Indiana Bar Foundation Partners with Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship to Host International Student Exchange at Purdue University

The Indiana Bar Foundation is partnering with the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship (BFTF) to welcome 55 diverse and intellectually engaged high school students from Europe and the United States to participate in an academic exchange program on the campus of Purdue University.

The fellowship, which brings together students ages 16 to 18, promotes cross-cultural dialogue and civic engagement through intensive seminars, community service, and leadership training.

As part of the program, the Indiana Bar Foundation will lead a full day of civic education programming on Wednesday, July 2, focused on the Fourth Amendment and the legal principles surrounding search and seizure. Programming will include student-led discussions and simulated congressional hearings based on the nationally recognized We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum.

Distinguished members of Indiana’s judiciary—including judges from the Court of Appeals of Indiana and a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court—will participate in the hearings, offering feedback and engaging with students in constitutional discourse.

“This collaboration is an incredible opportunity to expose students from around the world to the American system of justice and democratic principles,” said Charles Dunlap, President and CEO of the Indiana Bar Foundation. “We’re proud to contribute to a program that fosters global citizenship and mutual understanding. I also want to express my appreciation to the Court of Appeals of Indiana and the Indiana Supreme Court for their participation and partnership in this effort. It’s a tremendous opportunity for students to engage directly with sitting members of Indiana’s Appellate Courts and hear firsthand about the vital role of the judicial branch in our system of government.”

The Indiana Bar Foundation inspires and leads change to improve civic education and legal assistance for all Hoosiers. Learn more at www.inbarfoundation.org.

The Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship, a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, began in 2006 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of birth of Benjamin Franklin. Learn more at https://education.purdue.edu/ben-franklin-institute/.

Members of the media may attend on Wednesday, July 2, from 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Contact Anne Fuchs, [email protected], to coordinate.