteers (mostly under twenty-five years of age) and he captured a convincing win!  Our congratulations to Jeff and also to Frank Popper, Matt Coen, and everyone else involved in the production of the film!

Jeff is an unashamed progressive in a state that is quite conservative.  The challenges in the legislature will likely be as imposing as winning the seat.  Whether your politics are progressive or not, Jeff is a most interesting person who has inspired hundreds -- even thousands -- with his position, dedication, and charisma.  We hope to once again have Jeff as a speaker at one of our discussion groups this coming school year. 

Civitas would be happy to organize a night at the movies to see the film.  If you are interested in going between now and August 24, please e-mail us. 

Director Frank Popper has provided us with the following links to information on the film:

• Movie clip
• Movie website
• A review
  

CALENDAR for 2006-2007 SCHOOL YEAR

Listed below is an update preliminary Civitas calendar for the 2006-2007 school year.  The only change since our last newsletter is that we have determined that the High School International Conference in February will be at the Comfort Inn in Maryland Heights.  We feel that the accommodations and food will represent considerable improvements over  previous years.

SPECIAL NOTE:  We are looking at one or several simulation exercises this year.  They could occur this Fall or later in the school year.  We will have more information for you in the next few weeks.  If you would like input on simulation ideas, please let us know!

If you see any problems with the calendar that affect you or your school, please e-mail us at [email protected] or call us at (314) 367-6480.

Calendar on Web Site
Calendar in MS Word Form
Calendar in PDF Form

(Preliminary Version; actual events in bold)

Reinventing U.N.Conference Home Page