SAMPLE DIALOGUE THREE

Topic: President Bush’s Commencement Address

Goal or Objective: Dialogue Based on President Bush’s Commencement Address on Community Service and Citizenship

Day, Date, Time, Duration: March 13, 2002 (approximately 2 hours)

Location: Town Hall, Dryden NY

Format:

Participants:

Other invited guests/experts: Prof. Miller – Government and Sociology

Press/Public Relations: school paper writer and photographer

Agenda:

Introduction

On June 14, 2002, President Bush gave a commencement address at Ohio State University, where he highlighted the importance of volunteer service and promoted his new national service initiatives under the USA Freedom Corps. Excerpts from this speech are found below. The president’s comments are addressed to college students and raise important questions about the connection between service and citizenship. For this dialogue, have participants read the commencement address and then react to President Bush’s speech promoting community service and citizenship.

Read and Watch (about 10 minutes)

Have the group read President Bush’s commencement address.

Circle Go-Round of Key Ideas (about 10 minutes)

Begin by discussing President Bush’s speech promoting community service. Have participants pick one key idea each found in Bush's speech. Go around the room and have everyone share her or his highlight.

Group Discussion (about 15 minutes)

Next, ask the group follow-up questions, questions might include:

• How do you respond to the President’s call to service?

• What do you think the “culture of service” the president wants to instill would look like if successful throughout the country?

• President Bush states that “America needs more than taxpayers, spectators, and occasional voters. America needs full-time citizens.” What does this mean? What would a “full-time citizen” act like?

• What connections does the president make between service and citizenship? Between service and the activities of government?

• Is President Bush advocating a certain approach to service and citizenship? Are there other approaches that you might suggest?

Small Groups (about 15 minutes)

Have the class break into small groups. President Bush says, “Your idealism is needed in America.” Ask each group to pick two important public issues they think young people’s idealism should be unleashed upon. Then ask the group to brainstorm and come up with responses to the following questions:

- What would be a good community service response to this issue?
- What would be a good political response to this issue?

Whole Class Recording of Ideas (about 15 minutes)

Ask each small group to present their two issues. List the community service response in one column and the political response in the other column. Then ask:

- Are the responses to the issues different? Why?
- Was it difficult to come up with both community service and political responses to the issues you chose? If so, why?

Wrap Up / Action

Ask students if they believe service and politics should be coupled on campus and if so, recommendations about how they might be effectively coupled.

Bring together student leaders of service organizations and more activist groups and work toward developing a statement for the campus community that outlines the benefits and methods of connecting service and other forms of engagement.