Civics Matters Arizona

Schools will participate by invitation only.

Teachers will not travel with their students to Washington, DC, but will help prepare their students for the video and essay contest and trip to Washington, DC.  One lead teacher at each participating school will take part in a self-paced webinar training to introduce the Civics Matters Arizona lesson plans and essay contest. All lead teachers will also receive an invitation to the Civics Matters Training Camp in August.

On program, students will be supervised by Close Up staff throughout air and ground travel. Please see more details concerning safety and supervision below.

Students and parents should first be in touch with their school contact and teacher. For any other questions or concerns leading up to the program, please email CivicsMattersAZ@closeup.org or call (703) 706-3346.

During the program, students should share any needs or concerns with their program instructor, who will share the information with all necessary Close Up staff. In addition, Close Up has a 24-hour emergency hotline for students to call if they are unable to find a staff member. The number is printed on the student nametag and schedule. If parents need to get in touch with their child or program staff, they can email CivicsMattersAZ@closeup.org or call (703) 706-3346. The email inbox and phone line will be monitored throughout the program.

Airfare is included for all contest winners. Students will travel as a group on the Arizona Cardinals plane from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport to Washington/Dulles Airport. Ground transportation will be provided by private chartered buses.

Program days typically run from 9am to 10pm. Students will engage in a variety of experiential, academic, and social activities in both large-group and small-group settings facilitated by Close Up program instructors. Students will have the opportunity to explore the nation’s capital and visit important sites such as monuments, memorials, museums, and Capitol Hill.

Students will stay at a hotel in the Washington, DC, metro area. There will be two students per room and each student will have their own bed. Students will be assigned a roommate at registration.

Upon arrival in DC, every student will be assigned to a workshop group that includes one Close Up program instructor and 20-25 other students. Each workshop will visit sites together and engage in meaningful discussions about the famous monuments, world-renowned museums, and institutions that define our history.

Close Up will be utilizing its 50+ years of experience in programming for high schoolers to oversee the supervision of students. All Close Up instructional staff are college graduates, have received over 120 hours of training, and are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. All of our staff members working with students have undergone criminal background checks and are trained in CPR, AED, and First Aid.

All students must be in their hotel rooms at 10pm for room check. Each night, students are checked into their rooms by Close Up night monitors, who are stationed at the hotel overnight for security and to address any needs that arise. Each hotel also has a program staff member who resides at the hotel during the program. They are available in case of an emergency and all students and teachers are provided with the Close Up staff room number and contact information.

Safety is our priority. We are committed to providing a safe, secure, and memorable experience for students from the moment they arrive in DC. All students are accounted for at all times via roll calls at all Close Up-led activities, from breakfast through nightly room check. All staff is professionally trained in emergency situation response, including evacuation procedures from all Close Up activity locations.