We're delighted to share an exciting opportunity for up to twenty-five, K-12 educators working in schools, museums, homeschools, and elsewhere. A limited number of educators who work outside the K-12 classroom like administrators will be considered, especially if they can demonstrate how the program will advance Institute goals and enhance their professional work. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) recently awarded a major grant to the City of Brotherly Love (COBL) Institute to establish a 2025 summer program for educators on the theme of "City of Brotherly Love: Religious Diversity, Freedom and the Founding of the Nation in Philadelphia."
The Dialogue Institute at Temple University will host the COBL Institute for this two-week session held from July 28th to August 8th. Educators accepted into the program will receive a $2,200 stipend as compensation and to cover expenses. All are welcome, and we strongly encourage early career educators with 1-5 years of experience to apply. The deadline is March 5, 2025, by 11:59 PM (Pacific Time), but applications are now being accepted.
The summer institute will explore the history of diverse religious people and communities in early Philadelphia. We will discuss how religion impacts national conversations about democracy and the limits and possibilities of religious freedom. The program is also timely for helping educators better appreciate the coming U.S. 250th anniversary celebration, known as the Semiquincentennial, on July 4, 2026.
The two-week residential program at Temple University will encompass some of the following:
- Educators will visit key sites related to the founding of the U.S., including Independence Hall, historic church buildings, and museums such as the National Constitution Center and the Museum of the American Revolution.
- They will learn from eminent scholars who will speak on American religious history, including the Protestant varieties and beyond, and the history of Jews, Catholics, Muslims, Freethinkers, and practitioners of traditional African religions.
- Teachers will attend workshops on teaching methods, including best practices for teaching about religious cultures in the classroom.
- Professional development recognition may be possible as CE credits.
Please find attached a (1) Media information letter (pdf), (2) a letter-size poster (pdf), (3) a half-size flyer (pdf), and (4) a PNG IMAGE to distribute on your social media. Feel free to display the flyers at your institution. We really appreciate you sharing our program with educators. You may contact us if you have any questions.
Supporting Documents:
- Media Package
- Flyer
- 1/2 Page Flyer
