Education to Empower

The work of cultivating courageous and effective citizens takes a step forward right now with your help.

I’d like to take a bit to talk about our organization and our goals for this summer:

Why do we care about Philosophy for Children? Simply put, we believe philosophy can have a measurable positive impact on reasoning and communication skills, self-esteem, conflict resolution, standardized test scores, and attitudes towards schools and learning. It doesn’t just benefit students. Teachers start a new relationship with their students, one in which they have more insight into the thought processes and motivations. It is a relationship that is profoundly more equal than the usual, one that allows something of the same intellectual respect and dignity adults afford ourselves to be shared with the children we teach. Philosophy for Children has been around since the 1970′s, and it is an idea whose time has come.

Over the summer we will have a major fundraising drive. We will place a prime focus on research (running studies in DC and Chicago), as well as a documentary film to be shot in Chicago. In addition we will network with existing Philosophy for Children proponents in the US and elsewhere to share advice, strategy, and find ways to help (in particular, watch this space for news on a Philosophy for Children conference in September in Memphis, TN).

With the support of the Peace Development Fund as a fiscal sponsor and our initiatives in Chicago and the DC metro area, a bit of excitement is beginning to stir up the air. This excitement is yours to share in! Visit our website and learn more about our programs, get involved, donate! Comment here or send us an email.

We’re always up for a good discussion.