Arkansas Boys State

More than 400 of the state's brightest young men attended Arkansas Boys State, an immersive leadership and civic engagement experience sponsored by the American Legion. This summer's 81st annual session ran May 29 through June 3 at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. These students join a global network of program alumni spanning success in public service, business, education, healthcare and more. During their week at Arkansas Boys State, these students, known as "delegates," were assigned a political party, city, and county. Throughout the week, delegates, from the ground up, administered a mock government as if it were real: they ran for office, drafted and passed legislation, solved municipal challenges, and engaged constituents. By the week's end, the delegates experienced civic responsibility and engagement firsthand while making life-long memories and friends.