By Brooke O’Leary
The political climate we live in today is complicated, and often hard to understand. The complexity of modern day politics often turns many teenagers away. It’s daunting to know that eventually it will be our turn to run our country and even the world.
Branford High School has an organization designed to help create the next great generation of politically active and aware students – Model Congress. The club was created nearly twenty-nine years ago and its leaders are Mr. Petela and Mr. Grundel. Both teachers serve as role-models to the community as a whole. Their passion and constant curiosity is what promises large numbers of participation year after year…
“It’s been one of my gifts back to Branford, giving a multi dimensional, meaningful and unforgettable learning experience to so many (over 2500) students over the past 28 years, and hopefully more to come,” Petela said.
Model Congress stimulates how the U.S. Congress is actually run. Students are assigned a committee, and from there a student will write a bill to present to their committee and eventually maybe to the full congress. This is an opportunity for students to speak to strangers about policies and issues they feel strongly about. More than anything, these events start a conversation between the people who have the power to create change.
“Model Congress offers students from around the world the extremely unique opportunity to collaborate on policy and government while expanding their knowledge and debate capabilities,” said senior Maya Kyriakides.
Senior Jake Bodner agreed.
“Model Congress is important to me because it opens up a dialogue about pressing issues for people that don’t get represented in congress,” Bodner said. “It allows us to work on our public speaking, learn about the political process, and make relationships that matter.”
Some model congress events are set up differently, but whichever the method students work collaboratively to change policies. These events are held at some of the most prestigious institutions in the country: Harvard University, Yale University, and University of Pennsylvania. These model congress events span a few days, and are often overnight trips. The independency of walking around some of the greatest college towns, full of restaurants and youth makes the experience memorable. Grabbing lunch with new friends from committee, and meeting new people is effortless networking.
“I find myself leaving Model Congress with much deeper respect for those who work together to shape the world in which we live,” said senior Josh Josephy-Zack. “It is truly rewarding to talk with people from across the nation about how we want the future to look and the present to be remembered.”
Model Congress continues to make profound impacts on the students within our community. The benefits are endless, and if you are looking to get involved it’s encouraged. Find your voice, and ask yourself what are you doing to make this world a better place?
