Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence

<< Back to Educators Homepage

.
The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (ICHV) is the oldest and largest statewide organization in the U.S. working to prevent the devastation caused by firearms. Founded in 1975, ICHV works on a variety of fronts to educate, raise public awareness, and build coalitions to enact change in laws and behavior. Since then, ICHV has been a leader among state gun violence
prevention groups.

Each year, ICHV hosts the Student Voices Contest in an effort to give youth a public voice on the issue of gun violence, which affects them deeply. ICHV seeks to stimulate thought and discussion among Illinois students regarding this topic and to provide opportunities for sharing their thoughts and ideas in the public forum through the writing of essays, poetry and artistic expression.

..

Student Voices Contest in the Curriculum

The output goal of the curriculum is to give students a voice in preventing handgun violence and  to provide opportunities for such expression. With several schools cutting arts programs due to funding, the curriculum and contest allows students to utilize their talents in art and poetry to explore this crucial issue. The curriculum also includes performance-based activities using theatre and spoken word. Students have the opportunity to use Visual and Performing Arts, as well as technology, to address the topic of handgun violence.

Through a variety of different activities and lesson plans, the Student Voices Curriculum is designed to assist teachers in talking about the problems of gun violence with their students. We strongly encourage teachers and educators to consider using classroom materials provided by ICHV to enhance your students’ experiences with the contest, help guide them in their discussions, and deepen their understanding of this issue. For more information of the StudentVoices Curriculum, please visit the Curriculum section of our website.

.

Contest Rules:

The ICHV Student Voices Contest is open to all Illinois students in grades 1-12. Students may submit entries of essay, poetry or art to the contest by the given deadline. A completed entry form must accompany any and every submission. Entries may be received by postal mail by the deadline specified. More specific rules for participation are available on the Guidelines Page.

Contest Packet:

The ICHV contest packet consists of a Contest Flier, that may be downloaded, photocopied and distributed as needed, a copy of the contest Guidelines, that further explains the contest rules, and a Contest Entry Form that must be completed and accompany every submission.

.

Questions/Suggestions

Any and all questions can be answered by submitting them to ICHV. Additionally, if you have any suggestions of how ICHV could expand the Contest to reach more students, or be more accessible to Illinois Students please let us know. Furthermore, ICHV is always accepting recommendations for future contest themes. If you have any suggestions for the Student Voices Contest theme, please feel free to contact Kate Williamson:kwilliamson@ichv.org

.
How to promote the Student Voices Contest in your school:

.

* Use the Student Voices Contest as part of a violence prevention week integrating other relevant discussions, activities and assignments that deal with health such as fire safety and drug use prevention.
* Use the contest as a tool to teach different concepts of writing, poetry or art, such as haiku poems, persuasive essays, or color theory.
* Put out an empty box in your classroom or main office where students can submit their entries.
* Use the contest as a creative outlet to recent events your students may wish to respond to, incorporate it with a lesson on current events.
.
We hope these suggestions get you thinking about how you would like to approach and use the contest with your students. If you have any suggestions to add or would like to provide feedback on your contest experience we would much appreciate it.

.

.