BY AMANDA KLAUSE

In print | October 2, 2008

Last Saturday, Sept. 27, the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility hosted a Debating for Democracy (D4D) on the Road Workshop to teach students about socially responsible citizenship. Representatives from several schools, including St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Ursinus College and Widener University, were present for the workshop. There were 65 attendees, about 12 of whom were from Swarthmore.

The visitors brought diverse experiences and ideas to the workshop that might otherwise go unheard on campus. “Having those students there was really great. I liked the new perspective on activism from students on other campuses. It was also nice to meet new people,” Elizabeth Crampton ’09 said.

The workshop was coordinated by Project Pericles, a national nonprofit company founded by Eugene Lang ’38 dedicated to educating students about the responsibilities of citizenship.

The workshop was led by Christopher Kush, a member of Washington D.C.’s Soapbox Consulting. “The workshop was designed to help student activists to develop the skills they need to persuade legislators, leaders and others to see things their way,” Associate Director of Student Programs at the Lang Center Jennifer Magee said.

Students learned how to write political letters, how to analyze a bill in preparation for rebuttal arguments and how to persuade the media to cover an issue satisfactorily. “One segment of the workshop covered how to get the attention of the news media for one’s cause,” Magee said. “The news media consultant … Engaged students in a role-play where they practiced calling a reporter and learning what particulars that would more likely generate a story and receive news coverage.”
Magee was also impressed with the scope of the workshop. “We moved beyond talking about activism. We engaged in practical, experiential learning — what you learn here can be applied to the world outside, be it in a student group, an activist cause, or just being a motivated citizen,” Magee said.

Student participants appreciated the opportunity to learn how to become engaged citizens. “I thought the workshop was really good. I picked up valuable skills in talking to our Congressmen. I like the idea that it’s not good enough to be a participant in democracy, but that you have to be a thoughtful participant in democracy. You need to take the time and effort to make yourself a real person to these people,” Crampton said.

Magee felt that the skills emphasized in the workshop would be helpful in real situations where one would be interacting with legislators. “The goal of this workshop was to teach concrete skills that can help students be involved effectively in social change. For example, Mark Dlugash ’08 is going to speak to legislators on behalf of the Global Health Forum in a few weeks, so he paid careful attention to the tips on how to get your legislator to listen and how to stay on message in face-to-face meetings,” Magee said.

Although Crampton was pleased with her experience, she would have liked to see more participation from Swarthmore students. “I know it’s really easy to get consumed by our community here because we’re doing such wonderful and exciting things, but the skills we learned at the workshop are the skills we’ll need for the rest of our lives,” Crampton said.

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