Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CLOSE UP FOUNDATION
learn the legislative process
WASHINGTON, D.C.
There can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship.
—Ralph Nader
64 |
Most people think of politics as a spectator sport, something to watch from the sidelines.
It never occurs to them that developing an informed option about government policy is at least
as important as whether their football team wins on Sunday. But the Close Up Foundation is
out to change all that.
Close Up, a Virginia-based nonprofit, was started in 1971 by Stephen Janger to give
young Americans a sense of direction and of purpose. At the time, he was organizing tours of
Europe for high school students, and he noticed that a lot of his young charges were against the
“establishment,” but that they had no real idea of what the establishment was or how it really
worked. He decided to show middle school and high school students that the “system” they
were railing against
did
accept input and that change
could
happen if they simply understood
the inner workings of politics and took the time to get involved.
The Close Up Foundation added weeklong adult programs in civics education in 1984.
On one of these programs, you'll learn not only how public policy impacts every facet of your
life, but also how, by getting involved, you can have a say and actually make a difference.
Through seminars, tours, and daily briefings, you'll learn your rights as a citizen as well as
your responsibilities. Not only will you tour all the most famous Washington landmarks on this
trip, but you'll also meet face to face with Washington insiders, get a behind-the-scenes peek
at Capitol Hill, and observe sessions of Congress and the Supreme Court. You'll attend work-
shops and seminars given by such Washington players as Karen Tumulty,
Time
magazine's
White House correspondent; Brian Lamb, CEO of C-Span; James Woolsey, the former director
of the CIA; and Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's
Hardball
.
CLOSE UP'S BELIEFS
