Mannie Jackson Center for the Humanities Foundation

Conversation Toward a Brighter FutureThe "Conversation Toward a Brighter Future" is the Foundation's program that promotes mutual understanding and respect for people of various backgrounds and distinctions. The goal is to educate youth groups of the issues at hand and ultimately shape these discussions and perceptions for future generations. The Foundation has partnered with Lewis and Clark Community College, the Regional Superintendent of Madison County, and Madison County to support a youth driven "Conversation Toward a Brighter Future." The project is to educate individuals around core concepts that the Foundation refers to as the four pillars - Respect, Dignity, Understanding, and Forgiveness. Participants work in school teams to identify, discuss, research issues, and create a plan that yields positive results reflecting the Foundation's four pillars. Plans must have measurable outcomes and offer the ability to be replicated by other schools and communities. They must address the consequences if students, teachers, administrators and staff fail to embrace respect, dignity, understanding and forgiveness, and how the four pillars can result in a better future for our schools, communities, and country. Students may earn their school up to $5,000 to fund their two-year research project.

Water RecreationThis program funds water recreation efforts through the Swarovski Waterschool headquartered at Lewis and Clark Community College's National Great Rivers Research and Education Center. The funding enables the Waterschool to use recreational activities, such as paddling the Mississippi River, to provide students a real and tangible connection to the aquatic resources in their communities. Their goal is to pair these on-the-water experiences with watershed education and community engagement activities to foster stewardship ethic in students, ultimately leading to young community members who value and will make decisions to benefit their aquatic resources for everyone.

STEM Meets HumanitiesThe Alma Irene Aitch STEM Center is home to the "STEM Meets Humanities" programming which connects the human and technical dimensions of the humanities and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The goal is for youth to enhance their professional skills using real life experiences. Problems are tackled with instructional programs in schools that teach kids to problem-solve using science, technology, engineering and math skills. The skills address social problems through engaging activities such as the creation of sustainable food sources through urban gardening, fun games to teach kids core mathematics for everyday problem solving, the use of robotics to address social problems such as loneliness among our elder population and many more.Programming is provided through the partnership of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) College of Arts and Sciences and its IRIS Center for Digital Humanities, the SIUE STEM Center, and the Madison County Regional Office of Education.