American Legion Auxiliary Keystone

Girls State

Unit Orientation PowerPoint

This PowerPoint is to help each and every Unit

learn about the American Legion Auxiliary Keystone Girls State Program.

It is the Units responsibility to find and sponsor the young women for this program. So it only makes sense that each Unit needs to understand the program so that you may better select the citizens and inform them on their upcoming learning experience.

Why have a Unit Orientation

First and foremost the program is called

The American Legion Auxiliary Keystone Girls State. Please try to include the American Legion Auxiliary before the Keystone Girls State when you are talking about the program so that it is known as a program of the American Legion Auxiliary.

We work very hard and do great things as an organization and this program is no different.

For the sake of this PowerPoint I will be using ALA KGS for space and efficiency.

What is the Keystone Girls State Program

The ALA KGS Program is a nonpartisan

participatory program that teaches young women responsible citizenship grounded in ethics, the principles of our nation’s founders and respect for God and Country.

High-school girls who have completed their junior year have the opportunity to spend an intensive week of firsthand learning, working together as self-governing citizens.

What is KGS

During the week long process, the young women

learn about government and the rights of individuals; privileges and responsibilities of franchised citizens by forming fictitious cities that then form Girls State; electing public officials at the local, county and state level, and carrying out the duties of those offices. By the fact of the citizens personally interacting throughout the whole election process and completing the duties that each office entails helps to give them a better understanding of small town America and how one person can make a change within the world.

Continued

It is up to each Unit to choose your representative to

attend the ALA KGS program. Your Unit may sponsor one girl or as many as your Unit so chooses.

The sponsorship fee for each girl is $200. If your Unit paid all of the Department obligations, it would include the $75 Girls State obligation, so your Unit would pay the difference of $125 for the sponsorship.

Once the girl is accepted by your Unit to attend and when she arrives at the program she is referred to as a Citizen. So I will be using this term throughout the PowerPoint.

Eligibility

Requirements to be considered as a participant

of the ALA KGS program:

Unmarried female.

Has successfully completed her junior year of high school.

Has at least one more semester remaining before graduation.

Eligibility

Citizen should demonstrate:

Leadership In school and out

Character Scholarship Loyalty Service

In their school and community

Participants are to be selected on the basis of merit and ability. Please inform your Units representative that the program is

intensive and not a camp. It is a governmental instruction and leadership training program.

Unit should Consider in Selection of Participants

ALA Units should make every effort to sponsor

eligible young women to participate in the ALA KGS program.

Your Units Chairman/President should inform school districts and individual public and private schools about the benefits of the program, explain eligibility requirements and distribute information and applications to the schools.

Your Unit

With this informational PowerPoint the Unit will

also receive a letter to the Unit, as well as a letter to the Guidance counselor or Principle and an application.

This is the only information that the Unit itself needs to select the citizen.

Your Unit

Upon approval of your Unit, the application for the citizen

will be sent in to Department. After the citizen’s information is processed, she will receive

a packet in the mail will all the documentation and information that she will need. Medical Release Form What to bring Dress Code Rules and Regulations Basic ALA KGS info.

The Unit itself will not get this packet for all the information is for the citizen.

The Citizen

The program is held at Shippensburg University in

Shippensburg, Pa. The staff, counselors and citizen reside in a dorm hall for the

duration of the week. Staff is on the lowest floor with citizens on floors above. Each city will have one Senior Counselor and one Junior

Counselor. On average there are 13-17 girls per city. The citizen will be divided into Parties; Nationalist and

Federalist. These two parties have no affiliation to the Democrats and

Republicans. They are just in place so the citizens develop an improved understanding of the two-party system of government.

Items Unit Should Know

There are normally nine cities at KGS. Three cities make up a county. The three counties make up Keystone Girls

State. Floor Plan:

1ST floor; lobby. 2nd floor of the dorm will be staff floor. 3rd floor of the dorm will be Red County. 4th floor of the dorm will be White County. 5th floor of the dorm will be Blue County.

Set-up

Citizen are placed at random into cities and

parties. Each citizen will share a dorm room with a citizen from the opposite party.

Citizens will not be in a room or even a city with a citizen from her same area. This is to help them to make new friends and bond within their own city. So please do not tell your sponsored girl/girls that they can be roommates.

The Citizens will know their assigned party before arrival.

Items Unit Should Know

I am including this section because I know that some

of the citizens want to know what happens when the first arrive for the start of the program.

They arrive at the Campus. Enter the dormitory into the lobby where registration is set-up.

They will go through the registration process: Check-in Review of Medical Release Banquet Information Etc..

What Happens When Citizen First Arrives

After the citizen has completed registration.

They will go to their assigned city and room. Get settled in and unpack. Review their ALA KGS binders; that are in their

rooms Meet their roommate. Attend their first City meeting for their

introduction to KGS. Start of their intensive week of learning.

Arrival

The week is extremely busy from morning till

night. Wake up call is at 6:00 am. Each day is

packed full of sessions, elections, guest speakers and other activities.

Events throughout the week: Debates Senate Session Whistle Stop Campaign Training Sessions

The Week

For one service project, the citizens pack

backpacks for the OMK program. The girls enjoy this project.

Service Project

Hopefully this PowerPoint has given your Unit

a basic understanding of the ALA KGS program.

Thank you immensely for watching this PowerPoint.

Thank You for Your Time

If your Unit has any questions you may

contact; Honor Rounsville, Keystone Girls State Chairman. Email: bird1403@lycos.com

Mail: PO Box 41 Rew, Pa 16744

Home Phone: (814) 465-3464

Cell Phone: (814) 596-8671

Questions