Florida Boys State
When I was chosen as a delegate for the Florida American Legion Boys State, I began counting down the days until I boarded the bus to Tallahassee. I was one of five in my county chosen to go, and I could not ask for a better opportunity. But what I hope to show with this post is not only what I experienced at Boys State, but also the lessons I learned about politics, life, and teenage boys.
For those who don't know, Boys State is a program conducted in states throughout the USA where a few rising high school senior boys are chosen from each county to attend a summer camp in the state capitol where they will learn about patriotism and politics. While there are "classes" at the program that aim to accomplish this, most of the learning is done through the formation of a mock state government, elected by the boys themselves. Being an avid political junkie and an excellent public speaker, I was sure that winning office would be a breeze for me.
June 18, 2017. The day I left my small town for the Florida capitol, Tallahassee. I wasn't sure what to expect from the other delegates of this program. Were they smart? Did they even care enough to be there? Were they good speakers? After we arrived at our dorms at Florida State University, I quickly tried to converse with the other delegates to make a name for myself for the future elections. What I found set the tone for the rest of the program. Most of the other boys didn't care enough to be there. At first, I was okay with this. If they didn't care, they wouldn't win any elections, right?
Running for Office
On the first day we held city elections for my hallway. I didn't run, because I wanted to assess the voters and see what they like. I was quickly disheartened. I watched qualified candidate after qualified candidate be shot down in favor of the "popular" candidate (who often won by telling a joke in their speech, having no real ideas). Frustrated, I began to recognize this program for what it really was, a popularity contest.
Days later, I decided to try my luck and run for county commission on my floor. During my campaign speech, I mentioned my previous experience with actual county commissioners in my county in Florida, and my knowledge of county politics. To no surprise, I lost to someone who told a joke.
Finally, I decided I would run for senate. Surely this was a position everyone would take seriously! I entered the primaries for my party, and, to my surprise, won the primary! When we moved on to the general election, I tied against my roommate. We turned our backs and held a tiebreaker vote by a raising of hands. Knowing that my roommate only said a slogan in his speech, and that's it, I was confident I would win this time. But alas, my ideas and my experience were nothing against his one-line zinger! I was then sent to the Forum, which is exactly like the Senate, but for delegates who lost the general election.
I'm (kind of) a Senator!!!
This is where a miserable week turned into one of the best experiences in my life. I learned the rules of the Forum (though I will refer to it as the Senate for simplicity) on the first day. Right away, we began writing, debating, and voting on bills. There were many bills: legalize marijuana, require motorcyclists to wear helmets, lower the drinking age, subsidize solar energy, and even to ban abortion! I loved debating bills with the parliamentary rules of procedure. Even more, I loved how almost all forty members of the Senate took their position seriously, and actually made it a realistic, enjoyable experience. I even got to debate bills in the seat of my state senator! But the best part came towards the end of our last Senate meeting, when my bill was selected from the docket. My bill aimed to end solitary confinement for pregnant women and children in the state of Florida, as there are little to no rules regarding the use of solitary. To my surprise, my bill passed almost unanimously!! What started out as one of the most miserable weeks of the summer became one of the most important experiences in my life.
What I Learned
Boys State was more than just fun for me. It was a lesson. I learned that you won't always get something just because you are more qualified, and that not everything is fair (especially in politics). But I also learned that those things don't necessarily matter because, in the end, if you know your goal and work for it, you will find other like-minded people who will create a pleasant environment for you to achieve your dreams. One day, when I run for office, I will remember the time that losing nearly every election made me a better citizen than ever before.