Thanks to the continuous statewide sponsorship from Cox Communications, Kids Voting Kansas is hosting six Citizen Now! academies across Kansas. The first of these was held in Lawrence, Kansas on November 7th. The events are open to high school juniors and sophomores and is a way for them to start thinking about citizenship and democracy in a new way. Throughout the day, students have the chance to interact with elected officials, and meet other young people from their area who are interested in becoming more involved in the democratic process.
The Lawrence event featured a variety of government and elected officials including: Hon. Judge Joe Pierron, Kansas Court of Appeals; Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh; Douglas County Clerk and Elections Officer Jamie Shew; Kansas Senator Tom Holland; Kansas; Douglas County Commissioner Jim Flory; Kansas University Graduate Teaching Assistant Angela Crawford; Lawrence Journal-World Representative Ruthi Rapp; as well as video welcome from Governor Mark Parkinson.
Washburn University senior Angel Romero, Jr. did a fabulous job of organizing and hosting the event. As a political science major his enthusiasm for democracy is unwavering and he was inspiring to all participants. "We want to give them ideas so that when they leave they can take the information back to their schools and communities and motivate other people in the high schools," Romero said. Also assisting with the days events were Kids Voting Kansas Coordinator Julie Holmes and Kids Voting USA Executive Director Rachel Willis.
The next academy will be held in Manhattan on November 21st. Any Riley or Geary county high school student interested in attending can contact their Social Studies teacher or the Kids Voting Kansas office for a registration form.
