Teens take look at D.C. politics

ARLINGTON, Va. - Shaking President John F. Kennedy's hand in 1962 was one of former President Bill Clinton's most memorable experiences from his youth. After that moment, he knew he wanted to become president of the United States and make a difference in the lives of Americans.

This may be true for the 97 high school boys from 49 states across the country who were in Washington July 21-29 for the American Legion Boys Nation program, a youth leadership conference marking its 60th anniversary this year. Catholic News Service interviewed several Boys Nation participants July 24 at Marymount University in Arlington, a suburb of Washington. They all attend Catholic school and will be entering their senior year in the fall. Many of the young men raved about the quality of their peers in this year's conference. Delegates to Boys Nation come from all the states but Hawaii. "It's just been an awesome experience, the guys I met, it's just been amazing," said Thomas Augustine, 17, a student at St. Edmond High School in Fort Dodge, Iowa. "This is my third time to Washington on a leadership conference.... This is the highest caliber of teenagers I've ever been involved with, so its great to be around kids who like politics and enjoy talking about it like I do." Michael Traynor, 18, a student at Shanley High School in Fargo, N.D., said everyone at his Boys State and Boys Nation was very committed. He said he has been inspired by the experience, knowing he is surrounded by people who worry about the future of America. Others already had gained a greater grasp of the political process. "I never really understood how bills and legislation were put into action, but through Boys State Texas and Boys Nation, I'm beginning to grasp and more fully understand the hard work it takes to push ... legislation and bills through," said Daniel Kisch, 17, a student at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston. "And I really appreciate the work our congressmen and senators are doing for us and I really respect them more." Every year, two outstanding Boys State graduates are chosen to represent their states as "senators" at Boys Nation. At Boys State, the young leaders learn how county, city and state governments function. In Washington, delegates are introduced to the function and structure of the federal government. This year they attended lectures and forums and took trips to institutions, federal agencies and historical attractions. Participation in the political process is woven throughout the week's activities. They organize party conventions and nominate and elect a Boys Nation president and vice president. The young men believe their Boys Nation experience will aid them in their future careers. "In my future, I really want to pursue a career in public policy and hopefully work in Washington, D.C., with the Department of Defense or Homeland Security, so I think Boys Nation will really help me out in the respects that I'm really learning a lot about government and ... how to form policy," said Patrick Thompson, 17, from Hamilton, N.J. He is a student at Notre Dame High School in Trenton, N.J. Kisch said he benefited from being exposed to other senators' views and learning to respect those views and discuss them. "I want to go into the hotel business, hospitalities," Kisch said, "and I think it will help me greatly in public speaking as well as ... respecting others' ideas and working with them to find common ground." Traynor also plans on pursuing a nonpolitical field. "I personally am going to study medicine when I go to college, but there are a lot of politics involved in medicine; and the need to speak decisively and speak freely is very important when you're in this situation where you're taking the opportunity of having someone's life in your hands," Traynor said. "A lot of the politics ... deal with ... people's lives and people's futures and so I think that's important in teaching us that responsibility." Jonathan St. John, 16, a student at Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, R.I., said that he has come to realize people have ideas that are different from what he was taught as a child, so he wants to see for himself what the facts are. "My parents taught me strong Christian beliefs and as I started to grow up I saw that in the world people weren't the same way, people had different ideas contrary to what I believe," said St. John, who lives in Providence, R.I. "And even when I started going to Catholic school, the same ideas that my parents taught me ... were coming back up, but the world was still telling me different ... opinions, so I started to investigate and see what was going on." His fellow Rhode Island senator, Edward "Ted" Larson, 17, a student at the Prout School in Wakefield, R.I., credits his Catholic education for giving him strength and confidence. After attending public school for most of his life, Larson moved to a Catholic institution for high school and found a supportive community there. "It provides everyone with a lot of strength," said Larson, who lives in Green Hill, R.I. "We're all a big family basically. It's really nice. My school ... really provides everyone with a really good education. If you're really starting to falter, the teachers all come in and help you and it's just wonderful."  

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops