Arkansas Boys State

Students were elected by their peers to city office on Monday, May 30, as part of the 81st annual session of Arkansas Boys State, where students build a mock government structure, including sixteen different mock cities each with their own city council, vice mayor, and mayor. More than 400 of the state's brightest young men are attending Arkansas Boys State, an immersive leadership and civic engagement experience sponsored by the American Legion. This summer's 81st annual session runs May 29 through June 3 at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. During their week at Arkansas Boys State, these students, known as "delegates," are assigned a political party, city, and county. Throughout the week, delegates, from the ground up, administer this mock government as if it were real: they run for office, draft and pass legislation, solve municipal challenges, and engage constituents. By the week's end, the delegates have experienced civic responsibility and engagement firsthand while making life-long memories and friends.