As we turn the page on a year characterized by a divisive national election, I am pleased by the outsized impact the Institute had in convening dialogue between national leaders and students from across the country, while also working to expand investment in our elections system.
In one example, now that we enter a new Congress, the Working Group on Senate Rules and Norms that we formed with the McCain Institute during 2024 is poised to influence the conversation on how to ensure the Senate can work well. Our impactful Working Group of ten former Senators and eleven Senate experts met on a monthly basis in Washington DC this past year.
In an effort to ensure our national elections infrastructure is strong, we partnered with the Dole Institute and launched a new Bolstering Elections initiative. The project started in 2024 with a symposium in Lawrence, Kansas, and will culminate with a landmark report on how America funds elections in the Spring of 2025.
When discord connected to this year‘s election reached a fever pitch, we convened national leaders as well as students from across the country. The latest installment of the Senate Project allowed two sitting Senators from across the aisle to model deliberation and civil discourse. We matched that by convening a national dialogue between students from across the country. They engaged in respectful debate and explored the value of the Electoral College together. Moving forward, we will continue to invest in the software that allows us to bring students from across the country together virtually in dialogue as we prepare our nation’s next leaders.
The Institute is strong as we enter our 10th anniversary year in 2025. This milestone year will be filled with exciting and impactful programming, including positioning the Institute for continued thought leadership through engagement with US Senators and other national leaders. We look forward to your participation!
Adam G. Hinds
CEO
Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate
It Takes Chutzpah Book Event: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jim Acosta
Friday, February 21st - 1:00pm ET
In today’s turbulent times, how do leaders boldly pave the way forward for progressive change? Join the Kennedy Institute for a conversation with Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) on his recent book It Takes Chutzpah chronicling his remarkable political career sponsoring some of the most consequential laws on civil rights, health care, pathways to economic opportunity, and protecting the environment.
In conversation with Jim Acosta, former CNN Anchor and Chief White House Correspondent, Sen. Wyden will tell the behind-the-scenes story of how these legislative battles were won and how each of us has the ability to fearlessly defy limitations for the betterment of our communities, schools, businesses, and lives.
Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) on the Senate in 2025
Watch former Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Heidi Heitkamp(D-ND) share their perspectives on what’s ahead for the Senate in 2025. In conversation with Sirius XM’s Steve Scully they discussed the challenges facing the Senate, including pending nominations, and major legislative hurdles facing the 119th Congress.
BPC Lightning Talk on Bolstering Elections Initiative
In December, Kennedy Institute CEO Adam Hinds and Bolstering Elections senior advisor Tammy Patrick spoke at the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Election Summit. Their lightning talk previewed our forthcoming report for practitioners and policymakers on the need for resources for elections administrations.
For more information on our Bolstering Elections initiative in partnership with the Dole Institute, read Hinds’ joint op-ed with Dole Institute Director Audrey Coleman in Campaign and Elections on why we need to invest in election administration.
A Year of Civic Learning
The Kennedy Institute had a great year with students in 2024, working with over 20,000 students in 32 states. In the lead-up to the Presidential Election our education team brought together students across the country to discuss the Electoral College and the way the US elects our President. We also successfully launched our new Senate Immersion Module Technology Reform: Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, and Social Media, and look forward to working with close to 2000 students this spring as they craft policy for new data technologies.
Digital Literacy: A Critical Civic Skill
As new technologies are increasingly intertwined with our daily lives it is increasingly important for students to develop digital literacy as part of their civic education. Read about our civic education collaboration with MIT RAISE and i2 Learning, and the significance of AI literacy for youth citizenship in “AI literacy as civic literacy: A case study of the ‘AI and human rights’ curriculum for middle school students.”
We the People
In partnership with the Massachusetts Center for Civic Education this January, the Kennedy Institute hosted teams of students from Easthampton High School, Auburn High School, and the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School, as they demonstrated their knowledge of Constitutional principles and history, and vied for the state championship of the annual We the People competition. The winning team, Easthampton High School, will go on to compete in the national competition in Washington, D.C. this spring.
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