NCSC offers Learn about Law coloring book series

USAID/Kosovo Justice Support Program
Implemented by the National Center for State Courts
April – June 2010; September – December 2010

• Titles – 3 books – Let’s Learn About Responsibility (about citizenship and governance); Let’s Learn About Law (criminal and civil justice); Let’s Learn About Judges (court system)
• Audience — Children 7-9 (Primary); Teachers, Parents & School Personnel (Secondary)
• Artist—Winner of University Student Art Competition.
• Authors — Coloring books were authored by USAID/Kosovo Justice Support Program staff.

Expected results:

• Model courts will be able to disseminate up to or around 5,000 copies of the coloring book series.
• Each coloring book will be accompanied by an 8-count box of crayons indicating “All together for justice” and a personal greeting from individual donors, including such comments as “I wish for justice in your country and mine to be open, equal and free.”
• The Consortium of Model Courts will reach approximately 500 students per court with the coloring books, as well as teachers and parents in their regions, including ethic minority communities.
• Relationships established between courts and schools will ensure sustainability of this outreach initiative in the promotion of understanding of citizenship, justice and the rule of law.
• A teacher’s guide that provides teachers and parents with court contact details to ensure the sustainability of court outreach and community education activities for the future will accompany the delivery of each coloring book to classrooms throughout Kosovo.

Institutional partnerships:

• Model Courts & Schools: The coloring book initiative is part of the Kosovo Model Courts’ Justice in Motion Awareness Campaign, which includes special events, documentary film, televised media, print publications and online outreach. Model Court Improvement Teams throughout Kosovo are working with school principals and teachers to build civic education activities into school curriculum.

Supporters & volunteers:

• A panel of American volunteers selected the winning entries from university art students in Kosovo. Volunteer Court Administrators come from Vermont, New Hampshire, Illinois, Missouri, South Dakota, and Florida and have served as volunteer advisors to the Model Courts in separate trips to Kosovo in 2008-2009. Volunteer advisors have produced results that have endured and their support continues.
• Supporters recruited through NCSC professional linkages with the U.S. court system, as well as social networks such as Facebook and Linked-In, will donate Crayola-brand crayons (8-count boxes) to support this initiative so that each classroom receives crayons with the release of the coloring books.

How to donate crayons:

• The selected product is the 8-crayon set, (99 cents or less in various retail distributors). You can purchase them online here or from a wholesale distributor for larger orders (multiple 8-ct boxes.) Other online distributors also carry the Crayola classic/regular 8-ct set— for instance, Blick Art Supplies or School-Pak. Some websites require U.S. postal addresses to correspond to payment methods.

• Purchases should be shipped to National Center for State Courts, Attn: Michael Sweikar, c/o Kosovo, 2425 Wilson Blvd Suite 350, Arlington VA, 22201. The phone number, if needed for shipping purposes, is 703-841-5619.

• Supporters should e-mail USAID Justice Support Program Officer John Cipperly to inform NCSC of their donation. We welcome supporters to share their thoughts on the initiative and relay their words of encouragement to Kosovo students, teachers and court staff, including quotes or short expressions about justice.

Further information:

To learn more about the activity and how to become involved, please contact USAID Justice Support Program Officer John Cipperly.

The Justice Support Program website will feature regular updates on Model Courts activities and the Justice in Motion campaign.