Youth Connection | Junior Statesmen of America: The World’s Next Politicians

“The Power Paradigm: Our Role in a Changing World” was the theme of the 2011 Junior Statesmen of America Fall State Convention. JSA is an organization created to educate youth on political matters and allow political involvement. On Nov. 12, hundreds of well-dressed students from all over the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, traveled to the . It was an honor for the city to hold such an important event for youth. Chapters from many high schools, including private schools arrived at the convention to participate the debates, thought talks, activities, and the dance.

Statesmen and women displayed a wide range of debating skill in both the serious and silly debate topics. One could not only debate about terrorism and gun control, but also the role of women in the TV show "Jersey Shore" and beauty pageants. After a long day of debates, students relaxed with dinner at . Each high school’s chapter sent a male and a female representative on to the stage to perform various tasks to win the title of Mr. and Mrs. JSA for their chapter.  In the end, Skyline High School of Sammamish defeated its opponents and took home the crowns.

Finally, the day ended with the Fall State dance. A comfortable overnight stay allowed debaters to rest up before more rounds of debating the next day. Even though the Fall State convention ended the afternoon of Nov. 13, it is only the beginning for conventions like this. There are many more to come in this 2011 – 2012 school year. In fact, Winter Congress is coming up in a few months. Students will be able to stimulating congress, proposing legislature and passing bills. Winter Congress will be held in Portland, Oregon.

It’s not too late to join the Junior Statesmen of America at your school! Contact your school’s chapter president. If your school does not have a chapter, learn how to start one here: http://jsa.org/about/how-to-start-a-jsa-chapter-2/. To learn more about these opportunities, go to the JSA website: http://jsa.org/ or contact our Pacific Northwest Region governor, Sarah Greenhall, through the Pacific Northwest Region JSA website: http://pnw.jsa.org/.

is a sophomore at . Julia writes for, a publication of.