Article Title

 

Dialogue on Freedom- A Resounding Success!

 

Author

 

John A. Adams

 

Article Type

 

President’s Message

 

Article

 

By any measure, the Utah State Bar's Dialogue on Freedom program was a resounding success. A small number of discussions are still being scheduled in schools and therefore the final results will not be known for a few months. However, the lion's share of activity occurred during the week of September 9-13, which Governor Michael O. Leavitt declared as Dialogue on Freedom Week. During that week alone, 1,292 discussions were led in junior high and high school classrooms in more than 110 schools. More than 35,000 students participated. The current totals show that more than 1,400 discussions have been held in 130 schools (including five private schools and 13 youth correctional facilities) involving about 40,000 students. Approximately 400 Utah lawyers led discussions (and a number more volunteered). They have been joined by more than 175 members of the three branches of government (70 state legislators, 57 state and federal judges and 51 members of the executive branch). To place the magnitude of these results in perspective, American Bar Association leaders in August at the National Conference of Bar Presidents meeting in Washington, D.C., in encouraging state and local bar presidents to become involved in this program, stated that more than 200 Dialogue on Freedom presentations had been given nationwide since the program began. In Utah, during the week of September 11th alone, we led, on average, more than 250 discussions each of the five days of the week. That is more than six-times the number of presentations given in the rest of the country combined. I cannot praise our Bar staff enough for their outstanding efforts in meeting the logistical challenges of coordinating these hundreds of presentations each day, particularly at the start of a new school year. In seeking the participation of Utah's legislators, the Bar's leaders committed to make this truly a statewide, not just Wasatch Front, effort. We have made good on that commitment. Thirty-five of the State's 40 districts had schools participate. In addition, we sent copies of the video tape (including the Quest hypothetical scenario, the sample discussion led by Chief Justice Christine Durham and Ron Yengich, and the Civic Dialogue program with Judge Stephen Anderson and Ted Capener) to every junior high and high school in the state. The discussions in the classroom are the center piece of Dialogue on Freedom. Our purpose was to engage students in thoughtful and lively dialogue about the rule of law, the importance of individual rights and responsible citizenship. However, a significant innovation in Utah was to create and distribute a newspaper insert/educational supplement that would inform parents and community members about the discussions in the classroom. In addition, we wanted to provide parents with resource material that they could use to continue the dialogue that started in the classroom, in their homes. On September 5th, the supplement appeared in the state's five daily newspapers and around the same time it appeared in almost all of the weekly newspapers - with a combined circulation of about 625,000. The remainder of the 800,000 supplements were distributed to students during the discussions, in courthouses, government buildings, law firms and Smith's and Albertson's stores. The supplement was translated into Spanish and 25,000 copies were distributed to this vital and rising segment of Utah's population. The Spanish-language version was distributed in Utah's two leading Spanish newspapers, Mundo Hispano and La Prensa, as well as other channels. The cost of creating and printing the supplement in English and Spanish was in excess of $60,000. I wish to thank the law firms, sections of the Bar and the county and specialty bar associations that stepped forward as sponsors to make the supplement possible. The supplement, together with the extensive media and print coverage, were major factors in making the citizens of our state aware of this great program. The true measure of success of Dialogue on Freedom is the feelings of those who led the discussions and the students who were there. The feedback we have received from lawyers and representatives of government is that they genuinely enjoyed being in the classroom and interacting with the students and teachers. The flexibility and commitment shown by our presenters was incredible. One notable example is Juvenile Court Judge Larry Jones from Brigham City, who together with Rob Smith, traveled 90 miles each way to give a presentation to 37 students in Park Valley, Utah. Park Valley is located in the Northwest corner of Box Elder County. The knowledge and commitment of the presenters was not lost on students who appreciated the experience. The following is an excerpt from a letter received by presenters from a student in an ESL (English as a second language) class at the Horizonte School: "I appreciate your interest in teaching us what we have in this country. It was interesting to trade different points of view from students about freedom. I conclude from your explanation that it is impossible to build up a new and better civilization without people who have the willingness, the knowledge and the courage to fight for a humane and just world. It is the best way to use our freedom." The Bar's objective all along was to make a difference in how students feel about our democratic system of government and encourage their willingness to learn and become involved. This excerpt suggests that for a number of students we did that. I am confident that we also sent a message to the public that lawyers care deeply about our young people and are willing to donate their time and abilities to remind us all about the importance of the rule of law. Thanks to all who have made Dialogue on Freedom a memorable experience and resounding success. Dialogue on Freedom Results at a Glance 1,400 classroom discussions   Almost 1,300 discussions during week of September 11th   130 junior high and high schools involved -13 youth correctional facilities -5 private schools   40,000 students participated   400 attorneys led discussions   178 representatives of government led discussions -70 State Legislators -57 Judges 51 Members of the Executive Branch   800,000 newspaper inserts/educational supplements distributed   25,000 Spanish-language copies of supplement distributed   7 broadcasts of Dialogue on Freedom discussion with Chief Justice Christine Durham and Ron Yengich on KUED 7 and KULC 9   Articles reporting on Dialogue on Freedom appeared in all five daily newspapers in the State.