Welcome

Great Conversations 2020 and a celebration of 20 years of the Annette Strauss Institute

Please join honorary Co-Chairs, Janie Strauss McGarr and Nancy Strauss Halbreich for Great Conversations 2020 on Thursday, March 26, in Austin. Great Conversations, the Institute’s only annual fundraising event, is an evening where politically engaged Texans from all parties come together for dinner to honor and be reminded of the state we want to become – one where citizens are informed, engaged, civil and respectful to one another. The event this year is particularly significant as we celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of the Institute’s founding. We hope you will join us by purchasing a ticket or sponsoring a table.

group of college-aged individuals walking on a bridge

College Programs

College programs include New Politics Forum and TX Votes. New Politics forum offers nonpartisan training, educational seminars, and conferences across the state. TX Votes is a student-led organization on the University of Texas at Austin's campus that practices Get Out The Vote activities.

Annette Strauss Institute kindergarten through twelfth grade Program Icon

K-12 Programs

Speak Up Speak Out is a K-12 civic education program, in which students identify a community problem and collaborate in a small group to solve that issue. TexElects is a competition for high school students, in which students create art projects that encourage their community to vote during election cycles. RUReady Texas is an extension of an undergraduate and high school student civic education project from Rutgers University.