By Cameron Hill
Have you ever wanted to run your own city? Have you ever wanted to learn about government and how you can participate in your government? Do you want to change the world? If so, Girls State may be the perfect opportunity for you (if you are a girl that is).
ALA Girls State is a week-long program sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary. The program exists in states all across the United States and is meant to teach young women about the United States government and how to be confident, productive citizens who champion freedom and democracy.
Many TPA alumni have participated in the Arizona Girls State, and our very own senior, Sierra Smith, participated in the program this past summer. Girls State would normally be held in person, however, this year the program was held online. This hindered the proceedings a little, but Sierra said she was just “so glad I still got to experience this with our current situation.” Sierra was able to learn a lot about how campaigns work, how cities work, and how to follow through with your goals confidently.
The typical day of Girls State begins with presentations from the leaders. The presentations serve to inspire young women to be active participants in American democracy. Sierra said the presentations gave her a lot of useful information and they “inspired” her “to feel confident in my as a woman.” Next, the girls were split into groups representing their own cities. Normally, in person, there would be an abundance of positions for the girls to run for from the city blogger to mayor, but because of Covid there were less positions available. Although Sierra was not able to run and achieve an elected office, she said the online campaign experience taught her the valuable skill of “how to present yourself on camera and present a speech virtually.”
Within their cities, the girls discussed how their city would run and different ways in which they could improve their city. Tasks were divided among them and everything from the city budget to zoning and planning were discussed by the girls and decided upon. The girls found solutions to complex problems and were able to learn a lot about how the government worked and how they could potentially become involved in their local government or beyond in the future.
Sierra said the city discussions provided invaluable experience. She talked about how “It was interesting to see the different opinions everyone had,” and how the serious conversations she and the other girls had taught her “how to have a valuable discussion with people with different interests,” which is an important skill to have later in life as a professional.
One of the best parts about Girls State is the incredible connections you can make with other participants. Throughout the week, the girls form long lasting bonds by working together to grow more confident as women in today’s democracy. Sierra said that she has “stayed in touch with other girls from Girls State via group chats and social media,” and that “It was so amazing to meet so many amazing girls and learn their stories and about the changes they want to make in the world.” Girls State is a great opportunity to connect with other young women interested in changing the world and creating a better future.
Girls State is an incredible opportunity for girls at TPA who have a strong interest in government and creating change in the world. In Sierra’s words, Girls State taught her “how to feel confident in my own beliefs, how our government works, and much more.” Girls State packs a lot of valuable information and incredible experiences into one week and proves to be a rewarding and fun event for all who are able to apply and attend.