ALA Evergreen Girls State
Download the ALA Evergreen Girls State brochure here.
What is ALA Evergreen Girls State?
The American Legion Auxiliary’s (ALA) marquee Girls State program, first presented in 1937, is one of the most respected and coveted experiential learning programs presented in the United States. The program epitomizes the ALA’s mission to honor veterans through our enduring commitment to develop young women as future leaders grounded in patriotism and Americanism. The young women become knowledgeable in the democratic process and how our republic form of government works at the local, state and national levels.
Each summer, approximately 20,000 young women participate in weeklong ALA Girls State programs across the nation. Every ALA Girls State program operates with the same patriotic values through a nonpartisan curriculum where students assume the roles of government leaders, modeled after their own state.
Select high school girls who have completed their junior year spend an intensive week of experiential learning working together as self-governing citizens. These young women learn government and the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of franchised citizens by forming a fictitious state of cities; electing public officials at the local, county, and state levels; and carrying out the duties of those offices. The week’s activities include simulated legislative sessions and government proceedings, along with presentations, assemblies, and recreational programs.