podcast

The 17-Year-Old President is a podcast discussing the Boy State program hosted by the American Legion. Boy State is a week-long summer camp that teaches high school juniors about civics and government. Girls State and Girls Nation are similar programs for young women. Attending Boy State can be beneficial for college applications and offers opportunities for leadership and networking. The program is free and the American Legion covers all expenses. Boy State delegates have the chance to be selected for Boy Nation, where they can meet the President and other prominent individuals. Overall, Boy State is a valuable learning experience and a great addition to a resume. The 17-Year-Old President, a podcast hosted by Edward Jacobowski. What if you could send your child to the same summer camp that Michael Jordan, Bill Clinton, Neil Armstrong, and Bruce Springsteen attended? What if at that summer camp your child received a fully immersed lesson in civics and how the government operates? What if that summer camp lasted for a week and you did not have to pay anything for them to attend? What if that summer camp also earned them the same amount of clout as someone that had spent years earning an Eagle Scout honor? Do you believe this even exists? Do you want to know how easy it is for you and your family to accomplish this? This podcast will discuss a program hosted by the American Legion for more than 80 years called Boy State. To excerpt from the New York State American Legion's description of Boy State, it is a week-long program that immerses high school youth in citizenship and leadership training. They learn the practical aspects of government as it exists and come to recognize that the individual is integral to the character and success of government. If you're wondering whether this opportunity exists for young women, it does. Girls State and Girls Nation follow the same instructional paths as their counterparts. Their program is hosted by the American Legion Auxiliary and participation and selection processes are also aligned. This podcast will use the term Boy State and Boys Nation as the research was done under that heading and the interviews were conducted with people involved in Boy State and Boys Nation. This podcast contains information that is catered to high school juniors. It is copyrighted for the express use of high school juniors and any other use of this broadcast, descriptions or accounts given to high school freshmen or sophomores without the express written consent of the author might be useful information for them to have in future years. Any rebroadcasting of this podcast by the parents of high school juniors in a nagging and incessant manner in order to get them to participate in the program should be for the private use of them as the audience. I'm going to take a moment to inform you about the host of the Boy State program, which is the American Legion. The American Legion is the largest nonprofit organization comprised of war veterans. It operates on a nonpartisan principle. The Legion was founded in 1919 by Theodore Roosevelt, the eldest son of the U.S. president of the same name. The American Legion was founded on four principles. They were referred to as the following pillars, Americanism, National Security, Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation, and Children and Youth. Let me add that under the pillar of the Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation, the American Legion initiated the GI Bill, Advocates for Veterans Rights, Health Care and Employment. Under the pillar of Children and Youth, the Legion raises millions for sick children, children in need, and immunizations. They also host national oratorical contests. There is a National Youth Baseball League, scholarships, scouting, and they believe in their tenant that every child deserves a square deal. One may speculate that the Boy State program falls under the Children and Youth pillar because it is attended by young men that have completed their junior year of high school. As outlined by Legion.org, which is the national website for the American Legion, it is under the pillar of Americanism because the young men that attend learn the function and powers of government through the American Legion Boy State as they set up and operate their own governments fashioned after municipal, county, and state structures. The high school juniors establish their own mock government under a two-party system. They use the names Federalists and Whigs, which are the names of two historic U.S. political parties that no longer exist. These names are used to remove any stigmas associated with any of the current political parties. Under these parties, they campaign and run for a gamut of government offices, mayor, council member, judge, sheriff, district representatives, attorney general, lieutenant governor, and governor. This is really a week-long civics lesson on steroid summer camp. That is because it is a full immersion from the word go. It has been referred to as a premier leadership academy and referring to his Boys Nation and Arkansas Boys State experience, President Bill Clinton said in his inauguration address, it is literally true that I might not be here today if it weren't for the American Legion. So why is this such a great program? Because Bill Clinton still uses it as a resume bullet. He's not the only one. In my time as district chairman in California, I had a Boys State alumni reach out to me and offer to make a video presentation for future attendees to inspire them with his experience at Boys State. In the video, he stated that attending Boys State was the difference that got him accepted to Harvard Business School. To this day, when he updates his resume, Boys State remains on it still. If you attend Boys or Girls State, Boys or Girls Nation, you will establish a paternal bond with all other attendees. It makes a difference. It's a life experience. Richard Kearns has been involved with California Boys State for 47 years as a district chairman that selects candidates and as a counselor with a session each year, and he makes it very clear that merely being selected and attending the program carries the same value on a college application as an Eagle Scout. Kearns continues with, this program is worth two points on an entrance application to any U.S. military academy. Two points makes a big difference. During the interview, Kearns cited that the qualities observed in the boys that proliferate at Boys State are an outgoing personality, a strong moral compass, and good articular communication. I myself have been involved in this program for 13 years as a chairman for a local post and for the district that covered Central California. I have interviewed and observed young men of all different backgrounds in the entrance portion of this program. So let's talk about how to get into Boys State. Using my experience and the input of other chairmen and attendees that I have spoken with about the program, I can streamline the process. You do not have to be an exceptional student, nor do you have to be military or politically minded. In my interviews, I used to seek out the student that was interested and that attending this program would make a difference in their ability to get accepted to a university. Any city in the nation that has an American Legion post that participates in the Boys State program, and you have a chance of attending. In the spring of each year, a Legion chairman will reach out to the high school administration and ask them for a list of juniors that would be quality candidates. Sometimes the school requires an essay to be written as part of their selection. The American Legion post then conducts interviews with the candidates and selects their top one or two young men that they feel should attend. An orientation is held for the candidates and parents just before the end of the school year where the schedule and agenda for the session are outlined. I found that most parents are not sure what to expect from the program. Many of the delegates that are selected to go to Boys State are not sure what to expect from the program. Yet the orientation is interesting to watch from the perspective of parents and Legion members because you see high school juniors from a huge geographic region quickly start to interact with each other. And some of them seem to already be lobbying for positions and election votes a month before the session even begins. The young men that are delegates that are already familiar with Boys State can already be seen rising to the top of the 50 others at the orientation. They have to. Because when they get to the actual session in California there will be 800 other delegates to compete with. California is the largest session and many other states only have 100 attendees. But remember if all you do is attend you will learn a lot about government that will carry you through all of your life. You will not even realize that you learned so much because so much of the learning is an interaction with your peers. There are session leaders and counselors that facilitate how it works. And now for a brief word from our sponsor. Did I mention that this is a free week-long education session? That's right. If you call now the American Legion will cover the entire cost of the program if you are selected. This is an opportunity that people trying to get a major university or military academies will pay dearly to participate in. And we are offering it for free. The American Legion selects the delegates and then pays for everything that includes shipping and handling or at least transportation to and from the session. We'll even throw a few bucks in to cover the cost of the t-shirt and hat. Back to the podcast and we are serious. The American Legion pays for everything and at least my post would send a candidate off with money to buy a t-shirt or additional snacks and such while they are at the session. Jared Paulson has been a co-worker and friend of mine since the late 1990s and he attended Boise State, California in 1991. He recalls that as a teenager he used to do the yard work around the American Legion post in St. Helena, California. One day he was approached by Legion members that advised him to talk to his high school about going to the program. He recalls that he filled out an application, wrote an essay, interviewed with veterans and was selected. He stated it was that easy. It was so easy he had difficulty remembering the process. Jared stated that he was kind of an under-the-radar participant and did not seek any of the mock public offices, but he did say that it was a full immersion and he was loving it the whole week that he was there. Jared listed it on his resume when he applied for the California Highway Patrol and recalls that his attendance at the Boise State was acknowledged when he was going through the background process for the Highway Patrol. Jared is not Bill Clinton or Neil Armstrong, but recognizes the value of being able to attend a program with that type of company. Based on what I know about the program and my friend Jared, if he was to meet Bill Clinton, they would have that common ground to start a conversation with. And as fellow Boise State alumni, they would have each other's mutual respect. Fast forward 28 years and Jared Paulson tells me that his son Wyatt has been selected by the Napa, California, American Legion Post to attend Boise State. Wyatt knows of my affiliation with the American Legion and with Boise State. Having known Wyatt since he was a baby, I've watched him grow into a well-mannered, considerate, and intelligent young man. I also know that when Wyatt was in middle school, he was voted as most likely kid to become President of the United States. I had the opportunity to speak on the telephone with Wyatt Paulson about his upcoming attendance and asked him what he already knew about Boise State. Wyatt of course stated that his father had given him information on the program based on his experience. Wyatt followed up that additional knowledge he had learned from researching the program online and indicated that he was going to set his sights on being elected to a high level office. I asked Wyatt what he knew about Boise Nation and he was unaware that such a program exists. So interested in the prospects of Boise Nation, we had to take a break. That's right! I'm here to tell you about the new and improved program, Boise Nation, brought to you by the American Legion. That's right! If you've been to Boise State and want to take it to the next level, we have a program for you. But that's not all! If you qualify, we'll send you to a second camp in Washington, D.C. for free! You will represent your state as a Senator and be in the company of only 99 other young men that have been selected to this year's Federal Civics Lesson on Steroids. But wait! There's more! We'll even throw in a free tour of the White House and meet with the President of the United States! Who knew this even existed? Can a 17-year-old become President of the United States? Figure to really speaking, yes. And he could definitely meet the current President. It could happen to Wyatt Paulson. It happens to one outstanding high school junior every year for a week in August. Though not every boy that becomes Boise Nation President rises to world prominence, it sure helps pave the road a little smoother. Past Presidents at Boise Nation include Chris Workman, Golden Saks Executive, and the writer and producer of the Emmy Award-winning series The Practice, Jonathan Shapiro. Meeting the number one selection over thousands of your peers nationwide is a very high mark. But maybe the top 10 or 100 seems a bit easier, and it is feasible. In order to find out what it takes to join those ranks, I spoke with Legion member Tim Abadar, who's not only the Chief Counselor at California-based Boise State, he has also been a Counselor at Boise Nation for the last 22 years. Tipping his hat a bit, Tim advised me that he had selected from California three boys in the last 17 years that went on to become Boise Nation President. That's a solid record, and he relies on a series of criteria that helped this happen. When you're at the Boise State session, the boys vote for several of their peers that they believe are best candidates to represent their state. The list of candidates then gets interviewed by staff members. This varies by state, where some are required to write an essay, some write a piece of mock legislation, and some debate each other. But what Mr. Abadar looks for in Boise Nation candidates is the next level of what I've looked for in local candidates for Boise State. The best candidates are able to communicate well, strongly defend a position that they take on any issue. Tim wants the Senator Delegates to succeed and get the most out of the Boise Nation program. Just as I watch the best rise to the top from the word-goat orientation, Mr. Abadar says once they are at Boise State, he watches the cream rise to the top again amongst those 800 delegates. Is Boise Nation for your child? Maybe it is, and they will join a small group of men that all went to a D.C. summer camp that has been host to prominent alumni in the company of Lou Dobbs News Anchor, Roger Ebert Writer and Critic, and don't forget Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and NFL players Keith Jackson and Hines Ward. You can look at CaliforniaLegion.org or any other state's legion webpage to find out who has attended these programs. As I looked into many different states' American Legion programs to find out if there was any large differences between the way each program operates, it is clear that they truly model the government structures, which are all very similar in reality in each state. One of the best sources I discovered was the State of Kansas Boise State page KBState.org. As they indicate, the best teacher is often experienced. Learning leadership in the classroom is often too theoretical. Boise State is a practical opportunity to learn leadership skills through role-play civic exercise. Colleges and universities recognize Boise State graduates as advanced and dedicated young men. For this reason, the Boise State College Fair attracts top-tier schools who recruit Boise State participants. Finally, Boise State is simply fun. Delegates will form lasting friendships. The connection made with other Boise State graduates will last a lifetime and provide social and professional benefits for years to come. If you think Boise or Girl State would be a good opportunity for you or your high school age child, it is worth looking into. It is a learning experience and can be a powerful accolade to put on the resume for the rest of their life. If you were taking a class that asked you to write 25 things about yourself, attending one of these programs would be on that list. If you think you want to get involved, you can help by becoming a counselor at your state session. Counselors are not just Legion members, they are teachers and professionals, some of you are elected officials, and many are people like you and me. I will close with a summary of my understanding from what I have witnessed being involved in the Boise State program. Unlike the years it takes to become an Eagle Scout, getting to Boise State does not require a mass amount of effort. It does require a bit of knowledge and opportunity, both of which are easy to come by for this application. Once you are there, learning about the government and opening your mind to the importance of civic engagement is brought to you on a platter. You can take it to the next level and try your hand at a political office and campaign and really involve yourself. If you do that, you have a chance of taking it to the next level of Boise Nation, where you have a whole 1% chance of being the president. Which is better odds than the actual odds, which are less than 1 in 300 million. Remember, follow my simple three-step process all the way to Washington, and the next time you run into Michael Jordan, you will know how to begin the conversation that puts both of you in the same league.