High-school students learn basics of civics at MSU
Mississippi State's John C. Stennis Institute has begun its first Junior Civics Leadership Academy.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Mississippi State’s John C. Stennis Institute has begun its first Junior Civics Leadership Academy.
The conference allows high school students from across the state to learn about government from professors and elected officials.
They also get to be a part of community impact projects.
Executive Director of the Stennis Institute Dallas Breen said they want the students to understand government at every level.
“Everything that these students are going to experience is geared towards understanding how government works, why government is the way it is, and how it works at different levels,” Breen said. “We want to make sure that these students, these young impressionable minds, understand here is how it works at the local level, here is how it works at the state level, and here is how it works at the federal level; and give them that hands-on experience and it is not just us lecturing like a classroom setting its hands-on experience. They get to do projects and really get immersed in this.”
JCLA students Keyaveon Jackson and Claire Rizzo said they want to take what they learn back to their communities and become better leaders.
“Our community needs a lot of help with youth so I decided to do this because it probably could give me some good background for how to help my community and it is also talking to us about government and I am interested in that,” Jackson said.
“I’ve found that a good leader has a combination of a good speaking voice and a good listening ear so what I am trying to do is to hone those skills. I need to have an open mind and an open heart in order to help the people in my community and enable their needs to be met. So I think it is important that I learn how to be a more receptive, open, kind, and leader-like person,” Rizzo said.
Breen hopes the students become more engaged with the government and their community.
“We hope that this will help them either become more engaged in the community or just understand why things are the way they are, how things operate, why government does what it does. And understand that policies are made by people who are trying to help others. But really to have that experience of not just being told what they are supposed to know but having the opportunity to learn and figure out what works for them,” Breen said.
The Junior Civics Leadership Academy will continue through Friday.
