AN APPEAL TO SAVE CONNECTICUT MOCK TRIAL

Civics First, the mostly voluntary, non-profit that writes the competition cases, establishes the rules, coordinates the teams, finds and supports the volunteer judges, locates the class and court rooms in which competitions are held, and recruits the outstanding Federal, State Supreme and Appellate Court judges who preside at the final rounds of competition, will soon run out of money.

“Mock Trial program made me a stronger writer, thinker, and speaker, and I count myself lucky to have been a part of it. I believe Mock Trial is a unique academic extra-curricular that changes students' lives for the better.”
- Jack, currently at Stanford U.

“As a former school board member and parent of a six-year mock trial student, I have witnessed the significant intellectual and personal growth of students engaged in mock trial. Supporting Civics First enables students to participate on a regional, State and National level and, more broadly, enables the organization to work with the community and school districts in fostering the interest of the next generation in civic engagement.”
- Denise Harvey, Weston

Tireless Dedication
All of you know mock trial from the devotion and hard work invested over the years by thousands of middle and high school students in Connecticut, as well as the devotion of their parents and families, who drive countless miles to practices and competitions, who listen to countless hours of openings, closings, direct and cross examinations, and who volunteer whenever asked.

Paving the Way for Student Success
We also know that we support mock trial not because it makes great lawyers (though it frequently does). We support it because it makes students successful in whatever they choose to do in life. It teaches them to stand up for themselves, to speak in public, and to accept challenges they never imagined they could overcome.

For the last twenty years, Civics First has been running mock trial in Connecticut, along with other law and civics programs such as “We the People” and “Debate,” supported largely by federal and state grants. Not surprisingly, most of those grants no longer exist. Civics First can survive only a few more years on the money that it had the foresight to save. 

To ensure the survival of this wonderful program, please join the parents and Mockers in communities throughout Connecticut by supporting the Community Challenge.

AND please, please, post this on your Facebook pages, your social media, and send emails to friends, neighbors and (of course), the grandparents.