By Rhiannon Ingram – City of Ocotillo
Today started the Arizona Girls State for many of us statewide. We were introduced to dozens of girls with similar interests as us. There were also dedicated moderators who made the entire virtual program possible for us to participate in despite the happenings world-wide concerning the novel coronavirus. It was today in which we were introduced to some local level positions concerning party organization and promotion of our party ideas, emphasizing the importance of community involvement on a city, county, and state level.
In our activities today, Arizona Girls State delegates not only learned about the foundational levels of political/party involvement, we were also divided into two leading parties to help demonstrate collective ideals and values within a party. In my experience today, once we were allowed to express the ideas we wanted to campaign on, everyone had something to offer in terms of ideas regarding the reform of aspects within our daily lives.
For example, in my party, the Nationalists, we focused heavily on the importance of properly funding education and social services to aid underfunded schools and districts, as well as provide resources for those in financial hardships. When someone wanted to propose an idea to campaign on, they not only stated it in a concise manner, they also provided reasons as to why they felt these issues needed to be addressed. In an overall sense, everyone participated, whether they provided ideas for our party, or simply agreed or disagreed with the ideas brought forth.
It was today in which we as Arizona Girls State delegates first recognized the importance of the foundational roles in local elections and state government, as well as truly discovering what is and is not important to us as individuals. It was today in which we entered an accepting, diverse, and understanding environment that allowed us discussion of different viewpoints and positions we would like to participate in. We were exposed to an environment that will allow us to say what it is we believe in, and I believe knowing this, especially on the first day of the program, will set the tone for the rest of the week.