Founding Forward is ready for 2025
It is the start of our second year as Founding Forward and we are not hesitating a moment as we continue to lead with transformational civic education programs for teachers, students, and the community.
We wish you a Happy New Year and invite you to read on to see the exciting things already happening:
The first deadline for our Youth Essay Contest is March 1.
We are accepting applications for our 2025 student and teacher programs
Our 2025 speaker programs open with timely, provocative, and insightful topics – including three programs this month.
Applications are open for our immersive teacher education programs
All teachers can apply for our 2025 no-cost, accredited teacher professional development opportunities. We are also getting an early start: the first session of our weekend summits, held in partnership with the Jack Miller Center’s Founding Civics Initiative, exploring the Declaration of Independence is this month.
Of course, we will also continue our week-long seminars at Union League Liberty Hill and our interactive traveling motor-coach tours. View our topics and program dates and apply today.
Students are back
On January 8, Founding Forward will welcome the first students of 2025 as Good Citizenship Awardees spend three days at our Philadelphia location engaging in our immersive Liberty Weekend experience. Then, we will keep things rolling throughout the year – including several transformative Spirit of America Youth Leadership sessions from February through July. We are now accepting applications for the Spirit of America program from students grades 9-12 to spend four inspiring days at our Valley Forge campus.
We aim to host over 1,500 students through all of these programs and more in 2025!
Accepting Youth Essay Contest submissions
If you know a student from kindergarten through grade 12 who is passionate about the United States and enjoys writing, let them know about our Youth Essay Contest. The first deadline is March 1.
The full details are on our website. Please share this link with students and parents you think may be interested!
Don’t miss these January speaker programs
We’re bringing in three renowned speakers whose topics make it worth venturing out in January’s cold to attend these in-person presentations at the Union League.
Liberty Series: America’s Political Polarization
with Ben Klutskey, Executive Director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. I Monday, January 13, 6:30pm
Library Hour: Spies, Science, and Thomas Jefferson
with Dr. Patrick Spero, incoming CEO of the American Philosophical Society. I Thursday, January 23, 6:30p.m.
Civil War Round Table: Our Ancient Faith
with Dr. Allen Guelzo, Lincoln Prize-winning historian. I Thursday, January 30, 6:30p.m.
All our speaker programs will be held in person at The Union League of Philadelphia, 140 South Broad Street in Philadelphia. Join us for a reception with our presenters at 6pm followed by the program at 6:30pm. For those not local, programs are also available online afterwards via YouTube.
Make 2025 the year you make a difference
When you sponsor a student or teacher to attend one of Founding Forward’s immersive, in-person, multi-day education programs, your donation has a reverberating impact. Our programs are unmatched in their ability to provide educators and middle school and high school students with knowledge of our country’s founding principles and equip them to be productive, informed citizens.