Legion Connects Youth

Legion Connects Youth to Community, State and Nation
Youth activity programs of The American Legion are designed to stimulate physical, mental and moral growth; cultivate strong character and wholesome ideals with appreciation for our heritage of freedom; and develop a devotion to civic responsibility. Among the Legion's programs for youth are:

High School Oratorical
Students participating in The American Legion's High School Oratorical Scholarship Program gain a deeper knowledge of constitutional principles as they prepare and deliver orations based on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution, with emphasis upon a citizen's duties and obligations to government. Alumni of this Legion program include television news anchor Lou Dobbs and talk-show host Alan Keyes, a former presidential candidate who was the Legion's national oratorical champion and - in the same year - president of the Legion's Boys Nation.

Junior Law Cadet
American Legion Junior Law Cadet is a participative law enforcement vocational learning program that exposes high school students to realistic and demanding training, patterned after authentic recruit training.

Boys State and Boys Nation
Thousands of young men learn the function and powers of government through American Legion Boys State, as they set up and operate their own "governments," fashioned after municipal, county and state structures. Boys State alumni include state legislators, governors, members of Congress, a former vice president and president of the United States, and an associate justice currently sitting on the U.S. Supreme Court. An extension of the Boys State experience is The American Legion Boys Nation. Two outstanding delegates from each Boys State program are selected to represent their state at American Legion Boys Nation, where the young men establish a Boys Nation Senate based upon rules of the U.S. Senate.

Several departments of The American Legion also sponsor County Government Days. For 68 years, the Legion in Nebraska has sponsored such a day across the state, helping high school juniors observe firsthand the workings of local government. Approximately 5,000 students from more than 60 counties participate each year. A partnership with the U.S. Army National Guard in Nebraska helps the Legion cover costs. The American Legion in Kansas sponsors a County Government Day program similar to Boys State, except the government students in each participating high school file for office, campaign and vote in a primary and general election within their school. Students have the opportunity to visit their local courthouse and spend a day learning about duties and responsibilities of county officials. Speakers are heard, and a mock trial is usually observed. The program enjoys cooperation from school and county officials.