Harvard Institute of Politics facts for kids
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| Established | 1966 |
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| Mission | To inspire students to consider careers in politics and public service. |
| Director | Setti Warren |
| Owner | Harvard Kennedy School |
| Coordinates | 42°22′17″N 71°07′20″W / 42.37145°N 71.12210°W |
| Address | 79 John F. Kennedy St, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
The Institute of Politics (IOP) is a special place at Harvard University. It's part of the Harvard Kennedy School. The IOP was created to honor President John F. Kennedy after he passed away. Its main goal is to inspire young people at Harvard to think about careers in politics and public service.
The IOP helps connect the world of learning with the world of politics. It does this in a fair way, without favoring any one political party. This helps encourage more people to get involved in helping their communities and country.
Contents
How the IOP Started
After President John F. Kennedy passed away in 1963, people raised a lot of money. Over $20 million was collected from more than 30 million people worldwide, including many school children. This money was used for two main things. First, it helped build the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. Second, it helped create and support the Institute of Politics at Harvard University.
In 1966, the money was given to Harvard University. This allowed the Institute of Politics to officially begin. It was set up to study politics and public service.
The IOP does not offer regular classes or degrees like a college. Instead, it focuses on bringing important people and ideas together.
The John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum
The IOP is home to the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum. This is a big meeting place at the Harvard Kennedy School. The Forum often hosts interesting events. These include speeches, debates, and group discussions.
Since it opened in 1978, the Forum has held over 1,000 events. More than 650,000 people have watched these events live. Millions more have seen them on TV or online. The Forum was first called the KSG Forum. In 2002, it was renamed to honor President Kennedy's son, John F. Kennedy Jr. He had been a member of the IOP's board of directors. The Forum was updated in 2003.
Getting Students Involved
The IOP helps students get involved in many ways.
Harvard Votes Challenge
In 2018, students at the IOP started a program called the Harvard Votes Challenge (HVC). They worked with another group called the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. This program encourages students, staff, and teachers at Harvard to register and vote. It aims to build a strong civic culture at the university.
During the 2018 election, HVC started the first-ever Harvard-Yale Votes Challenge. This was a friendly competition between the two universities to see who could get more people to vote. In 2019, HVC also helped new students register to vote during their orientation.
For the 2020 election, many volunteers helped. About 390 students from all 12 Harvard schools worked to encourage voting. This was important during the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers sent over 94,000 text messages. They also gave out more than 1,700 stamps to students. Plus, 121 student groups promised to help all their members vote.
Harvard Political Review
The IOP also supports the Harvard Political Review (HPR). This is a magazine about political topics. It comes out four times a year. Students from Harvard College write, edit, and manage the HPR. It shares different ideas about politics in a fair way.
See also
- Harvard University people
