Girls State applications begin Jan. 15

The 66th Montana’s American Legion Auxiliary Girls State 2014 program will be held on the campus of Carroll College from May 31 to June 6.

Girls State will be a hands-on learning experience about local, county and state government.

The delegates may participate in a mock trial and debate delegate-written legislation,  and they  elect city and state officials along with two young women to attend Girls Nation in Washington, D.C., the end of July.  

Delegates to American Legion Auxiliary Girls State are selected from girls who have completed their junior year of high school, have an interest in government and current events, show strong leadership abilities and have high moral character.

Local American Legion Auxiliary units sponsor the girls, and the $270 delegate fees may be paid through the unit or other local organizations.

Forty nine states support the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State program with about 20,000 young women participating in the weeklong program of a nonpartisan curriculum. The girls are split into six fictional cities named after gem stones in Montana.  Additional activities include a talent show, field trips, journalism, debate and public speaking.

Montana American Legion Auxiliary Girls State program held their first session in 1938, and it is one of most respected experiential learning programs in the United States.

Guided by the principle, “For God and Country,” the program epitomizes the Auxiliary’s mission to honor those who have brought us our freedom by continuing to train young women to be leaders grounded in patriotism and Americanism

Information to American Legion Auxiliary Units and Montana Schools will be e-mailed in early January. Applications will be accepted online starting Jan. 15.

Applications are found at mtlegion.org.