American Public Square Inc

AMERICAN PUBLIC SQUARE CONVENES NON-LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE TO IMPROVE THE TONE AND QUALITY OF CIVIL DISCOURSE AND CREATE PATHS TOWARD ACTIONABLE COMMON GROUND. WE ADDRESS POLARIZATION AND CONTROVERSY THROUGH THE PROMOTION OF CIVIL, FACT-BASED DIALOGUE IN THE COMMUNITY.

2022 INCLUDED 14 APS PROGRAMS. TOPICS INCLUDED ELECTION REFORM, REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, CLIMATE CHANGE, GEN Z POLITICS, U.S. FOREIGN POLICY, GUN RIGHTS AND MORE. WE STARTED THE YEAR WITH A COVID SPIKE AND THUS, A RETURN TO VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING, THIS TIME ON THE TOPIC OF ELECTION REFORM, WHERE WE EXPLORED ALTERNATIVES TO AMERICA'S CURRENT TWO-PARTY POLITICAL SYSTEM IN A MIDTERM ELECTION YEAR. AS THE YEAR WENT ON AND THE PANDEMIC BEGAN TO WANE, WE WERE PLEASED TO BRING PEOPLE BACK TOGETHER IN PERSON TO ADDRESS LOCAL ISSUES WITH OUR KC AT THE SQUARE EVENTS. WE HOSTED A LIVELY DISCUSSION ABOUT THE KCPD BUDGET IN APRIL, AND WENT ON TO HOST A PROGRAM ON GUNS IN PUBLIC SPACES IN AUGUST, AMID THE ONGOING SPATE OF GUN VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND COUNTRY. APS ALSO TACKLED TOPICS NOT SO CLOSE TO HOME. WITH THE WAR IN UKRAINE ON MANY HEARTS AND MINDS IN KANSAS CITY, WE WERE PROUD TO HOST FORMER DIPLOMATS AND DIGNITARIES FOR A CONVERSATION ABOUT AMERICA'S ROLE ON THE GLOBAL STAGE IN SEPTEMBER. IN 2022, APS HELD 9 COMMUNITY EVENTS, INCLUDING TEDXKC, NATIONAL WEEK OF CONVERSATION, UNITED COMMUNITY SERVICES SUMMIT, KANSAS SERVICE & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE AND MORE. COVERING TOPICS FROM GUN CONTROL AND ELECTION REFORM TO REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND GENERATIONAL POLITICS, OUR PROGRAMS ADDRESS THE MOST PRESSING, "WICKED" ISSUES OF OUR TIMES. WHEN WE COME TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS, WE LEARN TO DISAGREE NOT LESS, BUT BETTER WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND IN SO DOING, WE STRENGTHEN OUR DEMOCRACY AND HEAL OUR COMMUNITIES.

IN 2022, OUR CIVICS EDUCATION INITIATIVE FINALLY CAME TO LIFE AS THE PROGRAM WE ENVISIONED, BRINGING STUDENTS FROM WIDE-RANGING SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES TOGETHER ACROSS DIFFERENCES TO PRACTICE THE APS "WAY." DURING THE SPRING, WE HOSTED THE CULMINATING EVENT OF THE 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR: AN ENTIRELY STUDENT-PRODUCED APS SIGNATURE EVENT AT THE KC PUBLIC LIBRARY ON THE TOPIC OF EQUALITY IN EDUCATION. IT WAS TRULY SPECIAL TO SEE STUDENTS, EDUCATORS AND OUR PARTNERS WORK TOGETHER TO PRODUCE A MEANINGFUL PROGRAM ON A TOPIC THAT MATTERS TO THEM. THE APS CIVICS EDUCATION INITIATIVE EXPANDS APS' MISSION INTO LOCAL SCHOOLS THROUGH A CUSTOM-DEVELOPED CIVICS CURRICULUM AND PARTNERSHIP WITH EDUCATORS, STUDENTS AND ADMINISTRATORS AT BOTH THE HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE LEVEL. THROUGH THREE CURRICULUM UNITS, DELIVERED IN THE FALL SEMESTER, STUDENTS IN THE APS CIVICS EDUCATION INITIATIVE RECEIVE CIVILITY TRAINING, ENGAGE IN CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS AND CRITICALLY ASSESS THE IMPACT OF TODAY'S MEDIA ON CIVIC DISCOURSE. ONE FOCUS IN 2022 WAS THE "FACT-BASED" COMMITMENT IN APS' MISSION. STUDENTS REPORT THAT IT OFTEN SEEMS INDIVIDUALS ARE AT LIBERTY TO "CHOOSE" THEIR OWN FACTS. APS STAFF WAS ALSO ABLE TO LEVERAGE THE ORGANIZATION'S MEMBERSHIP IN THE KANSAS CITY MEDIA COLLECTIVE ALONG WITH RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL NEWS OUTLETS, THE KANSAS CITY STAR AND KCTV 5, TO BRING JOURNALISTS INTO PARTNER CLASSROOMS. JOURNALISTS SPOKE WITH STUDENTS ABOUT ETHICAL STANDARDS IN JOURNALISM AND WHAT IT'D BEEN LIKE REPORTING ON NEWS DURING HYPER-POLARIZED TIMES. STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH EACH JOURNALIST AND INQUIRE ABOUT OTHER ASPECTS OF THEIR ROLE AND EXPERIENCE IN THE NEWS INDUSTRY. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THIS TYPE OF ENGAGEMENT AND ACCESS TO LOCAL JOURNALISTS INCREASES TRUST IN LOCAL NEWS. 273 LOCAL STUDENTS RECEIVED THE CEI CURRICULUM FOR THE 2022-23 SCHOOL YEAR. 8 PARTICIPATING HIGH SCHOOLS INCLUDED BELTON HIGH SCHOOL, GUADALUPE CENTERS HIGH SCHOOL, LEE'S SUMMIT WEST HIGH SCHOOL, NOTRE DAME DE SION, OAK HILL DAY SCHOOL, OLATHE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL, SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH HIGH SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY ACADEMY. 3 CURRICULUM UNITS COVERED: "CAN YOU AGREE TO DISAGREE BETTER?", "HOW DO WE IDENTIFY MISINFORMATION, DISINFORMATION AND EVALUATE BIAS? EVEN OUR OWN?", AND "ARE YOU DEBATING OR DELIBERATING?" 74 STUDENT AMBASSADORS ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE PROJECT-BASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITY, PLANNING THE SPRING 2022 PROGRAM, "ERASING THE RED LINES: ARE OUR SCHOOLS EMBRACING THE FUTURE OR EMBODYING THE PAST?"