All Sixteen Counties

Another school year is in the books, and for the ACLU of Maine it was our busiest ever. Our education program reached 41 different schools this year – representing all 16 counties – and we taught more than 1,650 students about the importance and relevance of the Bill of Rights.
 
Educating young people from all corners of Maine is a major part of our education program and we’re excited to have reached every county this year. We go anywhere in the state that will have us, no matter how small the class or how rural the school. This year we traveled as far north as Fort Kent and as far south as York, logging well over 4,000 miles on the road. We drove to Greenville, Houlton, Searsport, Dover-Foxcroft, Jonesport, and many other small towns, as well as the more populated areas like Portland and Bangor.

In addition to our classroom visits, we also hosted a series of all-day conferences where students attended multiple workshops on a range of topics. From free speech to privacy to equal protection and due process, we’re uniquely equipped to teach about the Bill of Rights and to show young people just how relevant the Constitution is to their lives.
 
Maine is a big state and connecting with schools in every county takes a true team effort. Between our student conferences and our classroom visits, we led 119 workshops this year, with presenters literally coming from all corners of the ACLU of Maine. Staffers, board members, lawyers from our legal panel, and volunteers all gave up their time this year to educate young people about what the Bill of Rights says and how it applies to their lives.
 
Like any teacher will tell you, the summer is never quite the vacation it’s cracked up to be. For us, the next few months provide a great chance to update our lesson plans and create new resources for students and teachers to better appreciate and understand the Bill of Rights. We’ve already begun planning for our student conferences in the fall, so if you’re interested in attending keep checking back for more information in the months ahead. It’s always exciting to talk about the Constitution with young people, and we’re already looking forward to getting back at it this fall!