New Jersey Orators, Inc.
Beyond High School Educational Conference – Civic Engagement
“Youth Shaping the Future - Speaking Out”

PLENARY SPEAKER: Rev Dr. Forest Pritchett, Seton Hall University,
                                    Director of Special Programs in Freshman Studies

For Press Inquiries & General Info, Contact:
For tickets: Register online at www.oratorsinc.org or send checks to New Jersey Orators, Inc. 120 Finderne Avenue, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. For questions call New Jersey Orators office 732-846-5011. For questions, please contact Eloise Samuels at 732-259-9139.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Forrest Pritchett has been a gangster and civil rights activist as early as when he attended high school in Atlantic City. Standing his ground with gangs gave him a reputation of one you should not mess with but align with. Since then he has made an impact on the lives of other youth in New Jersey over the past fifty to sixty years.

A member of the Seton Hall community since 1978, Pritchett is heavily involved in the African American community. He has been the Assistant Dean of the Black Studies Center and an adjunct professor in the department of Africana. He currently serves as director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Program, which emphasizes servant leadership and provides standout students with scholarship money.

His continual involvement in civil rights activism inside Seton Hall and beyond has been well recognized through the years. Over the years, countless students have gotten to know Pritchett through his main job on campus, faculty mentor in the Freshman Studies department. He said a freshman mentor’s job is “to ensure the success of all first time students.” Brenda Knight, Pritchett, Secretary to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, says this about Dr. Pritchett.

“What you have to understand about him is that he doesn’t do things for those accolades that might come at the end,” “He does it because there is a need.” Dr. Pritchett said he sincerely enjoys playing a part in what is a major transitional period for students.

Pritchett has received honors such as the New Jersey Association of Black Educators’ Black Educator of the Year Award, the Association for the Study of Afro American Life and History’s Frederick Douglass-Sojourner Truth Award and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: New Jersey Convention’s Distinguished Educator Award. In early 2016, President Obama presented him with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in National Community Service. The professor won the Pirate Pride Award from 1999-2000, the University McQuaid Medal in 2003 and Employee of the Year in 2008.

Dr. Pritchett is married to Barbara and they are both ministers at Christ Church in Rockaway, NJ.

Who Should Attend?

The New Jersey Orators is a non-profit organization serving over 5,000 youth since its inception in 1985 with the mission to teach the art of public speaking, an appreciation for literature, reading and media arts literacy, college readiness, and life skills to youth from 7 to 18 years of age in preparation for college. As a recent New Jersey Black Issues Conference recipient of the Community Change in Education Award, we feel that allowing youth to communicate about research, proven practices and policies as well as community programs will help increase student success in academic endeavors.

This is the first of two conferences that is an educational opportunity for middle and high school youth to engage in Civic Engagement and Social Justice. Civic Engagement is a big issue. It’s a big part of our nation’s governing infrastructure. That’s why the New Jersey Orators has decided to offer their members and other New Jersey youth an opportunity to foster discussions on various aspects of civic engagement and social justice.

This conference provides an opportunity for youth to converse with experts in social justice, higher education, and legislative policy to have an in-depth learning experience in the analysis of issues affecting their communities. The ultimate goal is to develop a “White Paper” as the output from the spring conference. This paper should foster community awareness and understanding of state and federal policies as they relate to education, social justice and public and legislative policy, thereby providing youth and adults with the tools and framework to collaboratively have a positive impact on their communities.

The first conference would allow our student Orators and non-members to participate in “Birds of a Feather” working groups with experts throughout the state to identify their community needs. At the conclusion of each discussion group from the first conference, there will be a share out on the concerns, issues, and key findings in the community. In addition, each working group will identify participant learning, opportunities for civic engagement at the local level, and gaps in required information as determine by a needs assessment that will be conducted under the direction of the Executive Director for the New Jersey Orators.

We welcome all middle and high school students and parents to attend this educational conference. We also welcome school counselors and teachers who advise students about community service.