The National Issues Forums Institute: Lessons From Writing

Authors

Eric Kallas, University of Central FloridaFollow
Madeline Smith, University of Central FloridaFollow
Julissa Medina, University of Central FloridaFollow
Robert Spina, University of Central FloridaFollow
Brianna Thomas, University of Central FloridaFollow
Javier Rodriguez, University of Central FloridaFollow
Lily Carter, University of Central FloridaFollow

Streaming Media

Files

Course Code

LDR

Course Number

3215

Faculty/Instructor

Dr. Haley Winston

Faculty/Instructor Email

Haley.Winston@ucf.edu

About the Author

Hello, we are excited LEAD students who are very happy to have been a part of this project this semester. We hope that after watching our video, you will feel, just as we do, the importance of civil discourse and dialogue can have on a community.

We would like to thank our professor and contact to NIFI, Dr. Haley Winston, for her hard work and dedication this semester. If we ever had a question, she would always give a thought-out and specific answer. Most of the times she would answer our questions before we even asked it.

We would also like to thank our peers who helped us immensely in writing this paper. Without the information they gathered, ideas they gave, or graphs they made this paper would never have been possible.

Lastly, we would like to thank our community partner, the National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI) for their incredible commitment to deliberation and community.

Abstract, Summary, or Creative Statement

The goal of our project was to create an issue guide for the intended use that schools would use this guide to teach students about civil discourse. In this guide we laid out a specific issue, in the case of this guide it is the lack of funding for Title I schools. The reader is then presented with possible solutions as well as the positives and negatives of implementing that solution. The goal of this issue guide is to teach Americans, and help promote the idea that dialogue is an important step in progress. Without the ability to listen to your peers without judging, and to be heard without being judged, is what allows us to move forward and create policies that make sure no one is left out.

Keywords

Deliberation;Debate;School;Politics;Funding;NIFI;LEAD;Lead Scholars

Recommended Citation

Kallas, Eric; Smith, Madeline; Medina, Julissa; Spina, Robert; Thomas, Brianna; Rodriguez, Javier; and Carter, Lily, "The National Issues Forums Institute: Lessons From Writing" (2025). High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2025. 56.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hip-2025fall/56