The sheer volume of information in today’s digital age can distract all of us. Unfortunately, the time spent consuming information doesn’t always translate into being well informed. Bradley Impact Fund grant recipients are rising above the information clutter to communicate American principles and values in ways that enrich public dialogue and cultivate informed citizens. Though they have very different approaches—schoolhouse learning versus social media narrative— they both share stories of American exceptionalism and a goal to help American citizens respond with strength, whatever lies ahead.
Kite & Key: Creating Compelling Social Media Content
Kite & Key is a dynamic new digital media organization dedicated to creating and distributing factual content that counters the dissemination of false and misleading information masquerading as the truth. Kite & Key was launched by Vanessa Mendoza, former Executive Vice President for Policy Research at the Manhattan Institute, and Troy Senik, former Manhattan Institute Vice President for Policy and Programs. Kite & Key aims to catalyze public dialogue on critical issues facing America and the world, wholly through social media videos. Their team of researchers investigates work being done by leading think tanks, authors, investigative journalists and academic researchers, and strives to provide context, all in the short video format that more and more is becoming the way society exchanges ideas, learns and persuades. It’s all about communication. As its Facebook page notes, Kite & Key is translating the world’s best research into the world’s most accessible videos.
You can follow Kite & Key to view videos such as The Clean Energy Paradox; The Day Money Gets Outlawed; and Why Everyone’s Wrong About Homelessness – and Everyone’s Right, by subscribing at www.kiteandkeymedia.com.
78% of people watch online videos every week. 55% view online videos every day. Source: HubSpot
American Civics and History Initiative: A Collaboration of the Jack Miller Center, the Ashbrook Center and the Bill of Rights Institute
The American Civics and History Initiative is providing secondary school teachers of American history, civics, and social studies with the knowledge and content necessary to be highly effective in teaching America’s founding principles and history. It is an ambitious collaboration among the Ashbrook Center, the Bill of Rights Institute, and the Jack Miller Center, three of America’s leading civic education organizations. The Initiative seeks to cultivate generations of informed, patriotic citizens by educating middle and high school teachers in the history and principles of America.
It is built around three key points:
- That the mission statement of the United States is set forth in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” with the emphasis on the freedom and responsibilities of the individual;
- That the Constitution is the strategic plan for the achievement of that mission; and,
- That our history as a country is really a history of the journey of effort, failure, and progress toward that mission.
Over the next two years, the Initiative will conduct 174 webinars, five-day institutes and day-long seminars for teachers in Florida, with a goal of reaching 6,800 secondary school educators who teach 680,000 students each year. The Bradley Impact Fund is providing resources and tools to support this collaboration, which has established an Impact Fund donor-advised account. To donate directly to the American Civics and History Initiative, visit bradleyimpactfund.org/achi.