Giving Tuesday showed up like a soft knock you almost missed — the kind that makes you pause and look over your shoulder, wondering for a moment what you could do to make the world feel a little less heavy. And let’s be honest… it has felt heavy lately. People were talking louder and faster…
The peoples’ voice builds democracy. The line that separates democracy and something like a dictatorship is not written on paper. It’s heard throughout the country. It’s given by the people. Representation in government is a massive part of why America has been so prosperous for 242 years. The people have gotten to choose who leads….
From June 1-6, the Institute for Civility proudly led its second Student Legislative Seminar of 2024, featuring enthusiastic students from Palacios and Wharton, TX high schools. Both schools have been valued participants in our program for many years, and this session was no exception in terms of impact and engagement. Despite the summer heat and…
March 2-7 saw twelve students and three teacher chaperones from Texas City High School in Washington, DC for one of the Institute’s Student Legislative Seminars. This is the 13th time Texas City has participated in this program, and with chaperones who have experienced the trip before on hand with us again, the trip just keeps…
July 17-21 found myself and fellow co-founder Tomás Spath walking the halls of Congress again for the first time post-pandemic. It felt really good to be back. But you may wonder, why do we do that? We try to walk the halls every year for a number of reasons. First, and perhaps the most important,…
June 3-8 found us back in DC – this time with students from Palacios High School (TX) and Wharton High School (TX). This student trip was underwritten by two area foundations who like to focus their support on their local communities. It is through the generosity of these organizations that we have been able to…
The Institute was thrilled to bring our Student Legislative Seminars back to Washington, DC this spring. March 25-30 found us there with 11 students from Texas City High School, Texas, along with three school chaperones. This trip has been sponsored by the local Texas City Rotary Club every year now for twelve years (with the…
Does civility matter? Yes it does. In 2001, Dr. Bertie Simmons came out of retirement to become the principal of Houston’s Furr High school when no one else wanted to take the reigns. Six years later, concerned that gangs were ready to take over the school, Simmons called on us at the Institute and asked…
Jakob Lucas is a junior at Texas City High School and a freshman at College of the Mainland, attending both in a dual-credit program. Jakob loves writing, volunteering, and traveling. Upon high school graduation, he plans on attending a major university to study global politics and international law. He is a 2014 alumnus of the…
