Civics Education Conferences and Programs
The Young Women’s and Men’s Civic Leadership Conference
The inaugural Young Women’s Civic Leadership Conference was held on October 24, 2019 at the Central Justice Center. In 2014, the California Task Force on K–12 Civic Learning—appointed by Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson — issued a comprehensive set of recommendations to make quality civic learning available to all California’s students.
This event is an outreach effort to help the Court connect with its culturally diverse community and to help the community better understand the work of the Court. In turn, it also helps the Court by establishing and maintaining strong ties to the community and promoting knowledge about how our system of justice works, the Court is better able to fulfill its mission of administering justice in a way that is both accessible and understandable to the public. These programs are held every other year, alternating with a Young Men’s Civic Leadership Conference and Young Women’s Civic Leadership Conference.
View 2019 Young Women’s Leadership Conference Agenda- CLICK HERE
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The Saturday Academy of Law (SAL)
Partnering with the University of California, Irvine School of Law, the Saturday Academy of Law (SAL) is a program that provides ninth grade students with a unique opportunity to improve their reading, writing and critical thinking skills while learning more about the legal profession and higher education opportunities.
On six consecutive Saturdays each fall and spring semesters, ninth graders travel to UCI Law School to learn about the First Amendment in a law school setting. SAL classes are taught by a credentialed district teacher, supported by undergraduate teaching assistants and law students. In addition to the academic content, SAL students hear from various guest speakers, including Orange County Superior Court Judges, law firm attorneys from both large and small firms, government, and public interest attorneys. At the conclusion of each session, families and supporters celebrate the students with a closing awards ceremony. More than 500 students have completed the program since it launched in 2009.
The program creates a pipeline of law school candidates who represent the diverse backgrounds and experiences of Orange County residents, with the hope that many will return to their communities to serve underrepresented populations. The first SAL graduates started college in fall 2012, and since then a majority of SAL alumni have enrolled in four-year colleges and universities across the country, including UC Irvine. In the inaugural SAL class, 61 percent of the students immediately enrolled in postsecondary institutions.
For questions, application deadlines and more about SAL please email SAL@law.uci.edu
