Five students from Adairsville High School were chosen for the inaugural cohort of the "Be the People" grant project. Only 50 schools across Georgia were chosen with only 150 students participating. The “Be the People” grant was designed to increase civic engagement through experiential learning opportunities as well as travel to enrich their understanding of American History and Government. This program was offered to the school by the Georgia Center for Civic Engagement – a non-partisan nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate and equip students to become informed and active citizens. Students chosen were sophomores from the Adairsville High School Student Government Association. “I was very happy to receive the grant. This is an amazing opportunity for our students to have a firsthand look at how government works and to witness our beginnings as a country.”
In November, the first group in the grant team participated in Youth Assembly where they went through the process of passing laws. These students saw what happens to a bill from the first time it is read in committee to when it is voted on by the house. Sophomore Amelia Carter sponsored an amendment to a bill that passed with the full support of her committee, “Youth Assembly helped me gain a better understanding of the government.” Sophomore Savannah Viktora, who also had an amendment to pass, stated, “Having the opportunity to attend Youth Assembly really opened by eyes to the behind the scenes of what you learn about in government in a more interactive way. It really brough a spark that has interested me in civics.”
In February the second part of the team participated in the Georgia United Nations Assembly simulation in Atlanta. Here they represented Lithuania and passed a (mock) resolution in the interested of their country.
It was important to know the geography, social issues, and politics of their country as they participated in the simulation. “GUNA was such a blast! I was able to do a dive deep into real-world problems that countries face and try to find creative solutions for those issues,” reflected Sophomore Vivian Reyes. Sophomore Brady Ridley echoed this sentiment, “Guna was an incredible experience! From debating our own solutions to real-world problems (even if they were good or bad), to meeting tons of new people and making new friends. I hope to be able to do again.” They also were fortunate to hear a holocaust survivor speak. Sophomore Hayden Erickson stated, “I felt honored to not only hear his stories, but to also shake his hand. I know this maybe the only time I hear a survivor speak and it was very moving.”
These student ambassadors (Amelia Carter, Vivian Reyes, Savannah Viktora, Hayden Erickson, and Brady Ridley) will also be completing an Emerging County Leaders Program which will give them a better understanding of local government and will go on to participate in an American history tour this June to Philadelphia, D.C., and New York City.