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Explore our experiential civics programs!
Since 1971, more than one million students and educators have participated in Close Up programs. Our mission is to inspire young people to find their unique voice and help them develop the skills and awareness they need to be engaged citizens for life.
Join us to make lasting memories as you interact with the people, places, and institutions that shape our nation, and discover how your voice can make an impact on American democracy.
We make government relatable and teachable.
Are you looking to build on the interest young people showed in this past election season? Close Up is engaging youth nationwide through our Premier Election Series programs in Washington, our Teaching with Disciplined Nonpartisanship professional development for educators, and our ongoing national and local deliberation opportunities for students.
I’m truly blown away by what Close Up’s been able to accomplish in the last two weeks during IMPACT 2020…
The material seems very high level, and my daughter’s been very motivated to participate every day. I wanted to be sure to commend the staff on providing such a great experience!
Close Up brought me CLOSER to politics…
the entire notion no longer seemed obscure. I became very involved in politics on the local and national level.
Close Up is a positive experience for students…
seeing themselves as having the power to influence the democratic process.
As a government teacher, it’s nice to have more resources…
for teaching media literacy and having students critically think about the information they receive.