Youth Programs

Local High School Students Report on Their "Students Inside Albany" (SIA) Experience.This year's representatives to the Students Inside Albany Conference, Agi Csaki and Desiree Muldoon, attended the LWV-TC Annual Dinner on May 6th with their family members. Youth Program Directors, Sue Henninger and Kathy Yen, were also in attendance, along with SIA judge Lucia Sciore. Following the meal, the young women spoke about their conference experiences. Desiree shadowed Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D) and Senator James Seward (R). She talked about how surprised she was to see that many of the Assembly representatives didn't seem to pay attention to what was happening during the session, telling the students that many of the votes had already been predetermined. One of her favorite parts of the conference was meeting other high school students from all parts of New York State and learning about what issues were important to them. She also enjoyed the tour of the Capital buildings and the talks by Barbara Bartoletti on positive and negative lobbying and Robert Freeman on the Freedom of Information Law. Though she may not go into politics as a career herself, she was happy to discover that you can be involved in the political scene on many different levels.

Agi shadowed Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D) and Senator Michael Nozzolio (R). She observed that what you learn in a classroom can only take you so far and that it was amazing to see how politics plays out in real life. She felt like the conference gave her some different perspectives on how the state government works and was also very interested in the talk on how members of the media and bloggers have a strong influence on what the general public thinks about what is going on in Albany. Learning about the personal side of running a political campaign, visiting the Court of Appeals, and hearing a citizen advocate were other highlights of SIA for her. Agi concluded by talking about several ways she intends to share what she learned at the conference with her classmates and Tompkins County residents.

SIA is a conference sponsored by the League of Women Voters of New York State Education Foundation, Inc. The program is designed to increase students’ awareness of their responsibility in representative government and provide the tools necessary for meeting that responsibility. What the experience is like:
TC Teen's View of Albany | TC Student Immersed in State Government | LWVNYS Summary of 2012 "Students Inside Albany"

Vote 18 Vote 18 is an interactive game taught at high schools during one class period. It teaches students the history of voting, makes it relevant in their lives, and engages them in the world of politics. www.vote18.org

TAKE ME TO VOTE! is a project of the League of Women Voters of Tompkins County (LWV-TC) and is coordinated with the Tompkins County Board of Elections. We hope you will participate and encourage your child’s participation in this early lesson in citizenship! Click here for brochure.

"Kids and Politics: Why it Counts" an article by Sue Henninger appearing in Genesee Valley Parent that emphasizes why civics education begins at home and offers 10 easy ways for families to practice politics. http://www.gvparent.com/articles/l/10-kids-politics