The City Club of Cleveland is both a local and national gem. Founded in 1912 during the Progressive era, it is one of the nation’s oldest continuous free speech forums. Dominated by a tradition of debate and discussion, the City Club of Cleveland has offered Teaching Cleveland students the opportunity to ask questions of everyone from sitting presidents to community activists to local leaders. The City Club has worked regularly with the Teaching Cleveland Institute to connect area educators and their students to the civic dialogue of our communities.
Often the questions posed by students at the forums are among the most pointed and resonant questions. Over 30,000 students have attended City Club forums through the Student Participation program since its inception more than 30 years ago.
The City Club has an ongoing commitment to sharing its work with our region’s youngest citizens. Student participation at the City Club has grown into a mainstay and has become a very important component in our educational outreach initiatives. The programs provide students with hands-on exposure to lessons about citizenship, civics, and history. Student participants not only learn about current affairs, but they also learn how to analyze complex issues facing society and how to express a mature point of view.
It is no wonder that the City Club of Cleveland and Teaching Cleveland are such good community partners.
In the words of Dan Moulthrop, a former educator and current CEO of the City Club,
“Student participation is critical to our mission of creating conversations of consequence that help democracy thrive. One of the things I love most about the City Club is that it is one of the few places in the community where students can participate in civic life alongside their adult counterparts.”
“As a former teacher, I know one of the most important things a student can do is contribute to a project in a meaningful way, and the students on our Youth Forum Council do just that when they produce Youth Forums each month.”
Additional information about the City Club of Cleveland is available on their website www.cityclub.org.
Here are some other links that might be helpful to educators.:
Blog Post from Educator Charles Ellenbogen about bringing his students to the City Club: https://www.cityclub.org/blog/2020/05/05/the-city-is-our-campus
Information about Youth Forum Council: https://www.cityclub.org/support/support-student-programs/youth-forum-council
Free Speech Essay Contest: https://www.cityclub.org/support/support-student-programs/free-speech-essay-contest
