Archive: Around Town

If you are interested in government cable television is a God-send.  But even with the wealth of political programming there is nothing like actually being there.  That's why the League of Women Voters sends high school students to Albany each year, not only to hear lectures on how the State government works, but to actually shadow their own legislators as they go about formulating and passing the laws that will likely impact our lives for years to come.

"It is a nice mixture of practice and theory," says the Tompkins County League of Women Voters' Susan Henninger.  "A lot of times kids will get the academic part, but no hands-on experience.  In this case it helps them put everything together.  They're getting lectures, but they're also following their legislators."

Henninger knows because her son Ray was the 'Students Inside Albany' representative from Tompkins County last year.  He got to shadow Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton and Senator George Winner.

"One of the interesting things in our district is that we have a Democratic Assemblywoman (Lifton) and a Republican Senator (Winner for most of the county and Michael Nozzolio for Lansing)," she says.  "They get to observe two different political views and two very different styles of doing things."

Each year the state League pays to send about 50 students to Albany from every county in the state.  The local League chapters are responsible for choosing their student and paying for transportation, and may send additional students if they can raise the money for it.  The Tompkins County chapter has been sending students on and off for the 14 years the program has existed.

Students go for four days.  On Sunday they are given an overview of the program and some basic instruction on how New York State government works.  Over the next three days they tour the capitol, shadow their legislators, attend lectures, and share experiences with each other.


Henninger met the Kathleen Yen last year during one of the interviews associated with Ray being chosen.  Yen wants local students to apply for the program so they can have a first-hand look at their representatives, and understand that it is people that make government work.

"We're not looking for the student with a million awards who is picked to go to everything," she says.  "We're looking for somebody that would really benefit from this experience.  Somebody who has leadership potential, who is interested in learning more about government, and then sharing that with their peers."

That sharing works twice -- when the student comes home and tells his or her classmates about what they have experienced, and during program where students from all over the state share different points of view.  Henninger says that is one of the most valuable parts of the experience.

"Coming from a rural village like Trumansburg, to be exposed to kids and all the issues the big cities are facing and what they prioritize as opposed to what we would prioritize in rural areas is interesting," she says.  "The decisions they are making in Albany now are ones that might effect our kids for years to come if they choose to stay in New York.  So this is a good time to be involved.  My son will be voting this year.  It's one more way to teach kids what's out there and how they can actually do something meaningful."

Yen says packets will be distributed through the schools at the end of January.  The program is aimed at 11th and 12th graders.  The deadline for applying is March first.  Applicants must fill out an application and submit two recommendations -- one from a government/social studies teacher and the second from a person who knows the student.  There is also an interview.  The actual program will take place from April 11 through 14.

Yen says that when students return from the program they are asked to report on their experience to the local League, as well as to share what they've learned with their peers at school.

"We hope the student will come back and report on their experience to the League, and serve as a student ambassador, sharing the information with other interested students and the county," she says.  "It is also hoped that this will give them some tools for an average citizen to get involved in the political process.  Your voice is important.  How do you communicate effectively with your legislators to effect change?  Every one of us can make a difference, but very often we feel that we have no voice.  Our legislators need to hear from us and they want to hear from us."

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