Experiential Learning
SYF continued to support learning through experiences by providing opportunities for students and teachers to participate in a variety of educational programs and tours. In 2022 our experiential programming expanded to provide an opportunity for Indiana Academies to participate in a Civil Rights tour. In 2023, programming expanded again to include opportunities for network Academies to become engaged in volunteer opportunities, attend Simon Property Group Regional Events, attend Month of May activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and tour Newfields in Indianapolis, with a focus on the We. The Culture exhibit.
The highlights of our experiential learning pillars are Close Up and the Civil Rights tour.
Close Up
SYF’s partnership with the Close Up Foundation, a nonprofit, civic education organization founded in 1971, has assisted Academy students and teachers in finding their voice through participation in professionally designed curriculum and seeing first-hand how government works.
Educators and students from 10 Simon Youth Academies travelled to Washington, D.C. from their home states of California, Indiana, Illinois, and Florida to participate in Close Up 2023. The 4-day experience involved tours of the Capitol and monuments, meetings with their Congressional representatives, and participation in in-depth learning sessions, including a mock Congress.
One of the strengths of the Close Up experience, along with their professionally designed curriculum is that they offer separate professional development opportunities for educators. Academy leaders could choose each day whether to ride along and learn from the student experience or participate in a curriculum designed for them to enhance their classroom activities. This year the out-of-town teacher option was a trip to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and the University of Virginia. Teachers also got to visit the “Deep Throat Garage” and tour “the room where it happened” at the Watergate Hotel.
Wednesday is Capitol Hill Day. Educators are reunited with their students to share their experiences and meet with their Senators and Representatives.
Simon Youth Foundation established a partnership with Etgar 36, a nonprofit educational venture that provides travel experiences that seeks to empower young people in getting involved politically and socially to create change in the world.
The Civil Rights Journey took place May 4 – 7 with five Academies participating. Educators and students toured sites and met with civil rights leaders in Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham, Alabama and Atlanta. The tour included visits to historic sites such as the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, and the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Participants also met and talked to individuals with who participated in marches and other forms of protest during the Civil Rights Movement.
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