Baton Rouge Bar Foundation Contact: Ann G. Scarle , Executive Director Baton Rouge Bar Foundation 850 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA 70802 E-mail: Ann@brba.org (a winner of the 1998 Law Day Activity Awards) Project Description: Law Week in Baton Rouge, LA begins with attorneys visiting classrooms to discuss the importance of freedom. Other activities include an essay and a poster contest, a Red Mass, mock trials, a food drive, and newspaper fun pages on law for children. The highlight is a day-long event with over 2,000 students attending the formal opening of court for a naturalization ceremony and then moving to local court houses afterwards for "rap" sessions. Sponsoring Entity: Baton Rouge Bar Foundation, with 35 co-sponsors, including courts and other bar-related groups, civic organizations, local companies, and the mayor's office. Volunteers: 193 lawyers, judges, and officers conduct the "rap" sessions. Dozens of volunteers from co-sponsoring groups help feed students and offer assistance in other ways. People Benefiting: Approximately 2,000 elementary, junior high, and high school students from 56 schools; 117 new Americans participated in the naturalization ceremony. Best Things about This Project: "As the number of Law Day participants has grown, so has the dedication of our community representatives. They are able to feed 2,000 hungry teenagers and guide them from one activity to the next, making it look effortless to bystanders." During the rap sessions, the students discuss with lawyers, judges, and police officers legal issues of interest to teens. "Having a prepared scenario which the students receive in advance helps the sessions get off to a better start than if discussions are just loosely constructed." Secret of Success: "It is easy for programs to get stale, so we always introduce something new to keep up the level of enthusiasm among teachers, students, and volunteers. This year, teachers at several schools were subpoenaed to attend Law Day. (The principals knew in advance, but the teachers and their students were surprised when a uniformed officer walked into their classroom!)" How-to Advice: The Foundation provides programs for the naturalization ceremony and gives students an information card containing key phone numbers, a Bill of Rights bookmark, and a brochure of law-related careers. "It is nice for the new citizens to have a program with their name on it and we like to have the students leave with different handouts as well." What We Learned to Improve Project: "Each year we survey students, teachers, and volunteers after Law Day and use the results to drop or add components the following year." Cost: The Foundation spends $2,300 for printing and postage. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization