Close Up Foundation
Close Up Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization, was founded in 1971 to inform, inspire, and empower the American people to take up the mantle of citizenship. Close Up does this by working with teachers and students in middle school and high school, bringing them to Washington, D.C., for an onsite "immersion" in democracy, and setting them on the path of active, responsible citizenship. Close Up also offers them classroom materials that encourage critical thinking and interest in current issues, civics, and government.
Mission
Close Up seeks to create an intense educational program using Washington, D.C., and other locations of historic significance, as learning tools for high school and middle school students.
It develops a teacher program, paralleling the student program, which enhances the teachers' ability to teach citizenship to their students. Close Up develops classroom materials that assist teachers as they challenge their students to become familiar with our founding documents and history and to explore important questions of public policy. One of its goals is to reach as broad an audience as possible through programs that raise the public's awareness of issues and encourage civilized debate about them. Finally, Close Up, works to encourage study of American democracy throughout the world.
Achievements
For nearly 35 years, Close Up has been implementing and honing programs directed toward middle school and high school students. The programs are kept vital by constantly updating them for content and technique, and always maintaining a nonpartisan perspective. To date, Close Up has brought more than 620,000 participants on its Washington, D.C.,-based programs.
Close Up has created and implemented a program for teachers, which enhances their ability to teach their students. This program is made possible because Close Up's staff is responsible for their students day and night for six days. This program is also available for Continuing Education Units, and is available at no additional cost to all teachers on program with their students. Close Up Publishing offers a line of books, teacher’s guides, video documentaries, and other materials for use in the classroom that encourage critical thinking and interest in current issues, civics, and government. In partnership with C-SPAN, the Woodrow Wilson Center, and The Freedom Forum and Newseum, Close Up on C-SPAN airs Friday evenings on C-SPAN, and exposes millions of viewers to Close Up's message of citizen engagement, civilized discussion of issues, and the opportunity to observe high school students questioning world leaders in politics, industry, and the media. Close Up works with the Department of State and various international organizations to bring students from other countries, some of them fledgling democracies, to Washington, D.C., New York, NY, Williamsburg, VA, and Philadelphia, PA, providing them with an in-depth study of American democracy and history.
Goals
This year, Close Up will expand its high school and middle school programs to reach 500 - 1,500 more students, primarily in middle school. Close Up will institute its first International Baccalaureate summer institute for students matriculating in this academic program. Close Up will identify and work with teachers to assist them in reaching the goals of the Civic Mission of Schools. Close Up will work to expand its reach across national lines with the intent of bringing more young people to our nation’s capital from those countries that could benefit from seeing a successful democracy in action.
Contact Information
Catherine M. Smith
Marketing Manager
Close Up Foundation
44 Canal Center Plaza
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703) 706-3300
Fax: (703) 706-0002
Email smithc@closeup.org