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I was selected to go to Ohio Boys State. (im actually excited about this). 1450 boys from Ohio get to go and only 25,000 from the nation participate each year, which i figure is a rather slim majority. I hope to run for Lt. Governor. I was just wondering how colleges view Boys/Girls State (a very positive plus or a normal headnod). I figure its something more prestegious in the eyes of the more competative schools (Penn is my dream), especially if I can run and win election for Lt. Gov. What are your insights?

By Autodidact (Autodidact) on Sunday, April 27, 2003 - 11:56 pm: Edit

CrazyAndy: Congratulations on your selection. Why Lieutenant Governor? Run for Governor and win, and do your level best to have a great time, comport yourself well, lead others and get yourself selected to Boys Nation, you'll have a great time, and catch the eye of many adcoms. Best of luck and have a great time at Boys State.

By Crazyandy (Crazyandy) on Monday, April 28, 2003 - 09:12 pm: Edit

I'd run for Governor but my governmental skills aren't really what you would call "a requirement" for the job. I don't wanna go make a fool out of myself. I'll ask my government teacher if he could find me some info on what the governor does and maybe I might just talk myself into running. I already know about 20 kids who said I should run, but I don't know. Anyone got any cheap campaigning tips that I could use there? I'm not allowed to bring anything at all from home to use in campaigning.

By Crazyandy (Crazyandy) on Monday, April 28, 2003 - 09:15 pm: Edit

I'd run for Governor but my governmental skills aren't really what you would call "a requirement" for the job. I don't wanna go make a fool out of myself. I'll ask my government teacher if he could find me some info on what the governor does and maybe I might just talk myself into running. I already know about 20 kids who said I should run, but I don't know. Anyone got any cheap campaigning tips that I could use there? I'm not allowed to bring anything at all from home to use in campaigning. (If this message pops up twice sorry, but my computer froze halfway through.)

By Autodidact (Autodidact) on Tuesday, April 29, 2003 - 02:23 am: Edit

Remember that asking for someone's vote is the surest way of getting it. Smile and show genuine interest in the others attending and their ideas. 20 kids who are attending, or 20 kids from your high school? Use humor as a hook. Keep up with current events for your state--they are the stuff your campaign speeches will be written about--Know the "push button" issues. Good luck!

By Crazyandy (Crazyandy) on Tuesday, April 29, 2003 - 07:06 am: Edit

Good Idea, Autodidact. Know current issues is a great way to show you know your stuff. There were 4 boys from my school selected, but from the area around where i go to school, including the town i live in, i know a little over 20 guys that are going. If i can get them to help me campaign, I should have a great chance

By ~the_Chosen~ (~the_Chosen~) on Tuesday, April 29, 2003 - 08:09 am: Edit

What exactly is "Boys State" "Boys Nation"? Is that related to the Boys & Girls Club of America or what?

By Crazyandy (Crazyandy) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 05:04 pm: Edit

Boys State/Nation is sponsored by the American Legion. It's a mock government basically. You go and run for elections, if you want, for Governor, Lt. Gov, all the way down to the local city/county offices. Everyone that goes is either elected or appointed to an office. From there you go do your thing and watch your state government at work. The process is very simple, but from family experiences, I heard the whole concept in Ohio, as well as in NY is intense. I'll have to give you more info about it after I come back in a month, but i dont think it is related at all to Boys and Girls Club of America (2 TOTALLY different things). If you get the chance to go, take it! Colleges, i found out, love to see it because it means you have PROVEN leadership, in and out of the classroom. Out of the boys that go to boys state, only 2 from each state are selected for boys nation, held in DC. only 108 kids nationally go, I heard. I really wanna go, but the competition is intense.

By Galaal2004 (Galaal2004) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 09:00 pm: Edit

Do you have to be familiar with your states gov't(AL) to y'know do well?

By Galaal2004 (Galaal2004) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 09:02 pm: Edit

do u gotta know alot of your state's gov't to do well?

By Autodidact (Autodidact) on Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 01:37 pm: Edit

Galaal2004: It's a learning experience, but the student who is already interested in, active, or passionate about politics has a definite advantage. Boys State is sponsored by the American Legion, and its counterpart, Girls State is sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary. Contact your local chapter for information. I went in '80, and my daughter went last year, and she will serve as a voluntary counselor this year in Iowa. There are scholarship opportunities attached, so if this is something you are interested in express your interest. It may be too late, unless you act immediately, though as most chapters have chosen their representatives already. You may be able to persuade them to sponsor an additional representative if you are enthusiastic enough. Good Luck!

By Cscourneen (Cscourneen) on Friday, May 09, 2003 - 02:45 am: Edit

I have participated in Boys State (was selected as the most influential member in Arizona) and can give a little advice.

First, you really don’t need to know a lot about government because when you get there, there will be lawyers, representatives, and in some cases, senators that are there to help. The BIGGEST deciding factors are two things: Your personality and your speech!

Be funny and have fun…don’t be too serious. Every year, the person that wins governor wins because they went out and were friendly, struck the right deals, and gave a unique speech. One year, I even saw someone get elected to the Supreme Court by appealing to the “hormones” of the boys. Funny story: Because there are NO girls at boys state, the hormones of the soon-to-be seniors get a little out of control. This particular young man said that he would bring girls to boys state, and to prove it, he had a very beautiful, female college student (she was living at NAU—the site of boys state that year) hand out little cards with his name on it. It was very funny…and it worked. I will admit…I thought it was a little dirty and very low…but that just shows you that being serious isn’t a necessity. (By the way…I don’t recommend doing this…run on something real!)

Also, decide what you are going to run for NOW, and make very large and colorful posters. Trust me, when you get there…everyone will be putting up campaign signs…it’s just nice to be ahead. The walls will be littered with them!

Just be friendly, be outgoing, be yourself, and go out and shake everyone’s hand! Very important…you will be amazed how that will affect your votes. But, don’t be too pushy. The year I was there, there was someone that was going around as soon as we got off the bus! We were in line to get our room keys, and he was going around telling everyone he was most qualified to be governor. He turned everyone off!

Also, remember to have fun! Some take it too serious…they end up leaving with bad attitudes and mad that they lost elections! Remember, if you loose an election…run for another one! Everyone will hold some type of office…JUST HAVE FUN!

Oh yeah, did I mention…HAVE FUN!

By Autodidact (Autodidact) on Saturday, May 10, 2003 - 01:50 am: Edit

CrazyAndy: I believe you were correct when you said you are not allowed to take any prepared materials, so please don't jeopardize your chances with CScourneen's advise--nobody likes to vote for someone who took unfair advantage, and doesn't play by the rules. That said, and for anyone else interested, there is no rule against considering campaign strategies, and with the support of twenty boys, I'd say you'd at least be an early front runner for governor. My daughter was one of 16 candidates--and she knew no one when she went. She is passionate about politics, however, and was current on the issues and her positions. She will provide direction with the government section this summer. She regularly receives e-mails from several of her fellow participants. CSCourneen was right about not being too serious--not everyone attending is headed for a future in politics, some had parents who pushed them to attend, or teachers who recommended them based on class participation. Some of the things that your party will decide/insist on placing on their platform will/may be counter to your beliefs or views. To this day, my daughter believes her refusal to make animal noises at the meal table played a major part in her not being elected governor--but as a guest at an institution with fully matriculated students sharing the dining facility, she believed--and I totally concur--that it would have been rude and disrespectful to participate. To thine own self be true. You will be forced to go with the majority, so practice persuading others to take your view. Her intelligence, comportment and leadership impressed the organizers sufficiently to have her included in the group who were interviewed with a possibility of attending Girls Nation. She didn't believe she would be able to attend due to the necessity to work and earn money for school, and the probable difficulty in getting off time from work schedule, but I believe she self-limited herself in this case, as it would have been a valuable experience which exceeded the cost of missed hours. They rewarded her diligence with a $500 memorial scholarship though, so it did have a happy ending. She loved the experience so much that she volunteered immediately to serve as an unpaid counselor this summer.

By Cscourneen (Cscourneen) on Saturday, May 10, 2003 - 03:45 pm: Edit

Just to let you know, you ARE allowed to take prepared materials in Arizona. I have worked as a counselor and have attended as a citizen…so I KNOW the rules. As a matter of fact, you are encouraged to do this at the two meetings for citizens before you go on your trip. The members of the American Legion even offer to help make your signs.

Now, I don’t know if it is different in any other state, but I’m pretty sure it is not. The ONLY WAY your state could stop you is if they amended their constitution. You can easily call your local chapter (the one that is sponsoring you) and ask to see the constitution if they have not yet shown it to you. In Arizona, all citizens get a copy of the constitution before they leave for Boys State.

Because I have worked with it for a while now, I know just about EVERY rule, so I’m sure about this one!

By Cscourneen (Cscourneen) on Saturday, May 10, 2003 - 03:48 pm: Edit

And, just to clear it up, I’m only speaking about Boys State. I did hear that the Girls State constitution had a few extra articles in it that were not found in the Boys State counterpart. So, if you are attending Girls State, you will want to make sure you go by your constitution, because it is different.

By Ryanjpat (Ryanjpat) on Monday, May 12, 2003 - 10:31 pm: Edit

I went to CA Boys State last year, and it was awesome. I won the primary for SecState, was opinion editor of the daily newspaper, and served as assistant legislative secretary to the governor.

I'd suggest having an office in mind, but be flexible. SecState is a good one because not many people run for it.

To win, be very friendly and outgoing, but not a rabid campaigner. Make friends with people from every county (and city, if possible). Use your time very wisely.

If you really want to win, don't play sports. Spend as much time as necessary writing your speeches, and use a COMPLETELY different speech for the general than you use for the primary.

If you get to the general, try to play down party loyalties while not being too obvious.

Don't spend too much time on posters unless you can bring them with you. We couldn't. If you need to make them there, have other people do it for you (your campaign managers).

Good luck!

By Scrsteven (Scrsteven) on Friday, May 16, 2003 - 11:13 pm: Edit

I'm going to Boys State in Florida this year, and we are not allowed to take prepared materials for campaigning at all. I don't know if I'm gonna run for any big positions yet...

By Fender1 (Fender1) on Saturday, May 17, 2003 - 01:35 am: Edit

How did all of you get notified of somethign like this? Did you seek it out or did someone else mention it.
I live in Washington state and though we have a Boys State program, I was never made aware of it. Although, I was also never made aware of opprotunities like national science fairs, research, etc. etc. Is this just because of my anemic school or was there something I missed? I wanto to know because I do not want my children (however many) to miss out on these opprotunities like I have.

By Scrsteven (Scrsteven) on Saturday, May 17, 2003 - 08:44 am: Edit

My school guidance department sends out a Junior newsletter with opportunities like these in it monthly I think. I never contacted guidance, but my counselor sent me a note saying I should/could apply for it.

By Autodidact (Autodidact) on Saturday, May 17, 2003 - 08:53 am: Edit

Fender1: It was probably a combination of things--although the anemic school gets lots of credit (blame) for all academic contests locally, regionally, instate, and nationally. Boys and Girls State were developed to ensure that every generation had people who had been informed as to the political process--participants will be either Nationalists or Federalists (not Republicans, Democrats, etc. to discourage partisanship), and to maintain the ideals of patriotism and encourages and consistent with a God and country foundation, includes a religious component, but it's nondenominational. It operates independently, and so while the school should have known and encouraged participation--likely through government or history classes--it is the legion and auxiliary who circulate (or make available) their registration/selection materials. It is late in the game for juniors who want to participate, but if you are truly interested look in your phone book or newspapers for your local posts of the American Legion(boys) or American Legion Auxiliary (girls), or contact your state office. Enthusiasm could persuade them to add a participant. It's a great program, and missed opportunities have a way of gnawing at you over the years creating resentment. In the future, show more personal initiative (for yourself and your children) and go directly to your guidance counselor, high school principal, teachers, and if you're real gung ho, take out a newspaper and place an ad asking if there are contests, leadership programs, or forums for students. Circulate or post flyers to staff (including secretaries who sort mail) indicating that you'd like to be considered/recommended for these opportunities. Contact your state education department and enquire. Use search engines to find new or lesser known contests your staff may not even know about in your interest areas. If you can't find any, create local, intramural, intermural, or conference ops for yourself and others interested. Try to find a local sponsor for each school--perhaps their PTA/PTO/PIE.
P.S. We parents generally have no better chance of finding these opportunities, scholarships, competitions, or forums than students unless there is local press releases or know/stumble across someone whose child participated. Unfortunately, there are often politics involved in the selection process, and nothing will cause parents and students alike to do a slow burn (generally with rapid ignition) than finding out that a student with no real desire to attend was nominated based on "who's your daddy?" mentality. Good luck, Fender1.

By Fender1 (Fender1) on Saturday, May 17, 2003 - 02:33 pm: Edit

Thanks for the response. I'm a graduation senior this year, but thanks for the advice anyways.
Cheers!

By Autodidact (Autodidact) on Sunday, May 18, 2003 - 01:16 am: Edit

Fender1: Congratulations on graduation. The same information can apply to college ops, only start with your teachers, advisor, and placement office for plum internships, research opportunities, and collegiate councils, etc. Best of luck in the future!