DOCUMENT RESUME ED 111 753 SO 008 614 TITLE Leadership Packet: A Helpful Handbook for the American Issues Forum, A National Bicentennial Program. INSTITUTION Denver Univ., Colo. American Issues Forum Regional Program. SPONS AGENCY American Revolution Bicentennial Administration, Washington, D.C.; National Endowment for the Humanities (NFAH), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 75 NOTE 104p.; For related document, see SO 008 613 EDRS PRICE MF-$0.76 HC-$5.70 Plus Postage DESCRIPTORS '*Action Programs 1Communy); Adult Education; Bibliographies; Community cation; *Community Involvement; Community Progra Elementary Secondary Education: *Leaders Guides; Mass dia; *Program Development; *Public Affairs Educatibn; Resource Guides IDENTIFIERS AIF; American Issues Forum; *Bicentennial ABSTRACT The American Issues Forum (AIF) is the national program for the Bicentennial developed by the National EndOwment for the Humanties-and 'cospOnsored by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. The purpose of the LeadershipPacket is to provide those who are interested in developing AIFPrograms with suggestions about how to plan andwith information'about supporting materials, services, and activities. The key to the American'Issues. Forum is. a Calendar of nine monthly topics--issues that have been fundamental to American society throughout history. The Calendar--part 2, fol owing an introdu tion--is designed to stimulate serious and coordinat d exploration of American's abiding Accomplishments and p oblemsHduring the Bicentennial celebration, providing a framework for a Variety of programs. Part 3.suggests kinds of programs which could be planned for communitiesand organizations. Generalihow-to-do-it suggestions forprograms development; resource, promotion, and coordination are contained in part 4. Extensive bil ographies for adults and students are contained in part 5. A directory of AIF-related materials,media efforts, and supporting organizations comprise part 6.Part 7 lists various Bicentennial ex ibits and displays. (Author/JR) 44********************************************************************* * Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * materials not available from othersources. ERIC makes every effort * * to obtain the best copy available. nevertheless, items of marginal-* * reproducibility are often encountered and this affects the quality * * of the Microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available' * * via the ERIC' Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS is not * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions* * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original. * *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HASBEEN REPRO DUCED EXACTLY ASRECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN .ATING IT POINTS OFVIEW DR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL REPRE INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITIONDR POLICY Leadership Packet: A HELPFUL HANDBOOK FOR THE rnericamssues forum: , Anational bicentennial program / Designed by the At F Regional Program Office, serving the states of Colorado,. Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. The AI F Regional Program is made possible by a grant from the NEN,a federal agency created by Congress to support education, research, and pablic activities in Vie humanities. The American Issues Forum is a national program for the Bicentennial, developed under the auspices of the National Endowment for the Humanities and cospon- sored by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. a Fl 1975 University of Denver Denver, Colorado 00002 CONTENTS I Paget, Introduction e 11, 10'0 41; oo 00000 I-1 III The American Issues Forum Calendar III. Program Ideas III-1 A. Small Group Discussions 111-2 B. Special Presentations for Large Audiences 111-5 C. Regular Organizational Meetings 111-7 D. Exhibits and Displays o 111-9 E. Formal Instructional Programs IV. General "How-To-Do-It" Suggestions IV-1 A. .Substantive Character of the Programs IV-1 B. Resources IV-3 C. Promotion of Participation in Programs IV-4 D. Reporting Forum Activities 000000 IV -5 E. Coordination of Local Program Committees 1V-7 Bibliographies V-1 A. American Library Association: AIF Reading Lists Disantennialtenr,1 1. For Adults 2. For Young Americans (Note: Inorder to conform to postal regula- tions, thesebibliographies arebeing mailed under separate cover. Please insert them at this point.) B. Regional Bibliography -continued 00003 CONTENTS-continued VI. Directory of AIF-Related Materials; Media Efforts; and Supporting Organizations VI-1 A.Major AIF - Related Materials VI-2 B. Mass Media Efforts VI-11 C. Program Aids for Organizers VI-15 D. Other AIF-Related Materials VI -19 E. Endorsements VI-25 F. Supporting Organizations VI-30 VII.Bicentennial Exhibits and Displays VII-1 ii or)004,L' Oki? r 1. 'INTRODUCTION The American Issues Forum (AIF) is the national pr gram for the Bicentennial Y developed, by the NationalEndowment forthe umanities arid co-sponsored by theAmerican Revolution Bicentennial Administration. It is .a program_ for Americans fromeverywalk and station of life to participate in on a voluntary basis. Thekey to the American Issues Forum is a topical Calendar of nine monthly issues -- issues that havebeen ,fundamental to American society throughout our history. Within each monthly issue (topic) are four weekly sub-topics. -. - The Forum, Calendar, covering36 weeks,has been designedto stimulate serious. and -coordinated explorationofAmerica's abiding accomplishments andproblems during ourBicentennial year. It willbegin in September, 1975,, andcontinue through May, 1976. The full text ofthe Calendar is enclosed, as Section II of this Packet. II While designednationally, the Forum is a practical grass roots do-it- yourself program. Everyone canparticipate inany of various ways: 'town meetings, debates, speaker programs, dramatic readings, essays, home discus- sions. To stimulate and add to local, and regional programs, many national types of support are being readied by both commercial and noncommercial originators. Such support includes television and radio presentations, national magazine articles, a nation-wide newspaper "course,'' written by ten leading scholars, articles in the journals of many associations, etc. But, as the introduction of the Calendar states: I-1 0000U 1 ...the design of the Forum is up to the participants. How each of us addresses the issues will dependon how we interpret them: the general topics described in this calendar are meant only to suggest ideas. Using them as a starting point, different groups will move in different directions, givingattention to those, aspects of each theme that affect them most deeply--for we all have our own points ofview andour ownspecial concerns.... The essential thing, however, is to spark a nationwide discussion of fundamentals Why? As one of the Forumts planners has written: With changes taking place in our very styles of life, we believe the American people will agree that it is crucial to afford issues their proper perspective, and that they should be debated, and argued, and counter-argued. The Forum encourages all sides and every worthwhile point of view--but it is not just an exercise, a debating society. Fromthese discussions of the Forum's topics will come ideas. And fromthese ideas will sometimes come a firmer basis for public and private decision-making. TheEndowment stands on the proposition that any meaningful considerationof our future requires prior consideration of those time-less issues and forces that have influenced and will continue to influence our lives. JThe purposeof this Leadership Packet is to provide those who are interested in planning AIFProgramswithsuggestions of how to do so, and with informationabout supportingmaterials and services and where they may be obtained. It is hopedthat these informationalmaterials will greatly facilitate the task of arranging for AIF programs. It is recognizedthat by the time this packet reaches its intended users it will be very difficult for many to plan programs commencing in September. Some plans, of course, have already been maae, and this Leadership Packet will aid their implementation. Other planners should recognize that, since the Calendar is diiiided into separate monthly topics (with weekly sub-topics), coherent and attractiveprograms may start in any month during the period of September, 1975, to May, 1976. Academic programs might be planned to begin the second or thirdquarters or secondsemester of school years. Others not bound by academic schedulesmaycommence as soon as it is feasible, Furthermore, 'programs neednot deal with the'whole of the Calendar; topics of particular interest-to a participating group may be selected. Finally, programs based-on the topics of the early weeks of the Calendar may be scheduled for later discussion, if a grouphas keen interest in them and cannot arrange for early meetings; the publications relevant to those topics will, of course, continue to be available.. e4 As the Tableof Contents indicates, this Packet contains, folloWing this Introduction, the full text of the AIF Calendar, The next section suggests. many different types of programs which may be planned; it is followed by a section givingsome general "How-to-do-it" information. Section V contains a RegionalBibliography keyed to the monthly Calendar topics. Under separate cover, recipients of the Packet