Louisiana Girls State
Associate Director Linda Lovelady, Program Director Essie DeCuir and Director Maggie Watts
About Girls State
Girls State is a nonpartisan program that teaches young women responsible citizenship and love for God and Country. Since the inception of the Girls State program in 1937, nearly one million young people have had the opportunity to learn first-hand how their state and local government works. High school girls, who have completed their junior year, spend an intensive week of study, working together as self-governing citizens at Auxiliary sponsored Girls State programs in every state, with the exception of Hawaii. They learn how to participate in the functioning of their state's government in preparation for their future roles as responsible adult citizens. Two girls are selected from each Girls State program (with the exception of Hawaii) to attend Girls Nation, a national government training program. Girls Nation "senators" meet for a week in Washington, D.C., where they run for political office, campaign for the passage of legislation and possibly meet with state Representatives and Senators. Capping off the week of Girls Nation is a meeting with the President of the United States at the White House.
The objective of Girls State is to educate our youth in the duties, rights, and responsibilities of American Citizenship. Participants learn the practical mechanics of government by actually performing the functions of local and state government. The Constitution and the statutes of the state are the patterns from which the fundamental law of Girls State has been developed. Girls State should be regarded as being a 51st mythical state with a constitution, and ordinances constructed by its citizens to govern themselves.
Citizens of Girls State will not only be required to review knowledge already acquired concerning the political machinery of a state, but they will find themselves performing the same duties as real office holders in the everyday world. Girls State citizens organize their own city, parish, and state governments. They choose their own officials in accordance with regular election procedures. They learn the duties of the various city, parish and state offices. They introduce and argue their own bills in the legislature. Justice is administered by their own law enforcement agencies and courts. In Girls State the young citizen has the opportunity to learn for herself that her government is just what she makes it. Here each citizen “learns by doing”.
The basic values, lasting friendships, and enduring principles they have gained from this program have served them well in every facet of their lives.
