Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education Contact: Maria Yiannopoulos Dooley E-mail: mdooley@lsba.org Law Day Youth Summit 2002: Assuring Equal Justice for All Activity Summary: The Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education held its Law Day event on Friday, May 3, 2002, in New Orleans. Middle and high school students and their teachers from schools throughout the state attended the Summit and interacted directly with lawyers, judges, and law-enforcement officers. The theme for the program was "Assuring Equal Justice for All". The day began with a mock city council meeting debate of the local teen curfew law. Students presented their recommendations to improve the existing ordinance before a group of local elected officials and city leaders who took their suggestions under advisement. Breakout sessions followed on assuring equal justice in the workplace, school and home. Activity Narrative: The Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education Annual Law Day Youth Summit was a day-long event held on Friday, May 3, 2002, in New Orleans. Over 5,000 brochures were mailed to invite participants and generate awareness throughout Louisiana about the event. Teams of middle and high school students and their teachers from throughout the state attended the Summit to interact directly with lawyers, judges, and law-enforcement officers and learn more about the law and the legal system and the rights and responsibilities of teens. The theme for the program was "Assuring Equal Justice for All."The day began with a mock city council meeting debate of the local teen curfew law, in which students learned about how citizens play a role in law-making and how to state their position for or against a proposed law. "Council"members included an Orleans Parish Councilman, an Orleans Parish School Board member, a law school professor, a juvenile court judge, a Louisiana State Police Officer and the former U.S. Attorney from the Eastern District of Louisiana. Students were divided into groups to present their arguments on both sides of the issue. The legal presenters helped the students to develop their arguments and to understand how laws frequently make distinctions between groups of citizens, treating one group differently from another and whether discrimination against a particular group (in this case teenagers) is fair and reasonable. The remainder of the day consisted of concurrent break-out sessions covering various topics to promote students’ awareness of the rule of law and the concept of equal justice. All sessions were presented by volunteer lawyers and/or law enforcement officers. Sessions included the following: Justice for All—Students investigated how we provide (or do not provide) civil legal services for the poor in the United States. The Case of Gerry Gault—Students learned about the due process rights of juveniles, the juvenile justice process and procedures. Work Wanted: Equal Opportunity in the Workplace—Students studied examples of law affecting the workplace, child labor laws, steps in getting a job and where to find a job opening, unfair discrimination in job ads, unlawful questions on job applications or in interviews. Are You a Good Witness?—Students learned the importance of obtaining accurate details as they role-played law enforcement officers in the investigation of a crime. Dating 101—Students learned about their rights and responsibilities in dating relationships and how to recognize and avoid dating violence. Who Wants to Be a Million $ Citizen?—This interactive computer game was developed by the Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education to test students' knowledge on a variety of legal and civics trivia stemming from the Constitution and famous legal cases. Evaluations by teachers and students were positive. In addition to the brochure mailed to over 5,000 individuals, the event was promoted statewide through the Louisiana State Bar Association newsletter, Bar Briefs, and website, and the Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education newsletter, Class Action, and website. Please view the LCE website for a photo essay of the day’s events. "I learned something about the law I didn't know. I enjoyed it very much." Student participant "The entire day was well organized and well planned. The activities were really interesting to each student and the adults as well." Trudy Ferrand, teacher, New Orleans Alternative High School Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization