Teacher Deanna Thein and judges Erin Allers, Rose Symrski, Al Block, Jack Jarmes, and Janet Jarmes with Boscobel Project Citizen participants.

By Tom Solberg, State Bar of Wisconsin Media Relations Coordinator

Oct. 13, 2010 – While Wisconsin lawyers contribute to their communities in many obvious ways – serving as counselors, judges, prosecutors, administrators, and in other highly visible roles – behind the scenes they also help build the foundation stronger communities through a variety of public education initiatives. One example is Project Citizen, a State Bar-sponsored civic education program that promotes participation in government by actively engaging students in learning how they can monitor and influence public policy.

The program, which features table-top portfolios created by the participating students, was originally targeted at middle and high school classrooms, but has been expanded in Wisconsin to include other educational venues, including the state's most secure adult corrections facility in Boscobel.

Project in third year

"This was the third year that we've sponsored a Project Citizen Showcase at the facility in Boscobel," notes Project Citizen State coordinator Jack Jarmes. He was one of five Project Citizen judges who evaluated a presentation developed by six maximum security inmates in the prison. "Evaluating the inmates and their portfolio was an incredible experience for all of us," he adds. "The inmates were articulate, demonstrated an understanding of the issue, and were passionate about their project."

Project Citizen actively engages students in learning how to monitor and influence public policy. As a class project, students work together to identify and study a public policy issue, evaluate options, select a solution to the problem, and develop an action plan to solve the problem. The goal is to motivate and enable young people to enjoy the rights and accept the responsibilities of citizenship. Project Citizen helps participants learn how to express their opinions, how to decide which level of government and which agency is most appropriate for dealing with problems they identify, and how to influence policy decisions at that level. Students in a classroom work cooperatively with each other as they identify a problem to study, gather information, examine solutions, develop public policy positions, and create action plans.

The topic explored by the Boscobel participants this year was the epidemic of teen pregnancies in Milwaukee. Past topics include recidivism and truth in sentencing.

"The program is designed as a group project where students work together to identify and study a public policy issue, evaluate options, select a solution to the problem and develop an action plan to solve the problem," Jarmes explains. "The final product is a portfolio summarizing their findings. In this case, each of the six participants was allowed a four-minute presentation, followed by questions from the judging panel."

Learning to make a positive difference

Deanna Thein, Special Education and GED teacher at the Boscobel facility, sees real value to sharing these kinds of insights with a population that is generally disenfranchised and is rarely viewed as a source of solutions to community concerns. She notes that unlike many inmates, who return to their communities with a "why should I care?" attitude, Project Citizen program graduates feel empowered. "They learn that they can make a difference by being part of the process," she explains.

The program emphasizes precisely the skills needed to make such a transition and allow them to positively influence policy development at the local, state, and national levels after they complete their sentences. Thein stresses that in addition to equipping inmates with basic information about how government operates, Project Citizen develops highly transferable skills that will enhance the prospects for both participating inmates and their communities. These include: reading and researching issues; working cooperatively with others; and expressing opinions in an appropriate manner.

The Boscobel program is voluntary and selection for the program is based on a variety of factors, including other academic achievements and anticipated release dates. Thein reports strong competition among inmates to participate in Project Citizen. The Summer of 2010 project lasted about six weeks and included twice-weekly sessions (with some additional time allocated as the August hearing day approached).

Results reflect careful preparation

Judges for the Boscobel project were: Jack Jarmes, Project Citizen state coordinator; Janet Jarmes, Project Citizen first district coordinator; Erin Allers, Project Citizen third district coordinator; Al Block, retired We the People (another State Bar-sponsored public education project) state coordinator; and Rose Symrski , chief of staff for Senator Daniel Kapanke, 32nd district.

The level of preparation was obvious to Jarmes and the other Project Citizen judges when they conducted their hearing at the prison on Aug. 17. After presenting their finding and recommendations from a lectern, the participants responded to questions from the judges. "The inmates were articulate, demonstrated an understanding of the issue and were passionate about their project. We gave them high scores." All six received Certificates of Achievement.

Project Citizen is administered nationally by the Center for Civic Education in cooperation with the National Conference of State Legislatures. Locally it is administered by the State Bar of Wisconsin's Public Education Committee.

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