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FOR RELEASE: Feb. 18, 2002 SOURCE: Carol Traynor, Marketing and Media Relations, 407-299-5000, ext. 1017; ctraynor@valenciacc.edu
First in a Series of Public Presentations Will Focus onThe Most Effective Way to Get People Out of Poverty
Experts estimate that 6,500 or more people are living on the streets in Central Florida today, up nearly 10 percent from a year ago. In an effort to explore a link between education in the humanities and strategies to help the poor get out from under, Valencia Community College will offer a series of four public presentations through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council (FHC), the non-profit statewide arm of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The first of these presentations, titled “Poverty and the Power of Knowledge: A Human Response to the Surround of Force,” will take place March 5 from 1 to 2 p.m. at Valencia’s Kirkman Road campus in Bldg. 6, Rm. 202. Valencia Humanities professor John Scolaro will guide a discussion on author Earl Shorris’ project, called the Clemente Course in the Humanities, which focuses on giving participants life skills such as critical thinking, assertiveness and improved self-esteem, skills they could learn through lessons in the humanities. The concept came about in 1995 when Shorris taught a college-level humanities course at Bard College in New York State to a class of poor immigrants, ex-convicts, single mothers, recovering addicts, homeless people and a person dying of AIDS, with the main entrance requirement being the ability to read the newspaper. Shorris believed the old adage “knowledge is power,” and that a liberal education was part of the journey from poverty to something better. He tested his idea and found it to be successful, with 50 percent of the students completing the course and many going on to college or jobs. The Clemente course, now in its sixth year, is offered in 17 locations throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and France. The Valencia grant-funded project will lay the groundwork for an Orlando-based Clemente Course in the Humanities. Shorris, whose articles and essays have appeared in Harper’s Magazine, The Nation, The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times, will be a guest lecturer for the third presentation in the series scheduled for May. For further information on upcoming presentations and speakers, call (407) 299-5000, ext. 1468, or visit www.valenciacc.edu/clemente. Signing services for the hearing impaired are available upon request. Valencia was one of nine to receive the FHC grant totaling $22,916, in a response to the council’s initiative, “Floridians: Finding a Common Path.” The college will implement the project in partnership with The Ripple Effect, an Orlando non-profit that helps the homeless, and Best Cleaners. This program is made possible through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, 599 Second Street South, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701-5005. # # # To read more Valencia news, access our Web site at www.valenciacc.edu.
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