The Westchester County Board of Legislators has welcomed hundreds of students from around the county for a mock Legislature program that gives students a hands-on experience of county government – what it is, what it does, and where it all takes place. This July, Sister to Sister International, Inc., welcomed the opportunity by bringing up its cohort of students who were enrolled in their science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics program, to learn more about county government and its operations.
Twenty girls of color, ranging in age from 11 to 19, participated in the program and passed mock legislation about issues, such as whether cell phone use should be allowed in school. The students enjoyed the opportunity and asked several questions throughout the process.
“Summer camp students were junior legislators for the day and learned about the legislative process from Legislator Christopher Johnson,” explained Cheryl Brannan, founder of STSI, Inc. “During graduation, many of the girls selected this activity as one of their favorite field trips.”
“One of my goals as a legislator is to make sure that constituents know how accessible we are and how hard we are working on their behalf,” added County Legislator Christopher Johnson. “Part of that process is educating our next generation of leaders on how the process works and helping them understand the roles they currently and could potentially play. It was a pleasure getting STSI to visit and I look forward to welcoming more students from Yonkers into the Board of Legislators.”
The program runs about two hours, depending on group size, and is free of charge. If your organization and/or school would like to participate, contact Shatika Parker at shatikap@westchesterlegislators.com or call 914-995-2813.
