Victims of Communism Day Scholarship Competition Overview
All eligible participants will be required to attend a one-day workshop on Saturday, September 7, 2024 from 9:30am – 2:30pm. This workshop will be held at the Lakewood Ranch Library located at:
Victims of Communism Program Timeline
September 5: Last day to register for Scholarship Competition. Parent’s Consent Form is also due.
September 7: One-day Workshop at Lakewood Ranch Library.
September 14: Research workshop at Braden River Library, Rm 205 10:00am-1:00pm
September 16: Online registration of Scholarship Project Title and Category due.
October 19: Scholarship project completion date. Essays must be submitted online.
October 19: Exhibits and Oratory presentations judged at the West Bradenton Baptist Church at 10:00am.
October 29: Scholarship Awards presentation at the Christ Presbyterian Church, 515 Upper Manatee River Road, Bradenton, FL 34212 starting at 6pm.
Special Announcement: Receive Expert Research Assistance!
Attention VOCM Scholarship Participants: You will have a fantastic opportunity to learn the best ways to tackle academic research to set yourselves up for success both in this scholarship competition and for life! Retired US Navy Captain Scott Phillpott, our US mentor for North Korea, will teach a three-hour class on smartly conducting academic research for you at the Braden River Library on Saturday, September 14, from 10 am to 1 pm. He will also cover the appropriate way to use Artificial Intelligence in your research. You must be a registered participant in the VOCM scholarship program to take advantage of this free training. Please be prepared to make your work much easier!
Additional Resource
To provide additional context for the workshop, we have provided a link to a recent article from the Washington Post to show the extent of CCP repression here in the United States. To view the article simply click this link.
Workshop Speaker Biographies
Click on the button below to download a copy of our speakers’ biographies.
Victims of Communism Day Workshop Video
Rules for Participation
- Online registration begins on July 1 and ends on September 5.
- Attendance at the September 7 Workshop in its entirety is required for participation.
- Video/audio recording or photography during the Workshop is not allowed.
- All participants must be preregistered in order to attend the Workshop. Walk-ins will not be admitted.
- Participation is limited to high school students residing in, or attending a high school in, Manatee County.
- The program will be strictly limited to the first 70 students enrolled in the program.
- Due to space limitations, only the first 30 registered parents may accompany their students.
- Participants will have 6 weeks to complete their work products prior to Judging on Saturday, October 19th.
- Awards will be presented on Monday, October 29 at 6pm at the Christ Presbyterian Church.
- A Parental Consent form must be completed and signed prior to attending both the workshop and award ceremony. The form may accessed by clicking the button below.
Download the Handbook!
Register Your Project
Upload Your Project
All projects must be completed by October 19:
a. Upload and submit written essays on that date (October 19)
