2006-2007 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Congressional Fellows and
Louis Stokes Urban Health Policy Fellows host Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
High School Model Congress Program

WASHINGTON, DC- Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Fellows and Louis Stokes Urban Health Policy Fellows held an inaugural High School Model Congress Program during the weekend of January 19-21, 2007. Congressional Fellows hosted 90 high school juniors and seniors from schools in Washington, DC as well as Maryland.

The CBCF High School Model Congress Program is designed to communicate the importance of the political process to high school students in and around the Washington, DC area. The program focuses on how legislative decisions affect the daily lives of the program’s participants and the role that African Americans have played in the evolution of America’s democracy. One of the highlights of this year’s program is a guided tour of Capitol Hill given by Felecia Bell, curator of “From Freedom’s Shadow: African Americans and the United States Capitol.”

Prior to the CBCF High School Model Congress Program weekend, fellows held five pre-sessions with participating students from KIMA Charter School in Washington, DC; Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Maryland; and NORA High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. During these sessions, students were introduced to the program, began to outline the legislative process, and engaged in conversations about the relationship between what happens on the Hill and how it affects the lives of participating students and their families.

The CBCF High School Model Congress Program is a major component of the CBCF Fellowship program. The objectives of the Congressional Fellowship Program are to: 1) provide public policy training for young African American professionals possessing graduate and professionals degrees, 2) expose these professionals to Capitol Hill and facilitate interactions that will provide them with contacts, skills, and experiences to aid in obtaining public policy position, and 3) provide the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus with skilled young professional staff. As a team, CBCF Fellows are required to create a project that serves and supports the Washington, DC community. This year’s class seeks to institutionalize the CBCF High School Model Congress Program so that future CBCF Fellowship classes can continue and build up this project.