Girls Nation is an annual civic training program run by the

American Legion Auxiliary The American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) is a separate entity from the American Legion that shares the same values. It is composed of spouses, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, granddaughters, grandsons, and brothers, & sisters of American war vetera ...

. It is analogous to

Boys Nation Boys Nation is an annual forum concerning civic training, government, leadership, and Americanism that is run by the American Legion. One hundred Boys Nation Senators are chosen from a pool of over 20,000 Boys State participants, making it one of ...

History

The first American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation was held August 9-August 14, 1947, with 82 girls and 41 states participating. It has been held each year subsequently. In order to attend the event, participating Girls State sessions select two participants to represent the state at Girls Nation. It, much like Girls State, is a "hands on" election simulation, only focusing on federal government rather than state government. These representatives, the Girls Nation " senators," are divided into two political parties. The parties do not reflect the two major political parties in today's system, but allow citizens to gain a special knowledge of how the system works. Girls Nation is funded by the national organization of the Auxiliary, with some support from each participating state. Little or no expense is required of the representative or her family. The Auxiliary has been recognized many times by

Freedoms Foundation Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge (now Founding Forward) is an American non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian educational organization, founded in 1949. The foundation is located adjacent to the Valley Forge National Historical Park, near Val ...

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania The village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement. It is located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania. The remaining village is in Schu ...

and the

National Association of Secondary School Principals The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is a national organization of and voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders from across the United States and more than 4 ...

(NASSP) for outstanding Girls State and Girls Nation programs. It has also been recognized through the media in ''Career World'' magazine, ''WAM!'', the Children's Television Network ( Encore Media Corporation), and many newspapers. The delegates of Girls Nation, alongside the American Legion's Boys Nation delegates, are additionally given the opportunity to meet the president as well as other House Representatives and Senators during their week long program. At this point in time, 100 girls attend Girls Nation. Hawaii began participation in Girls Nation in 2016.

Goals

The official goals of the program are to: * develop leadership and pride in U.S. citizens; * educate participants about the U.S. system of government; * instill in participants a greater understanding of U.S. traditions; * stimulate a desire to maintain U.S. government processes.

Notable alumni

Kristen Soltis Anderson Kristen Lynne Soltis Anderson (born 1984) is a Republican pollster, television personality, and writer whose work has appeared in ''The Daily Beast'', ''Politico'', and ''HuffPost''. In 2013 ''Time'' named Anderson one of the 30 People Under 30 ...

References

{{reflist American Legion Educational organizations based in the United States Youth organizations established in 1947 1947 establishments in the United States