Scholarship for Political Activism Teen Tour

Check out the summer program online: https://www.etgar.org.

"When two enemies are talking, they're not fighting."

~Daryl Davis, civil rights activist and musician

My name is Casey Ference, and I attended Etgar 36 summer program last summer, which changed my life. I made friends from other parts of the country, and I learned the most important lesson of my life so far: the best way to change someone else's opinion is to respect, listen, and have a dialogue with that person. Daryl Davis was one of the speakers we met who influenced me the most. He is a civil rights activist who became friends with members of the Ku Klux Klan. He was able to help turn KKK members away from white supremacy by giving them respect and listening to them. I wish everyone could go on a program like Etgar 36, but I know it is prohibitively expensive for many people. I am raising money to provide a full scholarship for a student who is passionate about politics, government and civil rights to participate in this summer's Etgar 36 trip.

Etgar 36 is a 36-day summer cross-country teen tour in which students explore many cities in the United States and become empowered to get involved politically and socially to change the world. It is a fun but also a profound educational experience. In addition to seeing the sights that make each city special and unique, activities include concerts, plays, baseball games, and amusement parks. And in each city, the students meet with people and organizations to discuss and debate all sides of the following issues: abortion, environment, economy, foreign policy, gun control, homelessness, illiteracy, immigration, labor issues, marriage equality, and more.

The journey begins in Atlanta, Georgia, and drives to the west coast on a bus. The group flies from San Francisco, CA, to Chicago, Illinois, then travels to and down the east coast by bus, ending in Washington, DC.

States/districts visited: Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Deleware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC.