The PEN OR PENCIL: Writing a New History Program (POP). The program blends history, social studies, civic education, economics and service learning standards into an experiential learning framework.  The students will share in activities that invoke critical thinking and skills development.  Participants will be motivated through productive peer influence to choose the road away from incarceration and toward the benefits of a quality education.

The Pen or Pencil: Writing a New History was created by the National Alliance of Faith and Justice. It is facilitated locally by Trinity Universal Center for Youth and Family Development and funded in part by the College of Lake County in partnership with the National Park Service program Journey to Greatness and Junior Ranger: Discovering the Underground Railroad.

The program utilizes the following modules:

• The Underground Railroad Connection to Freedom and Science is a project sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to interpret the historic use of math and science by enslaved persons in search of freedom.

• Leadership exposes students to the power of youth engagement and provides a platform for youth to express.  The film, “Mighty Times: The Children’s March” depicts youth leadership that changed the course of history.

• Journey to Greatness provides insight into the stories of Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas and Martin Luther King, Jr.  Students discover how challenges such as fear; prejudice; poverty; not fitting in; or anger can be overcome by demonstrating how heroes from our past made difficult but positive choices as children, thereby allowing students to reflect on their own challenges.