As part of SYF’s commitment to its network of Alternative Education school district partners, the Foundation provides opportunities for students to participate in a variety of experiences that they normally would not have access to. These experiences range from activities that take place for a couple of hours during a day trip to overnight trips to Washington, D.C. and various sites that commemorate the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s throughout Georgia and Alabama.
SYF currently provides Simon Youth Academy students and teachers the opportunity to participate in the following experiential trip opportunities:
- Close Up Experience
- Civic Rights Journey
- Simon Youth Foundation – Simon Property Group Regional Events/Activities
SYF’s partnership with the Close Up Foundation is SYF’s longest-established partnership that provides both a student experiential trip and a professional development opportunity for network educators. The Close Up Foundation, “a nonprofit, nonpartisan, civic education organization in Washington D.C…offers programming to educate and encourage young people to participate in their civic affairs and government.” (Click here to visit the Close Up Foundation Website.) Our partnership with Close Up began in 2015, and, as funding has been available, Simon Youth Academy students and teachers have been provided the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in all expenses paid Close Up experience uses Washington, D.C as a living classroom. Through interactive workshops and facilitated debates and deliberations, students gain a deeper understanding of both historical and current issues, the importance of civil discourse, and their unique role in our political system. The following is a typical program schedule:
For the 2023-2024 academic year, the Close Up experiential trip takes place April 14 – 17. Throughout the history of our partnership with Close Up, SYF has invested over $442,000, which has allowed 52 Simon Youth Academies, 225 students, and 57 educators to participate in this unique experience.
The Civil Rights Trip is another experiential program offered by SYF to Academy students and educators. The Civil Rights Trip is offered through a partnership with Etgar 36, an independent, pluralistic, nonpartisan, and nonprofit Jewish organization with over 18 years of experience conducting group trips. The trip uses the history, sites, and current issues as a springboard to highlight the relationship, and at times, the tension between the Jewish and American identities. The trips are a mix of fun, sightseeing, education, and meetings with organizations and people who have been and still are involved in creating America.
The Civil Rights Journey experiential trips started in 2022, funded a grant from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). Because of the IDOE grant, only Indiana based Simon Youth Academies had the opportunity to participate. The fall 2024 trip will allow for participation from Academies across the SYF network. During the last 2 years the trip has been offered, 10 Simon Youth Academies, 40 students, and 10 educators have participated in the program.
Additional experiential learning opportunities have involved activities and events conducted by the Foundation and/or Simon Property Group (SPG). These have been events such as our Tees for Education fundraising event, conducted annually at a local Indiana golf course. Local students and educators are invited to attend and participate as guests of SYF to meet funders and tell their stories.
Other opportunities have involved SPG sponsored Regional Fundraising events that are organized and conducted by SPG mall managers across the country. Simon Youth Academy students and teachers in communities where a regional event is taking place are invited to attend as guests and have the opportunity to go to places and events such as the Indianapolis Grand Prix, a horse race in Delmar, California, and a variety of other opportunities from bowling to baseball.
These experiential opportunities have been transformational and life-changing for our students and educators. We look forward to continuing to offer them as part of our students’ education.
