ACLU of Florida Norman Elliott Kent Youth Scholarship Award

For Immediate Release:
February 10, 2004

Contact:
Miami: Alessandra Soler Meetze , Communications Director, (305) 576-2337, ext. 16

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida is encouraging graduating high school seniors who have been active leaders or participants in a civil rights or civil liberties struggle to apply for the 2004 ACLU of Florida Norman Elliott Kent Youth Scholarship Award.

This year, four high school seniors from Florida will each receive scholarships in recognition of their proven dedication to furthering the cause of civil liberties in their schools and communities. Each winner receives a grant of $1,000 toward his or her college tuition.

Candidates must be graduating seniors who attend high school in Florida and who intend to go to college during the next academic year. (Winners must provide the ACLU with a copy of their college acceptance letter).

Examples include:

• Playing a leadership role in establishing a student civil liberties club or group
• Demonstrating a commitment to a particular civil liberties issue (including but not limited to issues such as AIDS awareness, drug policy reform) through such activities as organizing rallies, circulating petitions, etc.
• Participating in a local board of directors or some other leadership committee (not at the national level) that addresses important civil liberties issues, same-sex discrimination, minority representation and drug policy reform, and/or helps to extend rights to people who historically have been denied their basic individual rights. This includes women, people of color, religious minorities, immigrants, gays and lesbians, homeless people, and people with disabilities.

To apply, candidates must:

1. Submit a personal, typewritten essay (no more than 500 words) describing his or her reason for becoming a civil liberties/civil rights activist and summarize their efforts on behalf of a progressive cause that advances the concern of human rights in their community.

2. Mail all materials, including name, mailing address, telephone number and e mail address, no later than May 31, 2004 to: ACLU of Florida, Communications Department, 4500 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 340, Miami, FL 33137

Four winners will be selected from across the state by a panel of judges based on the following: (a) strength and depth of the candidate’s contributions to civil liberties and the rights of young people; (b) the likelihood of their continuing commitment in the future; (c) the obstacles the candidate had to overcome (e.g. living in a hostile community). Winners will be announced on July 16, 2004.

• For more information, contact Alessandra Soler Meetze, ACLU of Florida Communications Director, by phone at (305) 576-2337 ext. 16 or via e-mail at: asoler@aclufl.org .