Annual Report Howard A. Friedman First Amendment Education Project S ince 1991, the Friedman Education Project has served high school teachers and students by supporting organizing efforts and providing substantive information about civil rights and civil liberties. All of the student programs are designed, implemented and evaluated by the ACLU Student Advisory Committee, a dedicated group of 35 high school students from as far away as Vallejo and San Jose who meet throughout the year. With each program, a new group of students are attracted to the ACLU and join the Student Advisory Committee bringing new creative ideas and energy for planning future events on student rights and liberties.
All programs are free to students and schools.
This year, the annual conference for high school students to debate, discuss, and organize around key civil liberties issues was moved to Sacramento to expose California legislators to the views and opinions of youth. The March conference attracted more than 500 students from 26 different schools throughout northern California. The new location allowed students from schools in more remote areas to attend. The students lobbied their legislators on the Gang Violence and Juvenile Crime Prevention Act, and held a rally on the Capitol steps to oppose bill. The students have been invited into classrooms throughout northern California to speak about what they learned.