Close Up - Washington D.C. Educational Programs

10/08/2026

On November 3, voters in two states will decide whether to restrict medical treatments related to gender transition for people under 18.

The two measures ask a similar question but answer it in different places. Colorado’s Proposition 135 would prohibit surgery. Missouri’s Amendment 3 would prohibit surgery and puberty-blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones. Nearly everyone in this debate agrees that some decisions should wait until adulthood.

The disagreement is over which ones, who gets to decide, and what the evidence shows.

READ: https://www.closeup.org/colorado-and-missouri-vote-on-medical-treatments-for-transgender-minors/

10/06/2026

Then ➡️ Now

Same halls. Same marble steps. Decades apart.

For more than 50 years, Close Up has brought generations of students face-to-face with decision-makers on Capitol Hill.

Some seize the opportunity to ask questions and make their voices heard. Others leave understanding, maybe for the first time, that democracy is something they have a role in shaping.

The students graduate. The leaders leave office. But the opportunity to inform, inspire, and empower young people to be active citizens in democracy never changes.

Start your Close Up journey at www.closeup.org today!

10/01/2026

What if your job let you step into history every day?

My name is Sophia, and in a year as a Program Instructor at the Close Up Foundation, I got to:

- Conduct a deliberative democracy poll with 400 first-time voters on AI, immigration, and democracy ahead of the midterms
- Watch a first-generation American student win a Mock Presidential election after an incredible speech to her peers
- Witness students come out of their shells as they explored the monuments and memorials of Washington, D.C.

I’m proud to be part of a 50+ year legacy of Program Instructors who inform, inspire, and empower the next generation of active citizens in democracy.

Ready to make your own impact?

APPLY: https://www.closeup.org/civic-program-instructors/

09/28/2026

Congratulations to Close Up President Mia Charity on being named a National Civics Fellow with the Hoover Institution’s Center for Revitalizing American Institutions.

For nearly two decades, Mia Charity has been dedicated to helping young people find their place in our democracy. Now, she’s bringing that work to a new national platform.

Through the fellowship, Mia will continue the work she’s been doing throughout her career: collaborating with leaders across the civics field, strengthening civic learning, creating more opportunities for meaningful dialogue across differences, and helping prepare young people to participate in our democracy.

We’re proud to see our President bring her experience, perspective, and commitment to this community of civic leaders, and we look forward to all she’ll contribute.

READ: https://www.hoover.org/news/hoovers-national-civics-fellows-program-expands-second-year

09/28/2026

Who should have to prove their identity, or citizenship, to vote?

This election season, voters in 12 states will decide ballot measures on voter ID and citizenship requirements, raising questions about election security, voting access, cost, and public confidence.

In our latest Current Issues blog, we explore the voter ID and citizenship measures appearing on ballots across the country this fall, examining what’s being proposed, the arguments on both sides, and the broader questions these measures raise about election security and access.

READ:

When voters in a dozen states open their ballots this fall, they will find questions not just about candidates but about the rules of voting itself. Six states will decide whether to require voters to show identification.

09/28/2026

THIS WEDNESDAY · Join Close Up and our partners at the Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab, Generation Lab, and the Hoover Institution’s Center for Revitalizing American Institutions, as well as our participants, educators, and supporters, for a free webinar to unveil the NextGen Roundtable: Decision 2026 Impact Report!

As we hear from first-time voters about their NextGen experience and unveil the major findings of the Deliberative Poll, we’ll unpack what we learned about the effects of deliberative dialogue, the opinions and priorities of young people, and the promise of continuing this work in classrooms and communities across the United States.

REGISTER FOR LINK TO JOIN: https://closeup-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FL3Ls7x8S12E7SPLNMTwIQ?fbclid=IwY2xjawUnVTpleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMVpSN0dGY2psMzlnYVVqd0hzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeX4XWc92HqzP7gDSoNIF1RHs_y5tHTxBzCyIO4KTfc5SJG3gb-VJvAExMf8Y_aem_LnJSDRWkFerzUR4t9MtqBA #/registration

09/25/2026

JOB ALERT · There’s no better place to launch a career in education or public service than Close Up!

Program instructors walk middle and high school students through active citizenship - turning Washington, D.C., into a living classroom and facilitating meaningful deliberation on today’s most pressing policy issues.

Applications for our 2027 class of Close Up program instructors are now open. Visit www.closeup.org/civic-program-instructors to apply today!

09/24/2026

Close Up was proud to welcome students from the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project to Washington, D.C., for an experience rooted in leadership, history, and civic engagement.

From Capitol Hill to the city’s historic landmarks, students connected what they’ve learned in the classroom with the people and places shaping our democracy while building community and imagining their own roles as active citizens.

We are grateful to 5000 Role Models of Excellence and to its founder Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, whose vision has guided more than three decades of mentorship, leadership, and opportunity for young people.

09/22/2026

As students settle back into the classroom, we’re partnering with Johnson & Johnson to offer a one-week DC experience this Spring that brings civic learning to life.

Hear directly from this year’s Johnson & Johnson Civic Scholars as they reflect on the conversations, experiences, and perspectives they will carry with them long after leaving the nation’s capital.

Apply for this year’s cohort at https://www.closeup.org/johnson-johnson-scholars

09/17/2026

Americans disagree about politics, but they often struggle to explain why.

In honor of Constitution Day, Close Up—with support from the U.S. Department of Education—is providing educators with scaffolding for multi-partisan classroom examinations of America’s core political values and how they regularly come into tension.

Introducing “Cornerstones of American Democracy,” a free, four-week curriculum designed for students in grades 10-12.

The unit provides an analytical framework for understanding political disagreement by examining six core values that shape our public life—liberty, equality, equity, security/order, private interests, and the common good—with enduring questions about the proper scope and role of government.

Using curated, multipartisan perspectives, the curriculum helps students see that these tensions are a feature of democratic life, not a failure.

Download this resource for free with email sign up at https://www.closeup.org/nextgen-roundtable-america-250-curriculum-resources-preview