To help address public cynicism of the Legislature and the disinterest of youth in the functions of government, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) launched America's Legislators Back to School Week. This exciting program brings civics to life by giving kids of all ages a chance to talk about their ideas with the state legislators who represent them. The goal of Back to School Week is to educate our younger citizens about what it is like to be a state legislator and what the Legislature does. It is also designed to build personal links between schools and legislators while providing legislators an opportunity to observe what is going on in classrooms. We hope to encourage active participation in this event by schools across the state.
The program has been met with great success across the country, especially in Arizona. In fact, we are proud to say that in recent years Arizona has ranked at the top of the national charts in terms of legislative participation. We are hoping that 2007 will be our best year yet, but we need your help! Arizona has selected the third week of September (September 17-21) as the official Back to School Week. However, to allow for more flexibility for both legislators and schools, we will also try and accommodate dates for school visits until November. To schedule a visit, please fill out the form below. It will automatically be submitted to legislative staff and you should then be contacted about arranging a visit from your legislator. Legislators’ schedules will begin to fill up as the Week approaches, so start planning now and submit your form today (Fill Online)! It takes just a minute or two to fill out!!
If you have any other questions, or want more information you may visit the NCSL website at: http://www.ncsl.org/public/civiced.htm. You may also contact Javan Mesnard in the Senate at (602) 926-5418 or Brian Lockery in the House at (602) 926-5526. As available, materials and resources will be supplied for the event. Please do not miss out on this great opportunity for us to improve kids’ knowledge of government and to help rebuild the public trust and confidence in the Legislature.