Rasheen Aldridge Continues to Awe and Inspire!
 A great group of students from all over the metropolitan area of St. Louis had the pleasure of spending an hour with Rasheen Aldridge this past Saturday. As the State Representative of the 78 th District, Rasheen knows firsthand what’s happening in St. Louis and across the state. Only 26 years old, Rasheen was recently reelected to continue “giving voice to the voiceless,” in his district and beyond. Always positive, but also realistic and honest, Rasheen shared some stark truths of being a young, Black man in a legislative body that looks mostly very different from him. Yet his knowledge, passion, and charisma equal an ideal politician working for his constituents and all residents of Missouri. At the forefront of his efforts is Police Reform, an endeavor that is more promising than ever due to the continued momentum from protests sparked last summer after the death of George Floyd. “Defunding the police is no different from defunding education, or defunding transportation, in our state,” Rasheen said. “It’s a matter of reallocating funds.”
The morning's conversation was invigorating and hopeful, fueled by fantastic questions from students in attendance. Follow Rasheen on Twitter @RepSheenBean to keep up with the incredible work he is doing. You can also reach out to him via email with further questions: rasheenamsoc@gmail.com.
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Impact of Local Farming on Us and Climate Change
On Saturday, January 23, Civitas' guest presenter will be Melissa Vatterott of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. She is an attorney who specializes in federal and state regulations designed to protect the environment, farm animals, and human consumers. As we move towards planting season, there is a great deal that we can learn about the connection between modern farming and climate change.
You can register by clicking here. Below is a short video introduction to the event from Alexandra, Hagemeister, Clayton High School Class of 2022.
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Middle School Class Visits are Underway!
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A photo from last year's visit at Hixson Middle School
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Even though we can’t be with students in person, Civitas is still providing virtual classroom visits to the 900 students in the Middle School Model UN Program. This week we’re at Fort Zumwalt North. After our own holiday break, it’s going to be a busy January with visits already scheduled for Rogers Middle School, Visitation Academy, Christ Prince of Peace, and Rockwood Valley, with more to come.
The first classroom visit introduces students to the real UN, shares a bit of history, discusses what the UN is currently working on, and what student delegates will be doing in their own Model UN. If you’d like to get your classroom visit scheduled, please contact Bobbi Kennedy (314-443-9785, bobbidkennedy@gmail.com)
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Opportunity to learn Esperanto -- the international language
 Our friend, Dr. Ron Glossop of Citizens for Global Solutions, is offering opportunities for anyone in the Civitas community to learn the international language, Esperanto. Learning Esperanto is an idea that makes so much sense, providing all citizens of the world to speak a common language. You can learn more by clicking here.
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A humpback whale surfaces near the Statue of Liberty in New York on Tuesday, December 8. Bjoern Kils/New York Media Boat/Reuters
A wind and solar power station in Dongtai, on China's east Coast. Alex Plavevski/EPA, via Shutterstock
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This past week at the United Nations
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