In 2024, A More Perfect Union is bringing Jewish educators and institutions from the Jewish Partnership for Democracy into the national dialogue on civic learning.
Happening March 11-13 online and in Washington, DC, the Jewish Summit on Civics is designed to bring together the Jewish Partnership for Democracy to help build the field of civics education in Jewish spaces. There are two meaningful ways to participate:
IN-PERSON - Join a limited number of in-person participants in Washington, DC to attend both Civic Learning Week programming and a full-day of Jewish field-building discussions, including "Steal This" sessions to showcase and discover new ideas from trusted partners. Applications for this track are now closed.
FROM HOME - Join remotely, via livestream of select Civic Learning Week and Jewish field-building programming; contribute innovative content, curriculum, or program materials for "Steal This" sessions; and participate in live, bespoke Zoom conversations to discuss as a field (held on March 11 and 13). Registration for this track is available through March 1, 2024.
Program Focus:
Discussions about civic learning often focus on formal educational settings like schools and colleges. Our focus is wider. We are posing the question:
There is room for multiple modalities, approaches, and disciplines in the answer to this question. Federal and state advocacy, programmatic offerings to equip Jews of all ages to be effective citizens, and curriculum development are all pieces of this puzzle. For this event, we are specifically exploring innovative approaches to knowledge inculcation (versus community mobilization), so keep that in mind when proposing content to share with the group.
Key Details:
There is no cost to participate in the program.
Participants will join Civic Learning Week general programming and Jewish-specific content designed specifically for you and your work.
“Steal This” sessions will provide tangible examples from peers doing great work.
All partners attending IN-PERSON will receive a travel subsidy of up to $1,000 to offset hotel and flight expenses.
For those attending IN-PERSON, most meals from Monday evening, March 11 through lunch on Wednesday, March 13 are included. All meals provided directly by A More Perfect Union will be vegetarian or kosher dairy.
More FAQs below!
Application & Registration Process
All organizations in the Jewish Partnership for Democracy are eligible to join this event. Registration to join IN-PERSON is now closed. Folks interested in joining FROM HOME may still register through March 1, 2024. Preference will be given to those who:
Represent institutions with commitments relating to civic learning
Submit a great “Steal This” submission to bring tangible ideas into our conversation
Multiple representatives from each partner are welcome to join virtually.
If invited to attend or present IN-PERSON, you will then complete a more detailed registration which will include both the Jewish Summit on Civics and Civic Learning Week. (We will coordinate your registration for Civic Learning Week activities so you only have to register once!). Registration will ask for details including:
Dietary, inclusion & accessibility needs
Payment information for processing your reimbursements (preferably via ACH/direct deposit to your organization)
Great “Steal This” session example:
Frequently Asked Questions
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All attendees must represent one of the partners of the Jewish Partnership for Democracy. Representatives can be professional staff, lay leadership, or board members.
Due to space constraints, we will only be able to invite one representative per institution to join us IN-PERSON and preference will be given to those with decision-making authority in their respective institution. Multiple representatives are welcome to join virtually.
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No, we believe civic learning happens inside and outside the classroom and invite anyone engaged in helping inform and equip American Jews to be to be good citizens to consider attending.
This being said, the Civic Learning Week National Forum will provide several spaces to consider and discuss this challenge from an explicit education or classroom/curriculum perspective, so Jewish educators are highly encouraged to join us.
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There is no cost to participate in any programming with either Civic Learning Week or A More Perfect Union. The only costs incurred would come from travel, accommodation, and 1-2 meals. To help offset this cost, A More Perfect Union is offering up-to-$1,000 travel subsidies that will come in the form of after-the-fact reimbursements.
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The IN-PERSON schedule for the Jewish Summit on Civics has three components and will run from Monday, March 11 at 5pm ET until Wednesday, March 13 at 5pm ET. More specifics will be shared with confirmed attendees, but the schedule looks broadly like this:
Monday, 5pm: Jefferson Dinner with staff and attendees
A Jeffersonian Dinner is a single-table conversation on a set of questions. This will help forge deeper connections and discussion to support relationship building throughout our time together.
Tuesday, 8:00am-8:30pm (with breaks): Civic Learning Week National Forum
The final schedule for the Civic Learning Week National Forum is now available. The day, which features a plenary session with Supreme Court Justices Sotomayor and Coney Barret, will focus on elevating civic education as a national priority across a variety of learning opportunities and environments. The day will conclude with an optional reception.
Wednesday, 8:00-5:00pm: Jewish Summit on Civics
The final day will gather partners to focus on meaning making from both the civic learning community and each other. What are the key opportunities and challenges to incubating more opportunities for civic learning in the Jewish community? What great ideas can we build on together?
The day will also include “Steal This” sessions presented by attendees about the innovative work they are doing in their contexts on this topic.
Mandatory programming will end at 3:30pm to accommodate travel. An optional reception will end the day at 5pm.
Please see below for the FROM HOME schedule.
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The FROM HOME track will mirror in-person programming but with a bespoke design for a virtual environment and remote cohort. Programming will occur virtually between Monday, March 11 at 3pm ET and Wednesday, March 13 at 4pm ET. More specifics will be shared with confirmed attendees, but the schedule looks broadly like this:
Monday, 3pm: Intention- and Expectation-Setting
We will gather together to discuss our intentions and set expectations for the days ahead. We will get to know each other and start building the relationships that will sustain our long-term field-building.
Tuesday, 8:00am-8:30pm (with breaks): Civic Learning Week National Forum (LIVESTREAMED)
The final schedule for the Civic Learning Week National Forum is now available. The day, which features a plenary session with Supreme Court Justices Sotomayor and Coney Barret, will focus on elevating civic education as a national priority across a variety of learning opportunities and environments. The day will focus on elevating civic education as a national priority across a variety of learning opportunities and environments, including using elections as a ‘teachable moment.’
Livestreaming will be available for all plenary sessions though what each attendee attends is discretionary.
Wednesday, 12:00-4:00pm ET: Jewish Summit on Civics
The final day will gather partners virtually to focus on meaning making from both the civic learning community and each other. What are the key opportunities and challenges to incubating more opportunities for civic learning in the Jewish community? What great ideas can we build on together?
The day will also include virtual “Steal This” sessions presented by attendees about the innovative work they are doing in their contexts on this topic.
Please see above for the IN-PERSON schedule.
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We have designed our “Steal This” sessions to to showcase innovative ideas for inculcating civic knowledge, foster shared learning and dialogue, and create opportunities for good ideas to find new applications. Since our topic is civic learning, session proposals should all focus on civic learning in Jewish contexts like schools, synagogues, community centers, camps, and so on.
It is helpful to differentiate civic learning from civic engagement or community mobilization, where the emphasis is on action versus knowledge. We are focused on knowledge at this event. If this is your focus, rest assured: there will certainly be opportunities to share around these topics in the future!
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We are always happy for partners and friends to promote and share the work we are doing together to protect and strengthen American democracy. Please note that only applications associated with network partners will be considered. If you think this event might entice new partners to join and you’d like to facilitate that connection, please get in touch!