How do you teach a complicated subject like Rule of Law to children and keep their attention? In Denver, Colorado, they do this with interactive games. Explaining how the U.S. judicial system works is made entertaining and educational through a center with a host of computer games, short films, and role playing while wearing judicial robes.
In 2013, the Supreme and Appellate judges at the local court decided they should do something to better educate citizens about the work they do. The solution became the Colorado Judicial Training Center. Colorado High Court Judge Richard Gabriel, one of the active participants in content development for the educational space, spoke about the process of setting up the Center:
“One of the things that made us think about creating the center is that the court building is located just opposite the State Capitol building in Colorado. Every day throughout the school year, there is a line of school buses as students from around the state visit the capital. We thought it would be a great opportunity for all those students to see how the courts work.”
Since its opening, more than 75,000 people have visited the center. The content is chosen for an 8th grade audience at about the age of 15. It is not only interesting for pupils, as there is no shortage of adults spending hours at the center.
One of the memorable elements in the Judicial Training Center is a short video with the lead role entrusted to a teenager trying to understand what the rule of law means. Using scenes from popular American movies where the action is set in court or the protagonist is a member of the legal profession, the video is educational and entertaining.
Judge Gabriel says that this educational initiative by the Supreme Court team is voluntary, as he and his colleagues realize how important civic education is for Colorado’s citizens. Through this and other programs like “Our Courts”, where judges publicly give presentations of their work, or programs at school, where students are given the opportunity to instantly become legislators, the judges succeed in having the opportunity to meet the public they serve.
