COLLEGE TOWN, FL — Florida State University's new "Founding Voices" initiative uses live historical interpreters and a $1.7M federal grant to bring civics education to Florida middle and high schoolers ahead of America's 250th anniversary.
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Florida State University's Institute for Governance and Civics is launching a new statewide initiative called "Founding Voices" as the country approaches its 250th anniversary.
The program will bring immersive civics and history seminars into middle and high schools across Florida using live historical interpreters portraying figures from America's founding era.
Ryan Owens, Ph.D., Director of the IGC and professor of political science at FSU, said the effort is designed to make history more personal for students.
"One of the efforts here is to humanize history because we know that when students are engaged in person with people, they're more interested in learning about things, so if we can humanize it for them, I think we can excite them," Owens said.
The project is funded through a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education and is expected to reach roughly 40,000 students.
Organizers say the effort comes at a time when many younger Americans feel disconnected from the nation's history and civic traditions. Owens pointed to data showing a troubling trend among young people.
"We've seen from our own data that 18 to 29-year-olds are much more accepting of political violence today than they ever have been in the past, in fact, twice as likely as any other cohort to agree with political violence, and so we have a problem right now with the generations that are coming up. We need to teach them right from wrong. What's acceptable? It's not acceptable in this policy. This is an effort to do that while at the same time giving them freedom to learn and go different directions," Owens said.
Owens said the timing of the launch is intentional, with Memorial Day and the Fourth of July approaching.
"The Fourth of July is coming up America celebrating it's 250th we need to explain the students the reasons behind the why is it that so many people across the history of this country gave up their lives at Lincoln told us was the last full devotion of their why did they do that they did that because of the ideals upon which America is founded so we have a responsibility to teach students those sorts of things," Owens said.
FSU leaders say the program is designed to meet students where they are, using immersive experiences and modern technology to make history feel more real and relevant for a new generation.
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