| The Bridge Program: Community Humanities Education began as CHE in 1999, under the auspices of Antioch University’s Los Angeles campus – a remarkable collaboration between Antioch and Ms. Shari Foos, CHE’s founder. CHE was originally inspired and informed by The Clemente Course in the Humanities, created in 1997 by noted social critic and author Earl Shorris, on New York City's Lower East Side, in partnership with Bard College. In 2000 Shorris received the National Humanities Medal from President Clinton in recognition of his work with the Clemente Course. Since its inception, the program has taken root at 32 sites in cities throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and France. CHE varied slightly from the Clemente model, but held to the same philosophy that the study of the Humanities and the development of finely-honed critical thinking skills are crucially important for everyone —perhaps especially people near the bottom of the economic ladder. In 2004, over 2000 students will have graduated from the Clemente Course and its affiliates, including The Bridge Program: Community Humanities Education. |
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