The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge (FFVF) in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s secondary schools will announce a scholarship opportunity for high school students to participate in Spirit of American Youth Leadership program (SOA).
The SOA is a four-day conference for high school students that provides dynamic interaction with experts on citizenship, democracy, the judiciary system, the political process, and the free enterprise economic system. This initiative will teach students the principles of civic responsibility. There are five sessions planned for the current academic year.
David Harmer, Chief Executive Officer of the FFVF; Nancy Kurtz, Interim Superintendent of Secondary Schools for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia; and Kelly Williamson, a sophomore at Lansdale Catholic High School in Lansdale (Montgomery County) will be present. Ms. Williamson was a participant in SOA during fall 2021. This initiative is made possible through the generosity of the Connelly Foundation.
Thursday, February 17, 2022
10:00 a.m.
Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge
Martha Washington Building – Galleria
1601 Valley Forge Road
Valley Forge, PA 19481
Over the next three years, FFVF will welcome over 900 students from Archdiocesan secondary schools to participate in the SOA program with a laser focus on the core Freedoms Foundation principles of civic responsibility – accountability, respect, productivity, political participation, and generosity. Students will also participate in interactive lectures, workshops, and historical tours, in addition to learning how to engage civilly in political discourse while identifying and fulfilling community needs in a manner that respects the dignity of all people.
In November 2021, FFVF hosted 36 students from Archdiocesan secondary schools including: Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School in Drexel Hill (Delaware County); Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield (Delaware County); Conwell-Egan Catholic High School in Fairless Hills (Bucks County); Lansdale Catholic High School in Lansdale (Montgomery County); Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls in the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia; Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School in South Philadelphia; Pope John Paul II High School in Royersford (Montgomery County); and several private Catholic schools throughout the region.
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Editor’s Note:
For more information about the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, please visit freedomsfoundation.org/.
For information about Archdiocese of Philadelphia secondary schools, please visit aopcatholicschools.org/. For information about Faith in the Foundation, please visit faithinthefuture.com/.
Contact:Contact: Kenneth A. Gavin
Chief Communications Officer
215-587-3747 (office)