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"You're an American teenager flying off to an exotic vacation. But your plane has engine trouble and you're forced to land in the country of Quest - a place where the average worker
makes only $2 a day, where the political leadership is corrupt, and where anti-democratic sentiment is gathering strength. The people you meet challenge your beliefs. They blame America
for their difficulties, and believe that authoritarian rule is their best hope. What can you say to them?"
So begins the hypothetical that Utah lawyers will be taking into social studies classrooms in Utah junior high and high schools during the week of September 9-13, 2002. This program is
called Dialogue on Freedom. Its purpose is to engage Utah secondary students in thought-provoking dialogue about our democratic system of government and our civic traditions. More
specifically, the presentations will focus on the following three points: First, We the People support the rule of law. Second, Americans believe in and protect individual rights. Third,
every citizen is important - citizens need to be informed and involved. The goal is to get students to think, express their feelings and be motivated to carry on discussions about these
three points with their families and others.
Justice Anthony Kennedy of the United States Supreme Court in the wake of the events of last September 11th encouraged the American Bar Association to develop a program whereby lawyers and
judges would speak to high school students about our democratic system and associated values. The Quest hypothetical above is the vehicle designed for getting young Americans to think
about our form of government in light of recent events. To help facilitate the dialogue, the presenters ask students to identify books and movies that best reflect their feelings about
America. Students also are asked to identify great events of freedom and discuss/explain the significance of those events.
Lawyers will be paired with members of the three branches of government: judges, legislators or members of the executive branch. Over 70% of our state legislators have already agreed to
participate. Governor Leavitt has pledged to find 100 members of the executive branch to participate. Chief Justice Durham has called upon the state judiciary to participate and most of
the federal judges will be participating. We think that the opportunity for lawyers to work closely with legislators, judges and members of the executive branch will be a mutually
rewarding experience. We thank the Governor, the Legislature and our judiciary for their enthusiastic response.
The Bar desires to involve parents and community members in this program as well as students. Students will be given a handout to take home to encourage further discussion with parents and
other family members. On September 8, 2002 at 5:30 p.m., KUED Channel 7's "Civic Dialogue" program with host Ted Capener and the Honorable Stephen H. Anderson of the Tenth
Circuit Court of Appeals will focus on Dialogue on Freedom and will alert viewers to the upcoming in-school presentations. KUED will broadcast a one-half hour, actual dialogue with
students featuring Chief Justice Christine Durham and criminal defense attorney Ron Yengich as the presenters. KUED's sister channel, KULC, Channel 9, will broadcast a version of the
dialogue into classrooms. We anticipate that lawyers will appear on local radio talk show programs and that local television stations and the print media will report on the school
classroom presentations.
As you can see, Dialogue on Freedom is a bold undertaking for the Utah State Bar. This is a state-wide project that is aimed at reaching students in the 340 junior highs and high schools
in the state as well as their parents and families. No group is better equipped to advocate the rule of law in our society than lawyers. Therefore, we are taking the lead in this
important endeavor. The logistics of coordinating hundreds of presentations in a short time period will be a monumental challenge but one that our capable Bar staff will meet. I ask for
your support. Consider volunteering as a presenter. If you want to participate, call Charles Stewart of the Bar staff at (801) 297-7049 or email him at crstewart@utahbar.org. In any
event, be a promoter of this effort. Tell your children about it and follow up with further discussion at home after they have seen the presentation.
Now, for a few specifics about what is expected of those who agree to be presenters. Each pair will be assigned to give one or more presentations on one day in a school. The Bar staff will
make the pairings in advance and provide you the details about the school, your teacher contact and the date and times of the presentations. The ABA prepared hypothetical and related
information is found on the website www.dialogueonfreedom.org. In addition, the Bar will provide each pair a videotape that contains a model presentation; tips about facilitating
discussions; and other useful information to make your experience as seamless and satisfying as possible.
Your responsibility will be to review the materials, meet at least once in advance with your co-presenter to plan your presentation and divide responsibilities. Following your
presentation, we ask you to send the Bar information about the books, movies and events of freedom identified by the students. That information will be compiled and made available for the
students and public to see what Utah students listed.
Dialogue on Freedom presents a wonderful and timely opportunity for lawyers to make a difference in our state in promoting the rule of law and encouraging our youth to become informed and
involved citizens. Please join us in working to make this vision a reality.
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