THE CITY CLUB FORUM FOUNDATION

A growing national divide is reflected in the fractures we see in communities throughout northeast ohio. When it comes to education, the barriers that divide our community are particularly destructive. The city club aims to bridge this divide through four distinct programs that serves students and the educational community: city club youth forums, student participation, the free speech essay contest, and the annual high school debate championship. Since its inception in 1997, more than 14,000 students have attended city club youth forums. Students take charge of everything in the forum, from topic selection to panel moderation and delivering introductions. These forums are executed by a (continued on schedule o) planning council of high school students who come from area high schools (both public and private) to meet monthly to select topics and invite the speakers for as many as five forums each year. Youth forums provide a unique opportunity for participants to develop effective communication skills by holding group discussions on current events and public affairs at forums, develop analytical thinking abilities by debating the topic and points of view reflected by the forum speaker, and encouraging positive community involvement by providing a direct experience with engaged dialogue-the very fiber of american democracy.every year the hope and stanley adelstein free speech essay contest challenges high school students to examine the role of free speech in the 21st century. This essay contest was established with a generous gift from the adelsteins to honor their deep commitment to the city club of cleveland. Northeast ohio high school students are eligible to compete and city club members and community partners serve as guest judges scoring the essays on their clarity, content, originality, and significance. Winning essays are posted on the city club website and the top winners are invited to read their essays at the city club. Winners receive a total over more than $4,000 in prizes, including $1,000 to the top winning essay.