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CCHHAAPPTTEERR BBIINNDDEERR The Complete Guide To Running A Successful JSA Chapter

Chapter BinderJUNIOR STATE OF AMERICA -- AN OVERVIEW

What Makes the Junior State So Unique ........................................................................................ 1The Structure of The Junior State of America ............................................................................... 1The Junior Statesmen Foundation ......................................................................................11Getting Involved in the Junior State Outside of Your Chapter...................................................13Junior State Activities...................................................................................................................... 16Teacher/Advisors...............................................................................................................................18

INTRODUCTION TO THE JUNIOR STATE CHAPTER

The Junior State Chapter ................................................................................................................. 1Starting A Junior State Chapter ........................................................................................................ 4Chapter Planning and Organization..................................................................................................6

CHAPTER MEETINGS

Chapter Meetings and Meeting Activities ...................................................................................... 1At The Chapter Meeting .................................................................................................................... 5Chapter Meeting Activities ............................................................................................................... 9

PREPARING FOR A JUNIOR STATE CONVENTIONWhat Happens At A Convention ....................................................................................................... 1Checklist .............................................................................................................................................. 5Sample Agenda ................................................................................................................................. 10

CHAPTER GUIDESChapter Publicity ................................................................................................................................ 1Chapter Fundraising .......................................................................................................................... 9Chapter Membership Drive ............................................................................................................ 15Chapter Conference ........................................................................................................................ 23

HANDBOOKSDebate HandbookModerator Handbook

FORMS AND HANDOUTSWhat is JSA?Chapter Leadership FormTax FormPermission FormDelegate Letter

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The Junior State of America -- An Overview

What Makes theJunior State So Unique:The Student-Run Aspect of JSA

Professor Ernest Andrew Rogers, thefounder of the Junior Statesmen of America, feltthat the best way to learn about and developan understanding and appreciation of ourdemocratic system was to partake in it first hand.This principle of education through participa-tion is the foundation upon which the JuniorState of America was built. The Junior Statehas established its own internal governmentalstructure and elects and appoints students torun every aspect of the organization. This al-lows students to gain an understanding, firsthand, how government really works.

There are numerous political organiza-tions for high school students that attempt toteach young people about government, democ-racy and current events. However, while stu-dents do play large roles in some of these orga-nizations, the vast majority of them are reallyrun by adults. The Junior State is distinctly dif-ferent in this regard. It is the largest student-run high school nonpartisan political organiza-tion in the country. Its elected and appointedstudent leaders determine the course of the or-ganization every step of the way. Our studentleaders bring about our organization’s successes

The Structure ofThe Junior State of America

The Junior State of America provideshigh school students with the unique opportu-nity to discover democracy at work. Membersare given the chance to participate in a govern-ment created and directed by students, withminimum adult assistance. This freedom allowsJunior State members to understand and ap-preciate American democracy and encouragesfuture involvement as a politically aware citi-zen.

The Junior State is organized in four lev-els simulating that of the United States govern-

and failures. Professor Rogers felt that the bestway to learn whether our system works is to tryit yourself and see what works and what doesnot. Democracy must be experienced in orderto be appreciated and understood.

Our student leaders are therefore givenas much freedom as possible to steer the orga-nization in the direction they feel is best. It istheir sincerest dedication to the organizationand endless work that prevents it from goingastray. Every decision made in the Junior Stateis made by someone who is either directly orindirectly entrusted by the members to makethat decision. The success of every aspect ofthe state, from our conventions to our chapteraffairs program, all depends on the wisdom anddedication of these student leaders.

Traditionally, the Junior State has foundthe best possible people to be its leaders --people with experience, wisdom, leadershipskills and tremendous dedication. Every mem-ber of the Junior State needs to understand thatit is up to them to make sure this tradition con-tinues. The Junior State is a democracy; it is upto the people to ensure its success.

ment. The chapter represents local government,the region represents county government, thestate resembles state government, and thegroup of states together form the national gov-ernment. There are elected leaders at the chap-ter, region and state levels.

The chapter is the fundamental unit ofthe organization. As a school-sponsored club,each chapter must have at least eight membersand a teacher-advisor to assist with administra-tive tasks and provide educational guidance.The chapter must write a constitution and each

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Section A

member of the chapter must ratify it. A chapterpresident is then elected along with any other of-fices outlined in the chapter constitution. Thechapter president leads and represents his/hermembership and receives JSA mailings inform-ing members of regional and state activities.

The other parts of the Junior State gov-ernment - the regional, state and national - existfor three main purposes: to educate, to involveand to represent the members of the Junior State.This is accomplished primarily through coordinat-ing activities, helping chapters and promoting po-litical understanding.

The main task of the other levels of gov-ernment is the coordination of Junior State activi-ties. The resources of these larger governmentsallow them to plan larger and more complex eventsthan a single chapter could likely do alone. Bycombining members of many different chaptersin these activities, the diversity of opinions repre-sented is often greater than at a chapter activity.

Another large task of the Junior State gov-ernment is helping your chapter. This is knownas “Chapter Affairs”. Chapter Affairs is the mostimportant responsibility of the Junior State gov-ernment. Every elected and appointed Junior Stateofficial knows that without strong individual Junior

State chapters, the regions and states would havelittle meaning. The Junior State governmenthandles Chapter Affairs through many differentways including newsletters informing chapters ofupcoming events, guides to running chapter ac-tivities, and workshops on effective chapter lead-ership and other topics. The regional and stategovernments also provide chapters with peoplewhom they can contact for advice and sugges-tions.

The final task of the Junior State govern-ment is to encourage Junior State members toget involved in politics and government. This isaccomplished largely by involving Junior Statemembers in the causes they feel most passion-ately about and giving them the tools they need tovoice their opinions and be heard. Additionally,the Junior State government will at times voicetheir own opinions to local, state and national gov-ernment on youth-related or educational issuesits constituents feel are important.

We will now discuss the structure of theregional, state and national governments in moredetail.

The State

The State is the largest division of the Jun-ior State. There are currently five different JuniorStates: Southern California, Northern California,Texas, Pacific Northwest and Atlantic. The statelevel of government is where many of the programsthe Junior State runs are conducted. Each statedrafts, approves and amends its own constitutionwhich outlines the structure of the state and theresponsibilities of its officers.

The state serves numerous different func-tions from Chapter Affairs to publications and con-ventions. It is usually the largest of the levels ofgovernment and assumes the most responsibili-ties. One of the main tasks of the state is plan-ning and running the state conventions. Theseone and two night meetings of high school stu-dents from across the state range from a few

hundred students to nearly two-thousand studentsand are held in large first class hotels in citiesaround the nation. The state government plansand runs virtually every aspect of these tremen-dous events.

The state also assumes much of the re-sponsibility for Chapter Affairs. Most states pub-lish a Chapter Affairs newsletter of some sort andprovide chapters with activities to use on amonthly or bimonthly basis. Additionally, they mayput out publications on fund raising, publicity, chap-ter conferences and numerous other topics of useto a Junior State chapter. The Chapter Affairs pro-gram is headed by a State Chapter Affairs Direc-tor who decides what programs will help the chap-ters and directs them. States also usually pub-lish a newspaper or newsletter on the events and

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The Junior State of America -- An Overview

happenings in the state to keep all its membersinformed.

Many states have a department or cabi-net members dedicated to political action and edu-cation. Frequently this ties in with the state legis-lature which we will discuss in more detail later.Some states adopt a “platform” - a set of resolu-tions or planks adopted by two-thirds or more ofits members - and attempt to lobby local and stategovernment in favor of this platform. The issuesdealt with are exclusively youth related issuessuch as education and voting rights. For moreabout this aspect of the Junior State see the fulldescription of the legislative branch below as wellas the section on “Political Activism & Education”in the Chapter Section.

In general, states have a much larger andmore complex leadership structure than either re-gions or chapters. This is simply due to their tre-mendous size. While a region generally has nomore than fifty chapters, a state may have asmany as one-hundred and fifty chapters and asmany as four thousand members. It is thereforenecessary to have many different positions anddepartments to coordinate the activities and pro-grams of such a large entity.

Each state is headed by a Junior State Gov-ernor. The Governor is the chief executive officerof his/her respective state and assumes respon-sibility for all the programs and events that thestate conducts. The Governor is also responsiblefor facilitating state and regional cooperation andfor the overall well being of every aspect of thestate. Directly or indirectly, the Governors are re-sponsible for the success or failure of all aspectsof the Junior State. (S)he must be knowledge-able in every area of The Junior State and mustbe able to make informed decisions. Each JuniorState Governor also serves as a member of theNational Council of Governors (see National Gov-ernment) and must make substantial time andtravel commitments. In short, being Governor isa full time job, often leaving little time even forschool work. Serving as Governor requires enor-mous time commitments, both on the telephoneand in meetings, and requires extensive travel andpublic appearances.

The Governor appoints a cabinet to assistwith the awesome duties of running the state. The

state cabinet is generally larger than the regionalcabinet, usually consisting of between ten and fiftyappointed members grouped into several differ-ent departments. A typical state cabinet may looklike this:

Executive DepartmentChief of Staff -- serves as a link between the Gov-ernor and the cabinet members and helps directthe activities of the cabinet.

Secretary of State -- takes care of other adminis-trative tasks in conjunction with the chief of staff.

Chapter Affairs DepartmentChapter Affairs Director -- heads the departmentand directs state programs to help chapters.

Expansion Director -- heads all expansion efforts(creating new chapters).

Director of Fund Raising -- assists chapters withraising funds for conventions and other events.

Chapter Conference Coordinator -- coordinatesthe chapter conferences (sometimes called mini-conferences) by scheduling dates and helping thechapter conference leaders.

Convention DepartmentConvention Coordinator -- runs the state conven-tions and the convention department.

Director of Debate -- helps plan state conventionsand runs the state debate department.

Director of Logistics/Convention Manager --headsthe logistics efforts at state conventions.

Communications DepartmentState Editor -- edits and publishes the state news-paper.

State reporter -- covers events and writes articlesfor the state newspaper.

Public Relations Director -- promotes positivepublic relations for the state by sending out pressreleases and other publicity.

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Section A

Legislative Branch

The Lieutenant Governor, the second stateofficial, assists the Governor in running the state.The Lieutenant Governor fills the position of Gov-ernor in case of absence or resignation. The re-sponsibilities of the Lt. Governor vary greatly fromstate to state, but his or her main responsibility isto preside over the state legislature - either theState Senate or the Council of Chapter Presidents.Additionally, the Lt. Governor usually conducts thestate elections each spring.

Some states elect a third state official --the State Speaker. In states with this position, theSpeaker usually heads the "State Assembly" or

"House of Representatives" and heads the politi-cal action aspect of the Junior State. A SpeakerPro Temp is usually appointed to assist theSpeaker.

Often a Political Involvement Director isappointed to coordinate and direct programs toincrease the political involvement of Junior Statemembers.

Serving on state cabinet is an honor andreflects the Governor’s confidence in you andbelief that you have the experience and dedica-tion necessary to handle huge responsibilities.Most members of state cabinets have been in theJunior State a year or more before being appointedto cabinet.

The Region

Regions are divisions or sections of statesand include all the chapters in a defined area of astate. Regions may also be formed outside ofstates where chapters are forming but there arenot yet enough chapters to create a state. Eachregion drafts, approves and amends its own con-stitution, which provides a structure for the re-gional government and the individual responsibili-ties of its officers.

Regions serve two main functions: orga-nizing local conferences and providing its chap-ters with support. Regional conferences are usu-ally one-day conferences held on university cam-puses or in government office facilities. Whileregional conferences are frequently smaller thanstate conventions, they allow for greater individualparticipation and more opportunities for membersto speak. With Chapter Affairs, the regions canoffer personalized attention to chapters. Manyregions publish Chapter Affairs newsletters, ac-tivities of the month and other publications to as-sist your chapter as well as holding regional chap-ter leadership meetings and workshops.

Each region is headed by a Mayor whoacts as the chief executive officer of the region.The Mayor organizes and conducts the regionalconferences and programs, helps coordinate re-gional activities and represents the region as a

whole. The Mayor appoints a cabinet to aid him/her in accomplishing these tasks. Most regionalcabinets include a conference coordinator to helprun the regional conferences, a director of debateto run the regional debate program and ChapterAffairs directors to coordinate the Chapter Affairsprogram. The Mayor may appoint whatever otherpositions (s)he feels will help accomplish theregion’s goals.

The second elected officer is the ViceMayor. The Vice Mayor assists the Mayor withregional activities and programs and takes theMayor’s place in the case of absence or resigna-tion. In different regions, the Vice Mayor may haveother set responsibilities such as heading theregion’s Chapter Affairs program or presiding overthe regional legislature.

For a more exact description of your stateand regional officials and their responsibilities,contact the Junior State office or a local JuniorState officer.

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The Junior State of America -- An Overview

The NationalJunior State Government

On a national level, the Junior State is gov-erned by the Council of Governors. This group,consisting of the Governor of each of the JuniorStates, meets three times a year to determine thedirection the Junior State as a whole . Their meet-ings usually last three days and are usually heldat the Junior State’s National Headquarters.

The Council of Governors prepares thenational budget, determines convention themesand prices, creates the convention brochures, dis-tributes J.S.A. membership cards, publishes TheJunior Statement (the national Junior State news-paper), keeps The Junior Statesmen Foundation() abreast of developments in the Junior State,launches expansion efforts into new areas of thenation and coordinates other national publicationsand programs. All of these responsibilities fall onfive of the busiest leaders in the Junior State, eachhaving the tremendous responsibility of runningtheir own respective state. Therefore, just asMayors and Governors do, the National Councilof Governors appoints a cabinet to assist them.The national cabinet seldom consists of more thanfive or six members. These include, but are notlimited to:

The National TreasurerKeeps all financial records of the Junior

State, sees that all reimbursements are properlymade, pays bills and manages a budget of morethan $1.5 million each year.

The National EditorPrepares and edits the national Junior

State newspaper, The Junior Statement, which ispublished two to four times a year.

Each year’s Council of Governors will de-termine the annual national goals for the organi-zation. These might include expanding into a cer-tain geographic area currently lacking any chap-ters, heightening Junior State members’ aware-ness about certain issues or improving the qual-ity of chapter meetings. To help it achieve its goalsfor the year, the Council will often appoint studentsto other national cabinet positions. In the past,these have included:

National Chapter Affairs DirectorPlans and runs a national program de-

signed to assist chapters throughout the nationwith publications.

National Expansion DirectorHeads efforts to expand the Junior State

into areas that currently do not have Junior Statechapters.

National Political Affairs DirectorRuns a national political awareness pro-

gram designed to educate members all acrossthe nation in political affairs as well as to voicestudent's opinions through national opinion pollsand other programs.

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Section A

To help organize the work of the Councilof Governors, tasks are divided among the Gov-ernors by electing the following positions:

Chair of the CouncilThis governor prepares the agenda for and

presides over each of the Council of Governors’meetings. (S)he initiates conference calls andoversees much of the national cabinet.

Student TrusteeThis governor sits on The Junior States-

men Foundation’s Board of Trustees. For a de-tailed description of the purpose and workings ofthe Foundation, see “The Junior Statesmen

Foundation” section.

Secretary of the CouncilThis governor takes minutes of all the

Council’s meetings.

All the states, regions and territories of theJunior State combine to form the National JuniorState of America. Each summer, Governors se-lect a few young promising leaders from acrossthe nation to attend the Montezuma National Lead-ership Summit held at the birthplace of the JuniorState near Los Gatos, California. Other than thatthere are no national Junior State meetings.

The Local Junior StateGovernment: Chapter Affairs

In all areas of the Junior State there aregroups of officers that exist almost exclusively tohelp the chapters. Running a Junior State chap-ter can be very difficult at times, and the regionaland state officials are often too busy with their otherresponsibilities to give chapter presidents all theattention they deserve. This close personal atten-tion is accomplished through the Chapter AffairsProgram.

The structure and function of Chapter Af-fairs differs greatly from region to region and stateto state. In some areas, it is overseen by the stategovernment; in other areas it is left to the regions.In some areas, the Chapter Affairs officials arecalled Chapter Intelligence Agents (C.I.A.). In otherareas they are called District Supervisors. Re-gardless of their title or who oversees them, theycan give you and your chapter the assistance youneed on a day to day basis.

Chapter Affairs officials have a small groupof chapters to which they are assigned. The num-ber of chapters assigned to each official rangesfrom three to more than a dozen, depending onthe state and region in which they are located.The Chapter Affairs official is responsible for thesuccess of the chapters assigned to them. Theyhelp steer chapter presidents away from troubleand help them when problems arise. They alsoserve as a link between the chapter presidents

and the rest of the Junior State. They inform chap-ter presidents of upcoming events and deadlines.The chapter presidents voice any concerns theyhave to their Chapter Affairs official who can in-form the appropriate state or regional leader. It isoften said that the Chapter Affairs official is thelifeline of the Junior State chapter and the chapterpresident’s closest confident.

Chapter Affairs officer's techniques differfrom state to state. Some may call you on a regu-lar basis to inform you of upcoming JSA eventsand deadlines, help you with any problems youare encountering, suggest activities and topics foryou to hold meetings on and keep track of yourchapters progress. Some may ask that you callthem whenever you need their help. Chapter Af-fairs officials may call local chapter presidentmeetings where you and other chapter presidentscan exchange ideas. They also may publish alocal newsletter for chapter presidents and lead-ers. Whatever your Chapter Affairs official doesfor you and your chapter, you must always let thisperson know what else they can do to assist you.They can have J.S.A. materials sent to you andinform you of upcoming J.S.A. events -- all youneed to do is ask. If you are not sure who yourlocal JSA official is or if he or she is not able toprovide you with the assistance you need, youshould contact either your mayor or governor anddiscuss this with them. This person is your most

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The Junior State of America -- An Overview

vital link to the rest of the Junior State -- you mustmake sure to take advantage of what they canoffer you.

firm the Mayor’s cabinet and make other govern-mental decisions.

The states, for the most part, have themost developed and complex legislatures in theJunior State, and they differ greatly from state tostate. Some states have a two house legislature(bicameral) with two separate houses working incongruence with each other. Other states onlyhave a one house legislature (unicameral). Insome states with a bicameral legislature, one ofthe houses is called the Senate and the other theAssembly or House of Representatives. Usually,Senators are elected by region andAssemblymembers by chapter. Usually, the StateSpeaker presides over the Assembly or House ofRepresentatives while the Lt. Governor presidesover the Senate.

The state legislatures hold the Governorresponsible by confirming his/her cabinet. Theyalso pass any legislation they feel will help theJunior State. In extreme cases, they may impeachone of the state elected officials if (s)he has com-mitted a serious wrongdoing in the Junior State.

Territories of The Junior State

At this point we must mention a few areasof the Junior State that do not directly fit into anyone of the Junior States. These are the territo-ries. With educating, involving and representingthe youth of America as the goal of The JuniorState, stopping at the fifty United States would becoming short of the Junior State’s full potential.Therefore, special efforts have been made to startchapters in the United States territories and inde-pendent island nations. So far, there are activechapters and interested members in Guam,American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Palauand the Northern Marianas. Although it is imprac-

tical for Junior State members in these territoriesto attend conventions on the mainland, they dohold chapter meetings and local conferences andsend large numbers of students to the JuniorStatesmen Summer Schools each year.

The Other Branches ofThe Junior State Government

So far, we have mostly examined the ex-ecutive branch of the Junior State - the Gover-nors, Mayors and their cabinets. However, theJunior State does indeed have other branches aswell. We will now examine them and their role inthe Junior State in more detail.

The Legislative Branch of The Junior StateJust as the United States has a legislative

branch, so does the Junior State. The legislativebranch of the Junior State serves two main pur-poses: to represent the members of the JuniorState and to check the executive branch and bal-ance its powers. There are legislative bodies atall levels of the Junior State government, althoughnot all regions have legislatures.

The regional legislatures vary greatly intheir structure and function. They may consist ofa board of locally elected representatives, chap-ter representatives or a Council of Chapter Presi-dents. In some regions the state senators fromthat region serve as the regional legislature whenneeded. In most regions these legislatures con-

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Section A

To find out more about how your individual state’slegislature works, contact your local chapter af-fairs official or check in the “State by State” sec-tion of this binder.

The Council of Governors serves as thenational legislature. All changes in the nationalconstitution are initiated by the Council and thenratified by each of the state legislatures. Sincethe Council of Governors makes all national cabi-net appointments itself, no confirmation is neces-sary.

In general, legislatures can do six mainactions. These are passing a bylaw, passing anamendment, passing a resolution, passing a plat-form, confirmations and impeachments.

Passing a BylawPassing a bill is usually the most common

action taken by a legislature. A bill is simply aproposed law that the legislature must vote on. Ifa majority of the legislature votes in favor of mak-ing it law, then it passes; if not, it fails. Oncepassed, bills usually require either the Mayor orGovernor’s signature before becoming law. If(s)he decides the bill is not in the best interest ofthe Junior State, (s)he may veto it and return it tothe legislature. The legislature can then either letit go, rewrite it, or attempt to override the veto. Tooverride a veto, the bill must get a certain fraction(usually two thirds) of the legislature to vote in fa-vor of it. If this happens, the bill then becomeslaw without the executive’s signature.

Many people are at first confused aboutwhat exactly the Junior State legislature does. Inmany other organizations, ‘mock’ legislatures areset up to pass ‘mock’ laws regarding the real world,just as the real state legislature would do. In theJunior State, however, all laws passed by the leg-islature are regarding the Junior State itself. Thesebylaws affect the organization and structure of theJunior State. They help keep the state runningsmoothly. It is in this manner that Junior Statemembers really gain an understanding of the leg-islative process, as they must adhere to their ownlaws.

Passing a Constitutional AmendmentIn the Junior State, constitutions exist on

the chapter, regional, state and national levels, andevery constitution includes in its text a method inwhich it can be amended. Usually, the legislatureis in control of amending the constitution. Usuallyamendments are regarding the structure of thegovernment while bills are laws for members andofficials to follow.

Passing a ResolutionA resolution is a statement by a legisla-

ture that expresses the opinion of the legislature,but is not law. A resolution therefore differs frombill or amendments which are law and must beadhered to. Resolutions are passed when a leg-islature wants to express something to an officialor the members regarding an issue usually thatthe legislature does not have direct control over.A resolution may be urging an elected official totake some action, like signing a bill or creating anew program to help chapters. Legislatures mayalso pass resolutions stating support of an official’sactions, especially if they are controversial. Thismay include the decision to implement a new pro-gram or to change some aspect of a convention.Sometimes a legislature will pass a resolution ona more personal level, such as wishing someoneluck in an endeavor or offering condolences to aJunior State member who has suffered a loss.

Passing a PlatformSome legislatures have the authority to

pass platforms. A platform is a series of ‘planks’or statements regarding the beliefs of the mem-bers of the Junior State on youth and educationissues. The planks in a platform are usually re-garding issues of particular concern to studentsin the real, non-JSA world. These may includesuch issues as student rights, funding for schoolsor censorship of school newspapers. To pass aplatform, a two-thirds of the legislature respon-sible for platforms must vote in favor of it. A plat-form, once passed, usually becomes the officialstance of that Junior State on those issues. Theseofficial positions may be communicated to the U.S.Congress, state legislatures, or other bodies.

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The Junior State of America -- An Overview

ConfirmationsOne of the ways in which the legislative

branch holds the executive branch accountableis by making sure the executive’s cabinet selec-tions are appropriate. This is done through a pro-cess called confirmation. In regions with legisla-tures and in all states, after the executive (theMayor for the region and the Governor for the state)has made his/her cabinet selections, each of thepeople selected to serve on cabinet must testifybefore the legislature and be confirmed. Usually,the legislature makes sure that the appointedpeople have the experience and dedication to dotheir respective jobs. This process ensures thateach Governor or Mayor selects competent peoplefor the job. Once appointed, the chief executivehas full power to retain or dismiss a cabinet mem-ber.

ImpeachmentIn extreme cases, an elected Junior State

official may do something serious enough to war-rant their removal from office. In such cases, theelected official must be accused of the crime andthen impeached. The legislative branch of theJunior State handles the impeachments of allelected officials. The regional legislatures mayimpeach the regionally elected officials while thestate legislatures may impeach the state electedofficials. Impeachments are usually very disrup-tive to the Junior State government and shouldonly be considered for the most serious offenses.They should never be carried out for personal orpetty reasons. Historically, impeachments havebeen extremely uncommon in the Junior State.

Parliamentary ProcedureAll legislative bodies in the Junior State fol-

low parliamentary procedure, a method of main-taining order and fairness in meetings. The spe-cific rules of parliamentary procedure are given inRobert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised. This isthe official reference for parliamentary procedurein Junior State activities.

Legislative bodies in the Junior State keepmost of their meetings open to the public. JuniorState members are highly encouraged to attendthem if at all possible. They are a great way tolearn more about the inner-workings of the Junior

State. Additionally, if you feel there is an issuethat your legislature should address, you may havethe opportunity to bring this up during one of theirmeetings. Speak to a member of the legislatureand ask them how you should go about doing this.Your legislature is there to represent you, and byattending their meetings and letting them knowwhat issues are important to you, you are holdingthem responsible to their job.

The Judicial Branch of The Junior StateFinally we arrive at the third branch

of government -- the Judicial Branch. The Judi-cial Branch’s purpose in gov-ernment is to further check thepowers of the executive and leg-islative branches and ensurethat all actions taken by bothbranches are constitutional.The Junior State’s JudicialBranch is in most states theleast prominent branch of gov-ernment and in some statesdoes not exist at all.

In most states, thejudicial branch concerns itselfprimarily with running the

state’s mock trials program for chapters and atconventions. The members of this branch areusually appointed by the Governor just the sameas all cabinet members and serve one year terms.Frequently a Chief Justice will head the branchand determine what programs it should run. Somestates administer mock bar exams that you mustpass before being allowed to participate in a mocktrial. These exams usually test for a basic level ofunderstanding of court procedure and our nation’sjudicial system.

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Section A

Organization of The Junior State: A Summary

National Governmentled by the Council of Governorsand appointed National Cabinet

State Governmentsled by Governors & Lieutenant Governors

and appointed state cabinetsState Legislatures

Chapter RepresentativesRegional Representatives

(can be unicameral or bicameral)

Regional Governmentsled by Mayors & Vice Mayors

and appointed Regional Cabinets

Chapter Governmentsled by Chapter Presidents

and elected/appointed chapter officers

PACIFICNORTHWEST

(Includes Alaska)

MID-ATLANTIC

(Includes U.S. VirginIslands)

NORTHERNCALIFORNIA

SOUTHERNCALIFORNIA

(Includes Hawaii)

PACIFIC ISLANDSREGION (PI)

Includes:American Samoa,CNMI, Guam,and

Palau

TEXAS

MIDWEST NORTHEAST

SOUTHEAST

OHIO RIVER VALLEY

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The Junior State of America -- An Overview

The Junior Statesmen Foundation

Although often mistaken for one another,the Junior State and The Junior Statesmen Foun-dation are not the same organization. In fact, theyare two entirely separate organizations with sepa-rate leadership, separate bank accounts and sepa-rate responsibilities that work together towards thesame goals. The Junior Statesmen Foundationwas founded shortly after the founding of The Jun-ior State to give adult support to the student-runJunior State. To this day its goal remains helpingthe Junior State of America achieve its goals ofpolitical education, involvement and representa-tion.

The Junior Statesmen Foundation is gov-erned by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.These adults, about half of whom are former Jun-ior State members themselves, include many veryprominent and powerful business and governmentleaders. They meet several times during the yearto decide important issues in the running of theFoundation. They elect among themselves aPresident, Vice President, Secretary and Trea-surer to handle many of the aspects of runningthe Foundation. The Council of Governors alsoselects one of its members to serve on the Boardof Trustees as the student trustee and representthe Junior State’s interests to the Foundation.

The Junior Statesmen Foundation accom-plishes its goals through two main activities. Firstof all, it runs the Junior Statesmen office. Theoffice serves as a base of both the Foundation’sand the Junior State’s activities. Secondly, theFoundation runs the Junior Statesmen SummerSchools. These programs, discussed in moredetail later, offer hundreds of students the oppor-tunity to study government, speech, economics,constitutional law and foreign policy each sum-mer at prestigious universities across the nation.

The Junior Statesmen OfficeThe national headquarters of The Junior

Statesmen Foundation is located in San Mateo,California, near San Francisco and the Foundationialso has an office located in Washington D.C. Theoffices serve both the Junior State and The JuniorStatesmen Foundation. The staff includes the Ex-ecutive Director of The Junior Statesmen Foun-

dation, Program Directors, Summer School Di-rectors and Convention Registrars, among oth-ers. The Executive Director runs the day to daybusiness of The Junior Statesmen Foundation.

The Program Directors work primarily withthe leaders of The Junior State. They work asteam members with the elected and appointedofficials and offer them advice when needed. Alldecisions are ultimately left up to the students incharge, but often some advice from an experi-enced Program Director can allow the studentleaders to see other options and different alterna-tives when making difficult decisions. The Pro-gram Directors also take care of such items asmaking hotel arrangements, sending out mailingsand keeping the office database updated. TheProgram Directors also work on or direct JuniorStatesmen Summer School sessions each sum-mer. The Program Directors are always avail-able to help you and your chapter in any way theycan.

Junior Statesmen Summer Programs

The Junior Statesmen Foundation alsoruns the many Junior Statesmen Summer Pro-grams offered to high school students every sum-mer. These include the Junior Statesmen Sum-mer Schools and the Junior Statesmen Sympo-sia.

In addition to wonderful friends and knowl-edge that one gains from a Junior Statesmen Sum-mer Program, one also gains an understandingof the Junior State and its purpose. Sending mem-bers of your chapter to Junior Statesmen Sum-mer Programs is one of the best things you cando to ensure a strong chapter in the years tocome. Students return with a much greater un-derstanding of the issues discussed as well ascontacts at other chapters that can be very use-ful. Chapters should try to send as many of theirmembers to Junior Statesmen Summer Pro-grams as possible. A rough goal could be send-ing one student to a Junior Statesmen SummerSchool for every ten members or so.

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Section A

SUMMER SCHOOLS. Since 1940, the JuniorStatesmen Summer School has offered a rigor-ous academic challenge to outstanding highschool students. The curriculum includes a sys-tematic introduction to American government andpolitics, an exciting high level speakers program,and student debates on current issues (Congres-sional Workshops).

The collegiate academic environmentstresses substantial reading, research and writ-ing. Classes are held six days a week. Studentsreside in university dormitories and use campusclassrooms and libraries.

The Summer School faculty of outstand-ing professors is recruited from universitiesaround the country. The faculty, counselors, andadministrators all live on campus with the studentsand are responsible for academic and personalcounseling as well as supervision.

There are five locations for the JuniorStatesmen Summer School. They are atGeorgetown, Stanford, Yale, Northwestern, andPrinceton Universities. All five have similar ad-missions requirements and tuition. Each offersan identical Advanced Placement American Gov-ernment course and a Congressional Workshop.The Yale, Northwestern, Stanford and Princetonsessions also offer an additional course in speechcommunication. Students who have already takena advanced placement high school course inAmerican Government may enroll in the secondsemester government course in United StatesForeign Policy, Constitutional Law, The Presi-dency, Political Philosophy, Economics orComparitive Government. Studnets who havecompleted a Speech Communications coursemay take an Advanced Speech, Political Commu-nications or Public Speaking and the Law course.

Admission to the Summer School is com-petitive. Decisions are based on academicachievement, leadership ability, and interest inpolitics and government, as evidenced by a threepage personal essay, teacher recommendationand official high school transcript. Junior States-

men Summer School graduates generally receivehigh school credit for their course work. Theclasses in American Government and Econom-ics are equivalent to a one-semester AdvancedPlacement course. With a satisfactory score onthe Advanced Placement Exam, students alsoearn college credit. The Speech Communicationcourse is equivalent to a one-semester high schoolHonors speech or Honors English elective.

Following the session, transcripts are sentto the graduates, and to their high schools, uponrequest. In advance of the Summer School, ifhigh school credit is desired, you should makearrangements with appropriate officials at yourschool.

On each campus during Summer School,interested students may attend a special orienta-tion session offered by undergraduate admissionsofficials who will answer questions about admis-sions, financial aid, SAT scores, housing, andcampus life.

SYMPOSIA. The Junior Statesmen Foundationalso runs several symposia on local and statepolitics and government during the summer.These symposia last three to five days and areusually held on college campuses. There are cur-rently symposia focusing on the politics of LosAngeles, California, New Jersey, Washington,Texas and Ohio.

During the school year, the Junior States-men Foundation runs several day long symposiaon local government. These symposia are freethanks to the donations of the corporations andfoundations that help fund them. So far, one daysymposia have been held in California in Orange,Fresno, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Clara,San Mateo Counties and in the cities of San Fran-cisco and Oakland. These symposia offer an in-valuable opportunity to meet with local leaders andgain an understanding of the politics and govern-ment of the area.

For more information regarding the JuniorStatesmen Summer Programs, contact the Jun-ior Statesmen office at (800) 334-5353.

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The Junior State of America -- An Overview

Getting Involved in the JuniorState Outside of Your Chapter

The majority of the members of the JuniorState have all their experiences in the organiza-tion within their own chapter. They attend meet-ings, participate in debates, attend a few conven-tions and perhaps hold a leadership position withintheir chapter. Comparatively few people step out-side their chapter and join the many other levelsof leadership in the Junior State. Having a largepercentage of our leaders remain focused on theirchapter is one of the main reasons our organiza-tion is so strong.

Some people, however, find that they wantto take on more responsibility and get more in-volved than they can at the chapter level. Mostpeople who do this find the experience very re-warding; they learn leadership, delegating andcooperation skills on a larger scale than possibleat the chapter level. They also gain a unique un-derstanding of politics by participating in the largepolitical arena that the Junior State has become.They also meet many new and different types ofpeople and make numerous friends and acquain-tances that often last a life time.

One of the most important things to re-member before taking on leadership roles in theJunior State is your relationship with your chapter.Regardless of where your journey in the leader-ship of the Junior State may take you, you mustnever abandon your chapter. Your chapter andits welfare must always remain your number onepriority. You do not need to always be ChapterPresident, and in many cases you should not be.But, you must always maintain a good relation-ship with your chapter leadership and let themknow that you are there to help them if the needarises. Getting involved in the Junior State out-side of your chapter can bring numerous benefitsto your chapter, such as innovative ideas fromother chapter presidents and a deeper understand-ing of the organization, but only if you remain aloyal and active participant at the chapter level.(For more on leaders and their chapters see thesection on “chapter relations”.)

How To Get InvolvedGetting involved in JSA at the regional and

state levels is much like getting involved in realpolitics and government. People usually work theirway up slowly, rather than jumping in at the top.This is beneficial to the organization and the indi-viduals for a few reasons.

For one thing, someone brand new to theJunior State is not going to have the knowledgeand experience necessary to hold a position ofsuch great responsibility as Governor or ChapterAffairs Director. This is not to say that a first yearmember of the Junior State may not have greatideas for those positions, it is just that it requiresa great knowledge and understanding of the or-ganization before one is fully able to utilize such apowerful position.

Secondly, one must recognize the respon-sibilities and commitments that accompany someof these higher positions. Being a Junior StateGovernor is nearly a full time job, leaving little timeeven for school work. Virtually every weekend ofthe year is taken up with meetings, conferencesand conventions. Your evenings are often com-pletely absorbed with planning conventions, writ-ing articles, letters and memos and discussingplans with your cabinet members. One really hasto love the organization to make this amount oftime commitment, and that kind of dedication canonly really be acquired over time.

The apparent fame and popularity of be-ing a high ranking Junior State official can oftenplace a veil over the hard work and long hoursthat really make up these jobs. People often findthat after some time in the Junior State leader-ship, they want to lessen their commitment andleave time to pursue other interests. Graduallygetting more and more involved in the organiza-tion instead of jumping in at the top, preparesmembers to handle the awesome responsibilitiesof the higher positions in the Junior State. Thisbenefits both the leaders and the organization,which does not suffer from leaders that lack thededication required to make the organization itsbest.

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Section A

The higher positions in the Junior State, attimes, seem to get a lot of fanfare and glory. Somepeople therefore try to find short cuts up to the topwithout putting in the work. However, the organi-zation simply does not work that way. People carepassionately about the Junior State and only wantto see the finest, most dedicated people lead it.They will not elect or appoint someone who isclearly getting involved only for the recognition,popularity and power that many people think ac-companies big offices in the Junior State. Peoplewant to see leaders who are willing to sacrificetheir time and energy to make the organizationwork just as they have done and continue to do. Itis by working hard and proving oneself that oneeventually becomes the person making policy in-stead of carrying policy out.

There are many ways toget a taste of leadership in theJunior State to see if it is some-thing you like. You can start offby speaking with a local JuniorState official. Let him/her knowthat you are interested in gettingmore involved and ask if thereare any upcoming projects onwhich you can work. (S)he willlikely be able to find a slot for yousomewhere or, if not, be able torefer you to someone who can.Officials will appreciate knowingthat you are there in case they need an extra hand.You may also want to start off by volunteering tolead an activity at a conference or to work logis-tics at a convention. If you have a positive experi-ence, you may want to consider a cabinet posi-tion.

Serving On CabinetThe majority of elected officals in JSA get

their first experience by serving on cabinet. Asdiscussed in greater detail earlier, cabinets arethe appointed officials each Mayor and Governorselects to help him/her carry out the programsand activities that (s)he feels will help the JuniorState. Cabinets exist on the regional, state andnational levels. Usually, people start off servingon regional cabinet. Here they can become ac-quainted with the numerous different skills nec-

essary to be an effective leader in the Junior State.

Applications for cabinet are mailed out atthe beginning of the summer each year after thenewly elected officials have had time to decidethe positions needed. To receive a cabinet appli-cation, simply call the Junior State office and re-quest one. Most cabinet applications consist of adetailed description of each of the positions and aform to fill out. They may require an essay, lettersof recommendation or an interview. Most cabinetapplications are due towards the end of the sum-mer.

Most cabinet applications let you indicatea few cabinet positions in order of preference. Be-fore selecting these positions, you should care-fully think about the level of commitment you are

willing to make. Most cabinet positions require afull year’s work. You may have to attend manymeetings, spend much time on the phone and putin hours even when you are busy with other com-mitments. You will be expected to work well withothers including those above you, take directionfrom authority, and take responsibility for your ac-tions. Being selected to serve on cabinet in theJunior State is a big honor and should not be takenlightly. It can be extremely rewarding but requiresmuch dedication and perseverance.

As you continue with your involvement inthe leadership of the Junior State, you may wantto seek a higher position of greater responsibility.Perhaps you will find that you prefer to stay fo-cused on your individual chapter’s success in-stead of spending so much time in the leader-

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The Junior State of America -- An Overview

ship. You may realize that you prefer certain tasksin the Junior State to others. Where you go fromthere is largely up to you; just remember to neverabandon your chapter and to always think care-fully about what commitments you are and arenot willing to make.

Junior State Campaigns and Elections

As has been stated before, one of the mostunique things about the Junior State is that itteaches students about democracy by participat-ing in it first hand. Junior State members do notjust follow local, state and national elections andthen discuss the results, they participate in theirown student run version of democratic govern-ment. Each year, in some of the most passion-ate moments of the Junior State experience, mem-bers elect the state and regional leaders that willdirect the organization for the next year. As theJunior State is student-run, these leaders, onceelected, are entrusted with every aspect of theJunior State. The process by which membersdecide who to elect is therefore vitally importantto the well being of the organization. Junior Statemembers in general understand this and only electthe highest caliber leaders to direct the organiza-tion.

After witnessing an intense season ofcampaigning and elections, most students agreethat the political arena in the Junior State has thefeel of real life campaigning and politics. Candi-dates work for months preparing for the elections,usually held at either the Spring State conventionof another designated election meeting. The can-didates gather up supporters by campaigning atevery conference held throughout the winter andspring. At the elections, candidates set up largecampaign teams with floor walkers and floor man-agers. Nominations are modeled after politicalparty conventions. Speeches, literature, posters

and other campaign paraphernalia are all used tosway the delegates toward a candidate. Candi-dates are even subject to campaign rules enforcedby fair election committees.

The passion and energy that candidatesand their supporters put into their campaigns isindicative of how much the members of the Jun-ior State really care about their organization. Can-didates put tremendous energy and spend hugeamounts of time to be given a chance to help theJunior State. Many people new to the Junior Statefind that these elections offer an unprecedentedopportunity to get involved in the organization.Members wishing to get a taste of what the orga-nization can do should find a candidate they sup-port and volunteer to help campaign for them. Onmost campaigns there are usually many tasks thateven the most unexperienced members of theJunior State can do, and the process of gettinginvolved with these campaigns can be extremelyexciting and rewarding.

A-16

Section A

Junior State Activities

True political education involves not onlyunderstanding what goes on in the world, but alsounderstanding many different opinions and ideasabout world events. Junior State members learnabout the opinions of others and become moretolerant of them, as well as learning to examineand refine their own political opinions. This bring-ing together and exchanging of ideas and opin-ions is one of the best ways the Junior State ac-complishes its goals.

There are three main types of activities inthe Junior State. These are conferences, con-ventions and chapter meetings. Conventions areput on by the Junior State government, chaptermeetings by the chapter leaders and conferencesby both.

ConferencesConferences are usually day long meet-

ings held at colleges, high school campuses,courthouses and other places with meeting facili-ties. They are put on throughout the year by indi-vidual chapters, the regions and states. Most con-ferences are centered around examining sometopic, such as education in America, or an up-coming election. They feature a wide variety ofdebates, guest speakers, thought talks, simula-tions and other activities examining the topic.

Most of the regions in the Junior State puton two one-day conferences a year, one in theFall and one in the Spring. These regional confer-ences usually attract from fifty to a few hundredhigh school students from schools within the re-gion. Members of other regions are free to attendas well. Admission is usually five dollars at thedoor and the conferences run from about nine inthe morning to five in the afternoon with a hour orso for lunch.

Individual chapters may also host a daylong conference. These chapter conferences arefrequently called “Mini-conferences”. In the spring,many of these conferences include candidates’forums where students running for Junior Stateoffice can speak and answer questions about theirplatforms and campaigns. Chapter conferenceadmission is usually about five dollars and usu-

ally run about the same hours as the regional con-ferences. Some chapters hold evening confer-ences called “Debate Nights” where studentsgather together for an evening and debate issuesand eat pizza for a few hours. For more informa-tion on hosting and planning chapter conferencesand debate nights, see the section on "ChapterConferences."

Some of the states in the Junior State puton conferences as well. These frequently include‘Leadership Conferences’ where chapter, regionaland state leaders convene for a day to discussleadership training and methods and how to bet-ter the organization at all the different levels. Theyfrequently hold workshops and other activitieswhere chapter leaders can learn the many skillsnecessary to run a successful chapter

ConventionsA few times each year, each of the Junior Statesput on conventions where high school studentsfrom across that state gather to discuss and de-bate the issues that matter to American youth themost. These conventions are usually held in ho-tels in large cities, last two to three days and at-tract as many as two thousand student delegates.Most people find these conventions to be one ofthe most exciting aspects of the Junior State.

Most of the Junior States put on three con-ventions each year. In the Fall, usually in Novem-ber, there are the annual Fall State conventions.Between January and February are the CongressConventions, also called Winter State in some ofthe states. Between April and May are the SpringState conventions where elections for next year’sJunior State officers are usually held.

The Fall and Spring State conventions usu-ally focus on a wide variety of different activitiesorganized into time periods called “blocks”. Eachdelegate is free to attend the activities that (s)hefinds the most interesting each block. The activi-ties include debates, thought talks, simulations,panel discussions, mock trials and many more.The Congress Conventions or Winter States area simulation of the United States Congress wheredelegates attend as either Senators or Represen-

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The Junior State of America -- An Overview

tatives and debate legislation on the Senate andHouse ‘Floors’. During the evening hours, dancesand other social activities are held where del-egates can meet interesting and involved studentsfrom all over their state. Junior State conventionsare student run and all the activities, simulations,speakers and social activities are created, plannedand run by student leaders.

There are many things you can do to pre-pare your chapter for a convention to ensure thatthey get the most out of the experience. For sev-eral suggestions on this, please see the sectionon “Preparing your Chapter for a Convention”.

Chapter ActivitesThe most important activities in the Junior Stateare those that take place in the individual chap-ters. Chapter activities have always been and willremain the most effective way of reaching indi-vidual members and educating and involving them.Indeed, the chapter meeting is the very core ofthe Junior State experience. They are also theones over which you, the chapter leader, have di-rect control. In this sense, the greatest responsi-bility in the Junior State is not put in the hands ofthe Governors or Mayors, but left up to the indi-vidual Chapter Presidents. Chapter Presidentsare the most important leaders in the organiza-tion. It is ultimately up to you to determine thesuccess or failure of the Junior State program.

Running your chapter and your chapteractivities is so important that the majority of thisbinder is dedicated to its full explanation.

Junior State of America

Teacher/AdvisorsThe Teacher/Advisor is the backbone of

the Junior Statesmen program. The followingthoughts should help to define the Teacher/Advisor’s role. While some other high schoolgroups treat their faculty sponsors as glorifiedchaperons, JSA depends upon its Teacher/Advisors to insure the program’s educationalvalue. The organization’s emphasis on greaterinvolvement in public issues makes this rolemore demanding - and necessary. The JuniorStatesmen Foundation has found that the mostsuccessful Teacher/Advisors encourage theirchapter members to examine carefully all sidesof an issue. When the students make mistakes,careful counseling by the Teacher/Advisor canturn the mistakes into valuable learning expe-riences. The Teacher/Advisor’s active partici-pation is essential for a high quality chapter edu-cational program.

Before the role of the Teacher/Advisorcan be defined, there must be a basic under-standing of the Junior Statesmen program.

THE JUNIOR STATE OF AMERICA

The Junior Statesmen organization is aneducational program carried on in cooperationwith high schools. The organization’s motto is“Make Democracy Work”, and to implementits objective of cultivating good citizenship, theJunior Statesmen program emphasizes two ar-eas of education. First, it is concerned withfostering understanding of the American sys-tem of law and democratic government. Sec-

ond, the program emphasizes leadership train-ing, public speaking, writing, and parliamentaryprocedure - the vital skills of active citizenship.The organization is nonpartisan, nonprofit, non-sectarian, and nondiscriminatory.

Because citizenship experience can onlybe gained by active participation, almost all as-pects of the program are carried out by stu-dents. With a minimum of adult assistance,almost all lawmaking, communication, public-ity, convention arrangements, budget planning,and expansion projects are the responsibilitiesof the national, state, regional, and chapter gov-ernments, run by the students themselves.

The Junior State is organized on threelevels - chapter, region, and state. Thegrassroots of the organization is the chapter.Run by interested students, a chapter may beestablished in any public or private high schoolor in the ninth grade of a junior high school.After submitting a chapter constitution, turningin annual dues (taxes) and obtaining a charter,chapters are members of the Junior State.Through the state, regions, and chapters, stu-dents are provided with opportunities to developand practice qualities of effective leadershipwithin a democratic environment.

JSA chapters meet weekly, bi-weekly ormonthly and are the center of nonpartisan po-litical activity on their high school campus. Sev-eral times a year, chapters send delegates today-long regional conferences, and two to threetimes a year the Junior State holds weekend-long conventions.

THE JUNIOR STATESMENFOUNDATION

For over 60 years, The Junior StatesmenFoundation has helped sponsor and guide theJunior State of America program. It has theoverall responsibility of providing stability andcontinuity and maintains offices in Californiaand Washington D.C. With a full-time staff ofapproximately 20 professionals, the Founda-tion coordinates the nationwide program, as-sisting school administrators, Teacher/Advisors,state and regional officers and the general JSAmember.

The Board of Trustees is the governingbody of the Foundation and is composed ofpersons active in business, the professions,and public service. A majority of the Trusteeswere Junior State members in their youth.

The funds required to finance the servicesprovided by the Foundation are contributed byindividuals, corporations, foundations and otherorganizations committed to the objectives of theJunior Statesmen program. A small portion of

convention registration fees also help maintainthe national headquarters.

The Junior Statesmen Foundation ishere to help Teacher/Advisors. If you have anyquestions or need help or materials, please callour National Headquarters toll free at 800/334-5353 or our Washington D.C. office at 800-317-9338.

Junior Statesmen Foundation SummerSchools and numerous Symposia on local andstate government develop leadership skillsthrough specialized education in government,politics, written and oral expression, leadershipand ethics. The Junior Statesmen SummerSchool is held at Yale, Stanford, Georgetown,Northwestern and The University of Texas atAustin to give the students an opportunity tocombine classroom instruction with the “realworld” of everyday college life. Week-longSymposia are held at University of SouthernCalifornia and U.C. Davis in California,Princeton University in New Jersey, and at theUniversity of Washington and University ofTexas in Austin. Day-long Symposia are heldin several California counties.

THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER/ADVISOR

The Teacher/Advisor’s role is central inachieving JSA’s objectives.

Working with Administrators. One of themost important things a Teacher/Advisor cando is help the students gain the understandingand the enthusiastic backing of the schooladministration. The Teacher/Advisor shouldmake administrators aware of the educationalbenefits of the Junior Statesmen program. TheTeacher/Advisor should insist that the chaptercomply with school regulations on chapterfinances, convention permission slips andoutside speakers. He or she should be

prepared to advocate on behalf of the chapterwhen necessary.

Keeping Informed. The Teacher/Advisor willreceive copies of all major student publicationsand should read them as they contain impor-tant information on upcoming activities. Aboveall, the Teacher/Advisor should carefully readthe Junior State of America Handbook and thelonger Junior State Chapter Binder. These pub-lications have dozens of suggestions for chap-ter programs, membership recruitment, fund-raising, publicity, service club support, and jointmeetings with other chapters. We will not at-

and makes it easy to check the names to sendwith dues and for registration for conventions.

7. Keep an accurate list of all mem-bers with space provided for code marks fordues paid, trip permits, or any other authoriza-tions. (As a safeguard, it is important that anew Teacher-Advisor be acquainted with schoolregulations for school clubs and school trips.)

8. Be sure to have your chaptermembers debate conference and conventionissues at your own chapter BEFORE they par-ticipate at a regional conference or a state con-vention. This will give them a chance to learndebate procedures, practice persuasive think-ing, and understand the arguments on bothsides of the issue.

9. It is good to have joint meetingswith a nearby chapter or chapters. One chap-ter could put on a short debate. Another couldlead and informal discussion, also known as athought talk. Joint activities on local and com-munity issues can show parents and adminis-trators - and local politicians and communitygroups, the value of JSA as a political educa-tion organization.

10. Take as many members of yourJunior Statesmen chapter to a Regional Con-ference as possible, as soon as you can afteryou organize. This is an excellent way to kindleinterest.

11. Encourage your chapter mem-bers to sign up to debate at a regional confer-ence before they debate at a State Conven-tion. They will do a much better job at the statemeeting if they have debated resolutions in theirown chapter and at a Regional Conferencebefore they debate at a State Convention wherethe arguments are much more keen, more able,and often more competitive.

12. Encourage the chapter not tonominate its candidates for chapter office from

tempt to cover the above topics here, so pleaserefer to the Handbook or other sections of theChapter Binder for further information.

Some Specific Suggestions

1. The Junior Statesmen seeks totrain LEADERS for effective citizenship andservice to the nation and therefore, it is neces-sary that the local chapter attract members ofthe highest caliber.

2. A Junior Statesmen Chapter isonly effective if it includes students with diversepoints of view, and from all backgrounds. Theexcitement of JSA stems from the clash ofideas. The chapter’s membership should re-flect the racial and ethnic diversity of the entirestudent body of your high school.

3. Chapter activities should helptrain Junior State members to think critically andlogically and to express themselves well. Ac-tual training in public speaking would be highlyeffective in achieving this goal. Perhaps oneof the members of the faculty could give two orthree general talks to the entire chapter and dosome individual work at special meetings ofsmall numbers of chapter members.

4. See that all Junior State meetingsare well planned. Chapters should use parlia-mentary procedure. Agendas should be pre-pared in advance and distributed at the meet-ing.

5. Collect membership taxes at thebeginning of each school year for the entireyear. Throughout the year, as new membersjoin, their taxes should be collected and sentto the national office.

6. Obtain from your chapter’s Presi-dent an accurate list of all members and par-ents with addresses and telephone numbers.This is invaluable to the Teacher-Advisor, helpsthe members to keep in touch with each other,

the floor only. Nominations from the floor mayresult in snap nominations and election of weakofficials. The chapter might select a nominat-ing committee of strong members AT LEASTTWO WEEKS AHEAD OF THE ELECTIONwho, in consultation with the Teacher/Advisor,will recruit two strong candidates for each of-fice and present this report to the meeting.Additional nominations from the floor shouldalso be allowed.

13. Each year, every chapter shouldsend at least two or three students to a JuniorStatesmen Summer School or Symposia. TheJunior Statesmen programs are designed to de-velop effective chapter and Junior State lead-ers.

A chapter is no stronger than its Teacher/Advisor(s) and student officers. Since the Jun-ior Statesmen of America is an organization es-tablished to help young people understandAmerican ideals, and to train them for leader-ship in their communities, state, and nation, wewant to give them every advantage and all thetraining possible to make them efficient, hon-orable, and valuable leaders in governing ourdemocratic nation.

CONVENTIONS

The regional and state conventions areintegral parts of the Junior Statesmen program.Both the planning and running of a conventionare important leadership training experienceswhich the Junior Statesmen program, unlikemany other youth organizations, provides to itsstudent officers. The convention is an oppor-tunity to put into use the skills so carefully cul-tivated at the chapter level. Students who helprun the convention gain valuable leadership ex-perience.

It is the Teacher/Advisor’s responsibilityto encourage his/her chapter to become famil-iar with the basics of parliamentary procedure,techniques of persuasive debate, and the ne-

cessity for adequate preparation prior to theconvention.

It is with the realization that a Teacher/Advisor’s responsibilities are heavy that the fol-lowing suggestions are offered. Awareness ofand compliance with the convention rulesmakes the task of each individual much easier.Experience indicates that the Teacher/Advisors,student leaders and Foundation staff workingtogether -- under uniform standards -- can cre-ate a pleasant and favorable environment forthe serious work of the convention. The factthat we expect and achieve a markedly higherstandard of conduct than that of other youthgroups makes clear the value of these rules.

1. Each registrant must have his/herTeacher/Advisor’s permission to attend the con-vention. If you anticipate problems with an in-dividual student, deal with your concerns be-fore the student registers, by either refusingpermission to attend or discussing frankly yourconcern and making very clear the standardsof conduct you expect.

2. Each Teacher/Advisor is respon-sible for his/her students at all times during theconvention.

3. Teacher/Advisors should attendconvention activities with their delegations inorder to provide educational guidance.

4. Teacher/Advisors MUST PER-SONALLY CHECK IN each of their OWN stu-dents, in their rooms, at curfew time.

5. Teacher/Advisors should discusswith their students ahead of time the conven-tion rules, such as no smoking, drinking ordrug use, no room parties, no leaving theirrooms after curfew, attendance at all func-tions, no leaving the hotel without permis-sion, and the other rules listed on the JuniorState permission slip and convention registra-tion packets.

6. The students should be told thatthey are not to leave the premises where theconvention is being held after 8:00 p.m. unlessaccompanied by the Teacher/Advisor. At allconventions, all teachers and all students arerequired to attend a roll call or chapter caucus,generally at 8:00 p.m. We do this to be surethat everyone is safe and accounted for.

7. Any Teacher/Advisor at a JSAconvention should assume the responsibilitynot only for his own students but for any stu-dent who he or she sees misbehaving. Pleaseidentify the student who misbehaves and bringthe fact to the attention of their Teacher/Advi-sor or the Junior Statesmen staff. Report seri-ous problems immediately to the Foundation’sProgram Director at the event.

8. The Teacher/Advisors will meettogether at each convention for the purpose ofdiscussing changes and improvements, mak-ing suggestions for future conventions andsharing ideas for the development of a betterand more educational JSA program.

9. The maximum number of stu-dents accompanying each Teacher-Advisor isnineteen. Teacher/Advisor lodging is free ofcharge with a delegation of 3-19 students whenroomed in a twin room with another Teacher/Advisor. If your school policy permits, parentsor spouses of teachers may assist with super-vision provided that at least half of the supervi-sors are teachers from the school. For ex-ample, if a large chapter sends 95 delegates,they are required to send a minimum of fouradults. Junior Statesmen rules require that twoof these be teachers at the school, but the othertwo advisors may be school approved parentsor spouses.

10. Any student violating the rulesmay be sent home after notification of thestudent’s parents.

Conclusion

Teacher/Advisors are key to a chapter’ssuccess. On behalf of the Junior State ofAmerica and The Junior Statesmen Founda-tion, we thank you for volunteering your pro-fessional skills. If you have any questions orconcerns, we are here to help you. Please,call us at (800)334-5353 or (800) 317-9338.

The Junior State Chapter

The Junior State chapter is the mostfundamental and important part of the organiza-tion. The vast majority of the involvement andeducation this organization accomplishes takesplace at the chapter level. Junior State chap-ters can have a huge impact on the lives of highschool students and have an equally meaning-ful impact on their high school campuses andcommunities.

Junior State chapters are sponsored bytheir schools. They each must have a teacher-advisor and at least eight tax paid members.Junior State chapters hold regular meetings ona weekly or biweekly basis and conduct activi-ties such as debates, thought talks and simula-tions. Chapters attend Junior State regionaland state conventions. Chapters can increasetheir ability to educate and involve high schoolstudents by publishing newsletters, holdingcommunity discussions, running their ownconferences, inviting local officials and candi-dates, running school wide forums and muchmore. The goal of a Junior State chapter is tofoster political awareness and education amongthe students of their school and to encourageactive citizenship.

The next twelve sections of the chapterbinder are specifically designed to help you withthe tasks of running a chapter. The toolspresented here combined with strong dedicatedleadership can turn your Junior State chapterinto the center of political awareness andeducation for your school and community andbring the students of your high school some ofthe most valuable and important lessons theywill learn.

The Ideal Junior State Chapter

It is hard to define what makes theperfect Junior State chapter. A chapter that isdoing the best possible job of educating, involv-ing and representing the youth of their schooland community is living up fully to the goals ofthe organization. There is no chapter thatcannot find some way of improving its effective-ness, so there is really no such thing as anideal Junior State chapter. Nevertheless, thefollowing guidelines were set up as a way ofchecking where your chapter may be lackingand where it is living up to most of its potentialas a Junior State chapter.

Leadership• as many people as possible are involved in

the chapter leadership• has a committed teacher/advisor• underclassmen hold leadership roles• officers attend all activities• officers delegate work• officers communicate with other chapters• planning takes place at separate officers’

meeting• boring stuff is kept to a minimum but

dealt with thoroughly

B -1

Communication• members are informed of chapter, regional,

and state activities• a chapter phone tree is established• Chapter President is in contact with state &

regional officers• Chapter President is in touch with state &

regional Chapter Affairs official• Chapter President is in contact with other

Chapter Presidents in area• Chapter Presidents and officers talk

regularly with their teacher-advisor

Conventions & Conferences• brings a large delegation to all conventions• attends mini-conferences & regional

one-day conferences• finds transportation for all members• reduces cost for overnight conventions

by fund-raising

Community Involvement• attends school board and city council

meetings• gets members working on political campaigns• holds voter registration drives• invites politicians to come speak• becomes involved in community issues• encourages student activism on all

sides of an issue

Activities• maintains interest of chapter members• activities vary every week

debates on current hot issues debates on perennial JSA topics thought talks guest speakers debater/moderator workshops take part in school issues mock trials impromptu speaking contests teacher debates

• holds political activities to involve members letter-writing campaigns mock elections voter registration drives

• involves the entire school in politics• includes and plans activities with other clubs• has good publicity for activities including

signs, posters, and articles in the highschool newspaper

• has effective membership drives• has successful fund-raisers• has social “bonding” events for chapter

members• holds a mini-conference• has inter-chapter activities

Maintaining Chapter Interest• has a chapter newsletter and chapter

calendars• publishes articles in the school newspaper• varies activities and involves other chapters• only meets when there is something planned

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Running a Junior State Chapter

The job of running a Junior State chapteris not an easy one. Strong chapters can takeyears to build. This binder was written to makethe job of running a Junior State chapter a littlebit easier.

The following sections of this binderspecifically deal with running a Junior Statechapter. You’ll find numerous time-testedmethods for building a strong, vibrant andoverall successful Junior State chapter. Youmay not need all the information in here -- someof it may not apply to your chapter, some of ityou may already know and some of it may noteven work for your chapter. Use these sectionsas you wish -- as a step by step guide or anoccasional reference. However you decide to

make use of it, we hope you will find it helpful inimproving the overall quality of your chapter.

Remember that Junior State officers andthe Junior State office are always there to helpyou with problems and offer you advice. Turnto them whenever you cannot find what youneed in this text. And don’t forget that yourteacher/advisor has a wealth of experience. Inthe end, whatever works for your specificchapter is what you should do, and what youthink you should do may be the best adviceanyone can offer you.

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Starting A Junior State Chapter

chair, counselor, principal or activites directormay be able to help you. Some teachers mayfeel they have too little time to devote to theorganization. Emphasize that it is a student-runorganization and most of the work will be doneby you and the other student leaders of thechapter. Review the Junior State Handbookand skim through the Chapter Binder withpotential teacher/advisors and suggest that theycontact the Junior State office for any additionalinformation and assistance.

Step Three:Organize a Founders’ Meeting

Call a well-planned meeting of all inter-ested students to organize your chapter. This“Founders’ meeting” should include yourteacher/advisor and three or four people whowill help you put the chapter together.

Step Four:Get Approval From Your Administration

Talk with your principal and director ofstudent activities. Get their approval for theproposed chapter as an extra-curricular activity.Once sold on the value of the Junior State,administrators can be very helpful and will oftenbecome strong supporters of the organizationonce they see what it can accomplish and dofor the school.

Do not make the mistake of trying towork around your administration. Many chap-ters have been hampered by principals andother administrators who did not understand theJunior State. Become familiar with schoolpolicies, rules, and procedures — whose ap-proval you need, how to get equipment or aplace to meet, forms that need to filled out. Onmost campuses, new clubs must submit theirchapter constitution for student governmentapproval.

Step Five:Get Support from Student Government

Approach your student government offi-cials with your proposed chapter. Get their

If your school does not currently have aJunior State chapter, this section is for you.Starting a Junior State chapter requires pa-tience, dedication and hard work, but therewards are tremendous. A successful JuniorState chapter can bring political education andinvolvement to an apathetic high school campusand have a huge effect on many individuals’lives.

This section gives you a step-by-stepprocess that you can follow to put together aresponsive, active Junior State Chapter. If youhave any questions or problems starting achapter at your high school, contact the JuniorState National Headquarters at 1/800/334-5353.

Step One:Contact the Junior State Office

Contact the Junior State National Head-quarters to obtain copies of the Junior StateHandbook, a tax form, and current literaturethat describes the organization and upcomingevents in detail. Use these materials when youexplain the program to interested students,teachers, and administrators at your school.Having printed material in hand makes it easierto describe and promote the program. Showthis literature to all of your friends, even if youthink they “wouldn’t be interested in this sort ofthing.” You might be surprised at their re-sponses.

Step Two:Find a Teacher/Advisor

Every chapter must have a teacher/advisor. Your teacher/advisor will accompanyyour chapter to conventions and attend chaptermeetings as well as offer valuable advice. Yourteacher/advisor is your link to the school admin-istration; teachers can help explain to youradministration exactly what your chapter isdoing. Make sure that he or she will activelywork with you and not just provide an officialsignature whenever one is needed.

If you are having trouble finding ateacher/advisor, your social studies department

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support as they are potential members and maybe a source of financial support. You will needa charter as an official extra-curricular activityand a student council that will look out for yourinterests when scheduling school-wide events.

Step Six:Look for Potential Members

Get other student leaders at your schoolinterested in the Junior State. Speak to govern-ment, speech, and history classes and tell themabout the organization. Approach the HonorSociety, Debate Team, Journalism Staff, ethnicclubs and other groups on campus. Ask yourteachers if they know students who would beinterested. Be sure to not only recruit one kindof member — aim for diversity. Remember, allstudents have opinions and can contribute toyour chapter, so try to get students of everytype to join. Getting rid of the idea that yourchapter is only for a certain type of student canbe difficult later, so it is best to achieve diversityin your chapter in its early stages. For a thor-ough look at chapter publicity, see the section inthis binder entitled “Publicity”.

Step Seven:Writing a Chapter Constitution

Writing a chapter constitution is a loteasier than it sounds. A sample constitutionand guidelines for writing an acceptable consti-tution can be found later in this section of thebinder as well as in the Junior State Handbook.If you like, you can copy the framework pro-vided there and refine it after your chapter isfounded. All constitutions must adhere to theFundamental Principles listed at the beginningof this binder and to any school rules.

The structure of your chapter governmentand the procedures you choose to adopt are upto you and the other members of your chapter.For a detailed description of how to write yourchapter constitution and the basic guidelinesyou must follow, please see the section belowentitled “Writing a Chapter Constitution”. YourChapter Constitution should be mailed to JSAnational office. Unless you hear back quickly,you can assume that it has been approved.

Step Eight:Organize your First Meeting

Call a well planned meeting of all yourpotential members. This meeting should bedesigned to promote your new Junior Statechapter and also get the chapter organized forthe year to come. Make sure that this meetingis interesting and productive so that potentialmembers can see that you are organized.

If you need assistance setting up this firstmeeting, contact the Junior State Office. JuniorState student officials from other high schoolsare often available to come to your meeting andrelate the Junior State experience. They canalso give you organizational tips and advice.You can contact these students through theJunior State Office.

Step Nine:Collect Taxes

Collect and send your annual state taxesof $3.00 per member to the Junior State Office.Send your ratified constitution to the JuniorState Office; remember to save a copy for yourrecords. Upon receipt of your taxes for at leasteight members, your chapter will be officially apart of the Junior State. Elect your chapterofficers and set up a chapter calendar ofevents.

Step Ten:Start Having Chapter Activities

Publicize the establishment and charteringof your chapter in school and community news-papers. Seek community support from organi-zations like the Kiwanis Club, Optimist Club,Rotary Club, Lions Club and the League ofWomen Voters.

Start recruiting chapter leaders for theyears to come. All of your work thus far will beworthless if the chapter disappears when yougraduate. Encourage underclassmen to attendJunior State conferences and to help in plan-ning chapter events. By training them now, youcan count on them to take over the chapterwhen you leave.

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CHAPTER PLANNING

Locate your Chapter’s DeficienciesRichard Chilton, a JSA leader in the

1960’s, identified some of the main defi-ciencies of Junior State Chapters. Doesyour chapter have any of these problems?

Lack of interesting things for yourchapter to do.

Lack of enough interested members toaccomplish anything.

Lack of knowledge of JSA activities on theregional and state levels.

Lack of knowledge of JSA’s goals, mis-sion, philosophy, history, andgovernment.

Lack of public speaking ability amongchapter members.

Lack of publicity or how to get it.Lack of money or knowledge of successful

fundraisers.Lack of long range planning.Lack of communication with state and re-

gional governments.Lack of records.Lack of cooperation between administra-

tors, teacher/advisors, and parents.Lack of knowledge concerning leadership

and administration.

Check off your chapter’s problems— don’t be ashamed to check all of them —and get going on solving them. This binderis designed to help you attack these prob-lems.

Your Power BaseYou, as a Chapter President, are an

elected public official. As such, you areexpected to be not just an administrator,but, more importantly, a leader. All leadersneed a “power base” in order to accomplishthings. Your power base will be the peoplein your chapter who you can count on to getthings done. This can be your chapter

officers or simply anybody interested inhelping out. Also, include your teacher/advisor, who often has the connections andthe know-how to help you.

Your first Chapter Officers MeetingAt the earliest possible time, we

suggest that you have a meeting with yourchapter officers and teacher/advisor. At thismeeting you should discuss your chapterand its future, along with your plans for theyear. Consider the following things:

Goals: The Junior State of Americawas founded with very specific goals inmind — to get high school students awareof and involved in the American politicalprocess. We strive to achieve this goal intwo ways: by conducting political educa-tion/awareness activities and by havingstudents run their own government. Thepolitical education activities give studentsan awareness of local, state, national, andinternational political issues. The student-run nature of the Junior State lets studentleaders develop an appreciation of thevalues and principles of a democracy.How will your chapter strive to meet JSA’sgoals?

Administration: You should decidewhat your administrative duties will includefor the year and how you intend to get themdone. Administrative duties include print-ing, chapter records, your treasury, a scrap-book for the E.A. Rogers Chapter of theYear Award, distributing flyers, etc. You andyour officers should decide at the beginningof the year who will be responsible forwhich duties. Will you need to appointcabinet members to help out? Try to makesure that there are jobs for eager under-classmen who want to help out. Also makesure that no one is burdened with too manyresponsibilities or impossible duties.

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Chapter Program: Most chaptershave never developed a good plan to guidetheir activities. It is, however, a great ad-vantage to have one, so that your chaptermembers and you know what is happeningand when. A good program responds to theneeds of your chapter members and yourschool community. Before you come upwith an overall program for the year, youmust evaluate these needs.

Creating your Chapter ProgramAs soon as you are elected, you and

your fellow chapter officers should beginplanning your chapter’s program. You willprobably want to plan your chapter’s pro-gram one semester at a time.

Psychology of a Program: Mostpeople join organizations for the followingreasons:

- Security and social acceptance- Personal growth and development- Accomplishment and achievement- Understanding of a subject- Recognition by peers- Self-expression- Sense of worth- Meet people and make friends

Nicolo Machiavelli, in his classic, ThePrince, maintained that there are two waysto preserve power. One is through fear andterror, the other is through keeping peoplehappy. Although Machiavelli preferred theformer, as a JSA political leader, you will dobetter by trying to keep your chapter mem-bers happy, so keep the above list in mind.If a member quits, it may be because JSAhas failed to meet one of the above require-ments for that person.

How to plan a program: Your pro-gram must fulfill the intellectual and socialneeds of your chapter members. Beforeplanning your program, analyze themakeup of your chapter membership.

Think about the following facts about yourchapter membership:

- Age- Number of chapter members- Their sex- General social habits- Political beliefs- Preferences in JSA activities- How well the members know each other

You want to have plenty of activitiesthat will satisfy your current members, butbecause JSA strives to reach all highschool students, you will want some activi-ties that will appeal to other members ofyour campus community. For example, ifyour chapter is made up of older, seasoneddebaters, you might find that holding de-bate workshops or informal thought talksmight appeal to freshmen and sophomoreswho don’t have much practice in publicspeaking. The tricky part of putting yourprogram together is balancing activities thatare popular with your current members withactivities that will attract new members.This will help diversify your chapter mem-bership and ultimately make your chapterstronger and more stable.

Have a meeting with your chapterofficers and other key chapter members toget ideas for your chapter program. Themore people in on the planning, the morelikely the program will have the wholechapter’s support. Don’t try to develop yourprogram by yourself, get as much input aspossible. Remember, every public officialneeds to be in touch with his or her con-stituents. Being a chapter president is nodifferent — if you assume that you alwaysknow what is best for your chapter, you maybe the only person at the chapter meetings.

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SAMPLE CHAPTER CALENDAR

Activities CalendarRiverdale High School Junior State of America Chapter

First Semester

Week 1 “What is JSA” Meeting, plus pizza party after school.Week 2 - Monday Business MeetingWeek 2 - Thursday Debate on Affirmative ActionWeek 3 Business MeetingWeek 4 Adult Speakers from the Democratic and Republican

PartiesWeek 5 Fund Raiser — Bake SaleWeek 6 - Thursday Debate Workshop & Arrange car pools for

Regional ConferenceWeek 6 - Saturday REGIONAL CONFERENCEWeek 7 Business MeetingWeek 8 Thought Talk on Aid to RussiaWeek 9 Pot Luck Dinner — Pre Fall State Meeting w/parentsWeek 10 - Sat. & Sun. FALL STATE CONVENTIONWeek 11 Business MeetingWeek 12 Question and Answer session with

School Board memberWeek 13 Business MeetingWeek 14 Holiday PartyWeek 15 VacationWeek 16 Softball game with rival chapterWeek 17 Business MeetingWeek 18 Mock City Council MeetingWeek 19 Business Meeting: Planning for next semesterWeek 20 End of Semester Party

This sample chapter calendar hasmany advantages. It is one semester longso that it can be evaluated and modified forthe second semester. Secondly, the bigevents are spaced out to allow adequatetime for planning, publicity, and for theparticipants to research topics. More impor-tantly, all the members don’t feel they areover burdened with too many events. Yourchapter’s leaders, however, should havethe dedication to meet at least once a week

— whether at a business meeting or partici-pating in one of the events.

What Activities to Include: There are manyactivities that can be included in yourchapter’s program. Literally, the possibili-ties are endless: speakers, films, debatesof all styles, seminars, simulations, fieldtrips, etc. An appendix is included in theback of the handbook to give you a fewgeneral ideas.

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General Planning: The following is alist of important considerations that shouldbe taken care of before putting on an event:

• Advance publicity to chapter membersand the rest of the school community.• A suitable meeting place• Confirming guest speakers and mainparticipants well in advance.• Refreshments, if appropriate.

In general, sitting down and writingout your program for the semester is halfthe battle. Once you’ve done that, it is easyto remain organized for the whole year.Don’t be afraid to be specific in planningyour program. Usually, you will have plentyof time to compensate for any setbacks.Distribute your calendar for the semester toyour chapter members so they will knowwhat to expect in advance.

Evaluating your program: When youmeet to plan the activity calendar for thesecond semester, evaluate your programusing the same criteria you used to developit. Try to learn from your mistakes.

• Did it meet the needs of your members?• Did it hold their interest?• Did it attract new members?• Was there a good balance of activities?• Was there any opposition from yourchapter?

• Was it too expensive for your members?• Did your program attract any reaction orsupport from your community?• Was it enjoyable?• Is your Teacher/Advisor interested andagreeable to your activities?• Did it attract any reaction or support fromyour school’s administration and faculty?

and, overall,

• Was your program constructive, educa-tional, and of value to the school and com-munity?

You might pass out evaluation formsto your chapter members to get their opin-ions and reactions. Go out of your way todo this, especially with members who havemissed the last few events. Evaluations letpeople know that you care about theiropinions and give them a sense that theyare involved in the planning. You will prob-ably get a good deal of constructive criti-cism which will help you plan better in thefuture.

Where to meet and when: Figuringout where and when to meet can factor intothe success of your activities. If you plan tohave lengthy meetings, they should be afterschool or at night. When scheduling, re-member to consider other demands forstudent’s time: school, homework, sports,jobs, other activities.

The Chapter and Your School

The chapter’s relationship to theschool is an all-important factor that youmust consider at all times. The school isthe base from which chapters operate. Notonly must you consider the chapter’s imageamong the student body, but also you mustthink about the chapter’s reputation with theschool administration. You must always

consider your relations with non-JSA mem-bers, your relations with the faculty, andyour relationship with the administration.

Relations with other studentsHow do students view JSA on your

campus? Is it considered to be an organi

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zation of briefcase carriers who have losttouch with reality? Is it an exclusive socialclique? Are you leftists, rightists, intellectu-als, or idiots? Is your chapter the “IN” clubon campus or is it “in” with the “out” crowd?The student body’s impression of the chap-ter is important to consider when you arepublicizing events and trying to increaseyour membership. All students at yourschool should feel like the JSA chapter isthe place to learn about politics and govern-ment and to express their opinions. Dothings which will identify your chapter as anactive and useful club.

Relations with teachersBecause the Junior State’s activities

are educational, you should try to make thechapter known to as many teachers aspossible. Let social studies teachers knowabout all of your events. History teachers,government/civics teachers, the journalismadvisor, and other social studies teacherscan be particularly helpful in spreading theword about your chapter’s activities. Someteachers may even offer extra credit to theirstudents who participate in your chapter’seducational activities. Having a goodreputation among teachers can be impor-tant if you need additional teachers toaccompany your chapter to overnight con-ventions. Holding a debate with two popu-lar teachers as the main speakers can be avery successful event. Your Teacher-advisor can be very helpful identifyingteachers who are influential at your school.

Relations with your school’sadministration

Whenever you plan an event, keepin mind your school’s administration reac-tion. Principals, Vice-Principals, and coun-selors can be phenomenally helpful orincredibly frustrating depending on theirview of your chapter. On one hand, youradministration can help your chapter withmeeting space, transportation, and some-

times even funding. On the other hand,your administration can prevent your chap-ter from fund raising on campus, going toovernight conventions, or even prevent theexistence of the chapter all together.

Never assume that your administra-tion will be antagonistic towards your chap-ter. You should meet with the principal orother administrator who is in charge ofclubs on campus. Let them know thathaving an active JSA chapter on campuscan enrich the school community and bringpride to the whole school. Tell them yourplans for the year and show them how yourchapter can benefit the entire student body.Remember to emphasize your chapteractivities on campus, not the overnightconventions — your chapter activitiesbenefit the campus while the overnightconventions represent more work andsupervisory issues for the administrators.

Some chapters involve administra-tors in activities. JSA chapters often be-come active in reforming school policy.Whether it be changing a dress code,opening up your campus at lunch time, oreffecting the editorial policy of your schoolnewspaper, your Junior State chapter canaffect school policy if you involve adminis-trators in the correct way.

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Organizing Your Chapter

How you choose to organize your chapter is largely up to you and your members.You may decide to follow the traditional structure of four elected chapter officers and a fewappointed cabinet members, or you may decide to try something slightly different. Thedecision is left up to you and your chapter members to decide based on what you want toaccomplish and how you want things to work. The following are just some pointers toassist you with building your chapter structure.

• Use your people and resources well

Try to take full advantage of theresources and people you have available toyou. Carefully look at each person andfigure out how their skills, talents and abili-ties could be best utilized by your chapter.If you have a member who is a fantasticwriter, find a way to have him/her write achapter sponsored column in the schoolnewspaper, or have that member be theeditor of your chapter newsletter. If some-one is particularly knowledgeable aboutcurrent events, have them work with debat-ers before speaking. If someone is anexcellent debater, have them coach yourless experienced debaters or run a debateworkshop for the chapter. Use everythingavailable to the best of your abilities.

• Work closely with your teacher/advisor

Your teacher/advisor is there to helpyou when needed and can be fundamentalto your chapter’s success. The Junior Stateis fundamentally a student-run organization,but chapters work best when their teacher/advisor is part of the planning and can helpwith advice. Your teacher/advisor can helpyour chapter reach new members, explorenew topics, and work with your school’sadministration. Chapters that minimizetheir teacher/advisor’s role often struggle tosurvive.

Student leaders should not neglectmundane duties and expect their teacher/advisor to handle them. Some schoolsrequire faculty members to handle certain

administrative duties - meet with yourteacher/advisor and administration to findout what things must handled by a facultymember and what can be handled by chap-ter officers.

Remember, your teacher/advisor isvolunteering time and energy to help yourchapter -- treat them well. Be sure thatyour teacher/advisor is consulted beforeany decision is made and before any meet-ings or programs are announced.

• Set out goals to guide your chapter

Setting out goals at the start of eachyear or semester can help guide yourchapter and its activities. Meet with a fewkey leaders to discuss what has gone rightand what has gone wrong with your chapterin the past. Formulate some simple andspecific goals that you want your chapter toaim for this year. Structure your chapteraround accomplishing these goals. Forinstance, a chapter might have very goodmeetings but low turnout and little recogni-tion on campus. This chapter might setbetter public relations as one of its maingoals and work specifically on thechapter’s publicity and bringing in moremembers.

Make sure that everyone knows whatyour chapter’s goals are and discuss themand how they are coming along throughoutthe year. At the end of the year, considerwriting up a brief report for future chapterleaders on what your chapter’s goals were.This will be very valuable to future leaders.

• Don’t make things unnecessarily com-plicated

Most of the things that a chapter triesto accomplish can be done with minimalamount of complication. Some chaptersthink that by setting up elaborate councils,boards of directors and other complicatedstructures, they will strengthen their chap-ter. They usually find that all they reallyaccomplish is confusing people and wastinga lot of people’s talents. A simple structurewhere responsibilities are clearly defined isusually the most efficient way to run achapter.

• Clearly define who is responsible fordifferent tasks

Running a chapter is a big responsi-bility and involves many different tasks.When a chapter doesn’t clearly define whois responsible for which tasks, accountabil-ity is lost and jobs are left undone. Clearlydefining who is responsible for the differentaspects of running your chapter will ensurethat all the necessary tasks get done andpeople are held responsible for their work.Compile a list of all the major tasks that thechapter must do. These may include plan-ning meetings, signing up participants,publicity, convention registration, financialrecords, fund-raising, running a chapterconference, taking minutes, publishing anewsletter and many more chapter relatedtasks. Then figure out from among yourchapter leaders who is best able to takecare of each. Be sure not to give too manyresponsibilities to one person -- no matterhow capable, an overworked leader willproduce inferior work.

• Don’t let titles get in the way of beingproductive

Each person in your chapter leader-ship will usually only have one job or title towhich they are assigned. However, eachperson will likely have many different skillsthat they can offer the chapter. Just be-cause the abilities of someone are not all

under their official title, is no reason toprevent them from using their skills to helpthe chapter. If your Director of Debate isalso a fantastic letter writer, have him/herwrite some important letters. If your chap-ter secretary is an experienced debater,have him/her help train those with lessexperience. Use the skills and resourcesyou have to the best of your ability -- don’tlet artificial titles and roles prevent that.

• Stick to your constitution’s guidelines

Remember that any power the chap-ter leaders have to structure their chapter isonly given to them by their chapter constitu-tion. When deciding how your chaptershould work, you must pay special attentionto the structures already stipulated in yourchapter constitution. If it states that certaindecisions must be made by a majority of allthe chapter’s members, you cannot makethat decision without their consent. Wellwritten constitutions usually are flexibleenough to allow for many structuralchanges from year to year to meet thechanging needs of a vibrant chapter. How-ever, if your chapter constitution limits whatyou can do, you must adhere to thoselimits. Changing your constitution can onlybe done by the process outlined in yourconstitution itself.

• Make things flexible enough to endureunforeseeable changes

Your chapter structure should besuch that it can survive a reasonableamount of change and turmoil. Makingthings unnecessarily rigid is asking forgreater difficulty when changes occur. Inthe course of a year, people may resign,your teacher-advisor may change, schoolrules may change, other clubs may formand much more. Creating your chapterstructure with enough flexibility to accom-modate such changes will ensure that yourchapter will be resilient when changes hit.

The DifferentParts of a J.S.A. Chapter

The Chapter PresidentThe Chapter President is ultimately

responsible for all the successes and fail-ures of the chapter. (S)he leads the chap-ter in all its programs and must stay on topof all activities. The responsibilities aregreat, but the rewards are greater, for it isunder the chapter president’s strong leader-ship that a chapter accomplishes its goalsof educating, involving and representing itsmembers.

The Chapter President must be aleader. (S)he must be able to make in-formed decisions that will lead the chapterin the right direction. At the same time, aChapter President must be a follower.(S)he must listen to what his/her memberswant and be responsive to their needs.

Chapter Presidents must be able todelegate. They must understand theirlimitations and recognize the strengths ofothers. They must have a solid and diplo-matic relationship with their school adminis-tration and have respect from both studentsand faculty at their school. They need tohave a trusting and honest relationship withtheir teacher-advisor and must be able toconfide in him or her without worry. Most ofall, Chapter Presidents must have thededication and devotion needed to leadtheir chapters through all times, both goodand bad.

Chapter Presidents serve as theofficial leader of their chapter and representthem when needed. In accordance withtheir chapter constitution, they may appointa chapter cabinet to help with the tasks ofrunning the chapter. Chapter Presidentsare responsible for seeing that high qualityeducational and social programs are run forthe chapter members. They must see thatmeetings are called regularly and that they

are high in both quality and attendance.Chapter Presidents call meetings to orderand preside over all business.

A Chapter President receives manymailings and phone calls throughout theyear with information that they must forwardon to their members. Chapter Presidentsmust see that their membership taxes arepaid and sent in. They also are responsiblefor registering their chapter members forstate conventions. At conventions, theChapter President sets the tone for goodconduct. Finally, a Chapter President mustsee that the other chapter leaders are welltrained.

The Teacher AdvisorThe Teacher/Advisor is an adult

advisor who oversees the activities of thechapter, provides adult supervision, attendsconventions with students and helps thechapter in numerous other ways. Teacher/advisors in general understand that theorganization is student-run and that theyare there primarily to take care of issuesthat an adult must handle and to provideadvice. However, successful chaptersusually find that involving their Teacher-Advisor in officer meetings and decisionmaking can add a new perspective andmake the chapter even more successful.

At the chapter level, teacher-advi-sors should be involved in all the decisionmaking processes of the chapter. YourTeacher/Advisor should be included in allgeneral meetings, officer meetings, chapterconference meetings, and other meetingswhere important decisions are made.Chapter leaders should talk all ideasthrough with their Teacher/Advisor for anadditional perspective before acting.Teacher/advisors also usually sign school

forms such as PA Announcements andprovide a classroom where the chapter canhold its meetings. If the chapter is holdinga chapter conference, the Teacher-Advisorserves as the adult supervision for the day.

Teacher/Advisors can also be veryhelpful in dealing with school administra-tions, parents and other teachers. If youare having difficulties gaining support fromyour school’s administrators or other teach-ers, your Teacher/Advisor may be able togive suggestions or speak with them di-rectly. A letter to parents from a ChapterPresident and Teacher/Advisor before aconvention can make many parents feelmore comfortable.

At conventions, teacher/advisorsserve as supervisors for their delegates.They are expected to register their chapter,help enforce curfew, provide educationaladvice to chapter members, keep theirdelegates at convention activities at alltimes, and at times assist The JuniorStatesmen Foundation in general conven-tion supervision. If discipline problemsarise at a convention, the Teacher/Advisoris expected to work with The Junior States-men Foundation staff to handle it. A Chap-ter President and Teacher/Advisor shouldstay in close contact during conventionsand work closely together to keep things inorder.

Chapter Presidents should not beafraid to appropriately use their Teacher-Advisor for advice, ideas and support. Atthe same time, chapter leaders must becareful not to place too many responsibili-ties on their Teacher/Advisor -- especiallyresponsibilities that a student leader couldhandle. Chapter Presidents must assumeresponsibility for keeping their Teacher/Advisor excited about the chapter. Theycannot assume that their Teacher/Advisorwill keep the momentum going -- it is astudent-run organization and these sorts ofresponsibilities rest on the student leaders.Neither should Chapter Presidents expect

their teacher-advisors to remind them to dothings or of upcoming deadlines. Rather,Chapter Presidents should remind theirteacher-advisors of deadlines and whatthey need them to do for the chapter.

Chapter Presidents should see theirTeacher-Advisor as a partner -- a vital teammember -- in running the chapter. This canbe difficult when most students are used toseeing their Teacher-Advisor as theirteacher. Creating a dual relationship -- oneas teacher-student and one as partner-partner -- can be a real challenge, but bytalking openly and honestly with yourTeacher/Advisor, this sort of relationshipcan be created.

Elected Officers

• The Vice President

The Vice President serves next inline to the Chapter President. (S)he isexpected to assist the Chapter Presidentand take over if there is a vacancy in thePresidency. The exact responsibilities ofVice Presidents vary greatly from chapter tochapter but may include overseeing cabi-net, planning and running meetings, chap-ter relations and many other tasks. VicePresidents are usually elected.

• The Treasurer

The Treasurer is responsible for allthe financial matters of the chapter. (S)hemust manage the chapter’s bank account, ifone exists, and should keep careful recordsof all financial transactions. The Treasurermakes sure that school policies, relating toclub finances are followed. The Treasurershould be someone intelligent, meticulousand trustworthy. Many smaller chaptersfind that the actual work involved in the jobis little enough that it is simpler for theChapter President to handle it. The Trea-surer may be either elected or appointed

depending on the chapter constitution.

• The Secretary

The Secretary has responsibilitiesthat fall under two main categories: record-ing and corresponding. Some chaptershave so much work in each of these areasthat they appoint two separate secretaries --a recording secretary and a correspondingsecretary. The tasks of recording includetaking minutes at chapter meetings (bothgeneral and officer meetings), distributingminutes, writing up plans and summaries ofactivities and proposals for people to lookover. The corresponding tasks includewriting letters to chapter members, parents,Junior State leaders, and other chapters.Secretaries may be either elected or ap-pointed depending on the chapter constitu-tion.

Chapter Cabinet

The chapter cabinet is the enginethat runs the chapter. Chapter cabinetmembers may be appointed or elected.The chapter’s constitution should distin-guish which positions are appointed andwhich are elected. Under the leadership ofthe Chapter President, both appointed andelected cabinet members must work to-gether to ensure that the goals of the chap-ter are met and the programs well ex-ecuted.

The chapter cabinet is the ChapterPresident’s greatest tool. They will eitherenhance or diminish the ChapterPresident’s actions. The chapter cabinetand Chapter President must have a solidrelationship -- tensions between the twocan greatly hurt an otherwise strong chap-ter. When selecting appointed cabinetmembers, a Chapter President should go toevery possible extent to ensure that themost qualified and devoted individuals areselected.

There are no limits on the possible

positions for your chapter cabinet. Somerestrictions may be set up in your chapterconstitution, but other than that, it is up tothe chapter leaders to determine what willwork best for the chapter that year. Someof the common positions are describedbelow. Few chapters have all of thesepositions and many chapters create posi-tions not listed below. These are simplydescribed to give you an idea of some ofthe common chapter cabinet positions thatmany chapters have had.

• The Chief of Staff

The Chief of Staff is usually onlynecessary for big chapters with big chaptercabinets. The Chief of Staff is the ChapterPresident’s right hand person and servesas a link to the chapter cabinet. (S)he isusually considered the head of the chaptercabinet under the President. The Chief ofStaff may write memos to the cabinet, runand plan cabinet meetings, assign tasksbased on the Chapter President’s plans,and generally coordinate the jobs of theentire chapter cabinet.

• Debate Director

The Director of Debate for the chap-ter is in charge of running the chapterdebate program. (S)he must schedule andplan debates in coordination with the otherchapter leaders. The Debate Director mustfind debaters, help train them, find modera-tors and ensure that the debates are highquality and educational. (S)he may alsowant to run debate and moderating work-shops throughout the year and help preparepeople to participate in debates at confer-ences and conventions. The Debate Direc-tor should be knowledgeable and skilled inJunior State debating and should be able tohelp and comfort those less experiencedwith debating. Debate Directors are usuallyappointed; although ,they may be elected ifspecified in the chapter constitution.

• Publicity/Membership Director

The Publicity Director oversees allpublicity for the chapter. (S)he should havea firm sense of the chapter’s strengths, thecampus environment, and how the chaptercan best appeal to the students at thecampus. A good Publicity Director shouldbe willing to put in a great amount of workto ensure that a positive image of the chap-ter is spread around campus and aroundthe community. (S)he must understandhow best to use such tactics as PA An-nouncements, posters, banners, fliers,handouts, telephone calls, newspaperarticles, coordination with other clubs, letterwriting, individual invitations and personalrecruitment to enhance the chapter’sstrength and diversity.

• Chapter Conference Coordinator

For chapters holding chapter confer-ences it is usually a good idea to have oneperson to oversee the chapter conferenceplanning efforts. This person should beable and willing to work with all the chapterleaders involved in the conference planningefforts. (S)he should spearhead the effortbut not completely control it, as a chapterconference is an event for the entire chap-ter. Chapter Conference Coordinators areusually appointed sometime after the chap-ter has determined that it will have a chap-ter conference. For a much more detaileddescription of the Chapter ConferenceCoordinator and his/her responsibilities, seethe section in this binder on running achapter conference.

• Social Activity Director

The Social Activity Director sees thatthe chapter maintains a social side in addi-tion to the regular educational activities.(S)he should work closely with many of theother chapter leaders to ensure that thesocial activities are a part of the entirechapter program and not separate entitiesunto themselves. Perhaps the greatestchallenge for the Social Activity Director is

to see that the social activities are in someway educational and that they do not hinderthe overall educational goals of the chapterprogram. Social Activity Directors areusually appointed but may be elected ifspecified in the chapter constitution. For amore extensive look at the challenges andgoals of social activities in the chapter, seethe section of this binder on social activities.

• Fund Raising Director

The Fund Raising Director is forsome chapters the most important cabinetmember. The Fund Raising Director plans,schedules, and runs the chapter’s fundraising efforts for the year. For a chapter inneed of money for chapter events and toattend conventions, the work done by thiscabinet member is indispensable. (S)hemust be able to understand the strengthsand weaknesses of all types of fund raisersand figure out which ones will best work forhis/her chapter. (S)he must also be able tomotivate people to participate in fund rais-ing. Fund Raising Directors are usuallyappointed but may be elected if so speci-fied in the chapter constitution. For a morethorough look at fund raising techniquesand challenges, see the section in thisbinder on fund raising.

• Chapter Historian

Some chapters have one personsolely dedicated to keeping a history of thechapter and its events. Such a personshould be creative and understand thevalue and importance of having lastingrecords of chapter events, problems andissues. The Chapter Historian should workclosely with the Secretary in keeping accu-rate and complete records of all the chapterevents. These records can be an invalu-able resource to future chapter leaderswhen planning chapter events and facingsimilar problems in years to come.

The Historian may also want to takephotographs of chapter events and collectother chapter items in a chapter scrapbook.

Each year, at the Spring State conventions,the Ernest A. Rogers Chapter of the YearAward is given to the best chapter based onteacher advisors and staff evaluations oftheir chapter scrapbook. Chapter Histori-ans are usually appointed but may beelected of so specified in the chapter con-stitution.

• Newsletter Editor

For chapters that wish to have achapter newsletter, having one person tocoordinate it is important. This persongenerally should have final say (next to thePresident) over the content and style of thechapter newsletter. Newsletter Editorsshould be knowledgeable about and in-volved in the chapter and should be able towork with all sorts of different people. Theyshould work closely with the Chapter Presi-dent, Secretaries and Publicity Directors.Newsletter Editors are usually appointedbut may be elected if so specified in thechapter constitution.

• Other Officers

In the states with State Assembliesor Houses of Representatives, each chap-

ter must select one or more people to serveas chapter representatives in either theAssembly or House. The exact rules forhow many representatives each chaptergets vary from state to state but are usuallybased on the chapter’s membership. Usu-ally these people are elected by the mem-bers of your chapter, but in some situationsthey may be appointed. For more informa-tion on these positions, contact your StateSpeaker, or Lt. Governor, or the JuniorState office.

When appointing cabinet members,a Chapter President should take a lot oftime to make sure that (s)he is selectingonly the best possible people. These arethe people with dedication, knowledge,experience and enthusiasm. Cabinet mem-bers work well with others, can deal withauthority, can delegate when need be andcan appeal to and motivate groups ofpeople. Remember the cabinet representsthe chapter and gives the chapter its image,therefore diversity should be a goal inselecting the cabinet. Whether the selec-tion process is done by application, inter-view, or by another method, it is essentialthat the Chapter President understand howthese decisions are important.

Being a Leader in YourChapter

Being a leader is difficult. It involvesmany skills that do not come naturally toeveryone. The following section describesmany techniques that successful leadersuse to lead effectively. These are importantconcepts and skills to understand and usewhen leading a Junior State chapter andshould be understood by all the leaders inyour chapter.

Making DecisionsThere are innumerable decisions

that need to be made to run a chapter.From what topics to debate to how to publi-cize to when to hold a chapter conferenceor membership drive, every decision isimportant and the overall success of thechapter is dependent on the quality of yourdecision. There are a few guidelines youshould consider when making decisions.First of all, one bases decisions on the

information you have. By increasing theamount of information you have, you in-crease the likelihood of making a gooddecision. You should therefore involve asmany people as possible in making yourdecisions. The more people involved, themore ideas and solutions presented andthe greater the chances that you will makea good decision. Ultimately, your chapter’sstrength rests largely on its diversity, andthe more people involved in every decisionthe more diversity you will incorporate intoyour chapter’s workings.

Next of all, don’t be greedy overcontrol. No leader can have every decisiongo as (s)he thinks it should. A good leaderknows which decisions to let other peoplemake and which decisions to make him/herself. If you hog control, you will likelylose it. Try to have your decisions reflectwhat your members’ interests are. Theyare the ones who put you (either directly orindirectly) in power and they are the oneswhose wishes you should reflect. Next, dowhat you feel is best for the chapter in thelong run. Don’t think only of next week,think of next month and of next year. Adecision that makes everyone happy rightnow may in the long run not be the wisest.Finally, remember that you are the leader.What you feel is best for the chapter isultimately what should be done. Try toreflect what your members’ want, but if youfeel strongly that some decision is best forthe chapter, make that decision. You arethe leader, and you are ultimately respon-sible for the chapter.

Setting GoalsSetting clearly defined, reasonable

goals may be one of the most neglectedpractices of many chapter leaders. Havinga chapter work towards something with aclear purpose inspires people to put in theirbest and to persevere even when things getdifficult. Setting these goals at the begin-ning of the year is best. Base them on thestrengths and weaknesses of the chapter

the year before. Also take into consider-ation the wants and needs of the chaptermembers -- having your goals reflect themembers’ desires will mean more supportfrom them. That is your next challenge --gaining support from them. Convince yourkey chapter leaders that the goals -- theagenda for the year -- is the direction thechapter should be heading. Convince yourleaders, then convince members. Speak toyour chapter about the goals, how theywere created and how they will be reached.Gain widespread support for them.

Throughout the year, look back onyour goals, and determine if you are indeedworking toward them. Evaluate yourchapter’s progress and then find ways inwhich your chapter can improve even more.Consider setting new goals part waythrough the year once you have seen whathas and has not worked. Don’t just letthese goals slip by the wayside and neverbe seen again. By constantly reaching forsomething higher, your chapter will be adynamic, optimistic, stronger unit.

DelegatingThere are many responsibilities

involved in being a Chapter President. Theability to delegate is crucial to the role ofChapter President. Finding competentleaders you can trust and knowing whatassignments to give them are the keyelements to delegation. Who works hard?Who volunteers for more responsibilities?Who always comes through for you? Findthese leaders and use them when you havejobs that you cannot do yourself. A goodChapter President can and will trust otherleaders with many tasks.

Most people will feel valued andeven honored that they are being givenextra responsibilities. Once you havedelegated out work, stay on top of yourleaders’ progress. Hold them accountablefor what they accomplish. Don’t give extraresponsibilities to the leader who does a

bad job or finishes after a deadline. Re-ward those leaders who work hard.

Assuming ResponsibilityFor many, the most difficult idea of

being a leader is responsibility. The ideathat you are responsible for all that yourchapter does or does not do might seem abit scary. Being Chapter President meansthat all actions of your chapter are yourresponsibility. You are responsible for themat conventions, you are responsible forthem on campus. As Chapter President,you cannot defer to a higher authority -- youare the highest authority within the chapter.You may feel that you can always count onyour Teacher-Advisor -- and you definitelycan -- but in a student-run organization it isultimately the student leaders who mustassume responsibility for the actions of theorganization.

Making MistakesAs a chapter leader, you must as-

sume responsibility for yourself as well.When you make a mistake, you must takeresponsibility for it. Every leader will atsome point make mistakes. When you do,do not feel too badly. There has not been aleader in history who has been flawless.The important thing is how you deal withthem once you make them. People willhave greater respect for you if you assumeresponsibility for your mistakes, admit thatyou made them, and try as hard as you canto fix them. Never cover them up or blamethem on someone else -- attempts to covermistakes up almost always fail, and you willwind up looking much worse and losing alot more of your members’ trust and re-spect. Admit you made them, take respon-sibility for them, fix them, learn from themand move on. When people see that youdo not repeat them and that you continue toput all your effort into leading the chapter,they will likely forgive you and trust you veryquickly.

Avoiding Power StrugglesOne of the problems with structure in

a chapter is that different people assumedifferent levels of responsibility and that noteveryone has the power and control thatthey would like. This tension often mani-fests itself in power struggles betweenleaders who would otherwise be workingproductively towards the same goals. Doeverything you can to avoid power strugglesin your chapter. Don’t let them developbetween leaders and yourself, and try toprevent them from happening among otherleaders.

Power struggles are extremely de-structive -- a chapter needs unity to reachits full potential. Most power strugglesresult in both sides losing. The key thing todo is to compromise. Leaders cannot betoo strong willed or nothing will ever beaccomplished. Be the one to back downfirst if you think you can. Don’t let juvenileinstincts make you the “loser” just becauseyou are willing to compromise. In the end,you will actually wind up the winner forbeing willing to compromise. If a struggledevelops over an issue that you feel is ofparamount importance, you may feel youcannot in good conscience give in on thatpoint. It is then your responsibility to con-vince your opposition of your side. If youhonestly feel so strongly about something,you should be able to convince other lead-ers of it as well. Don’t force someone tosupport it by intimidating him/her. Convinceyour opposition by rationally and logicallyconvincing him/her of your points. If youropposition sees that you are willing tocompromise and really consider theirpoints, they are much more likely to do thesame for you. Also, keep in mind the wholetime the possibility that you are wrong andyour opponents are right -- after all, if theyfeel so strongly that they are correct, theymust have a good reason.

Chapter leaders must remember thatthe goal is not to win a victory for yourself

but to win one for the chapter. If you areproven wrong but the right decision is madefor the chapter, you have all won in the end.If this is the case, don’t be resentful or holdgrudges -- be glad that the chapter has thestrength of having a group of leaders withdiverse opinions and that in the end theright decision has been made.

Gaining SupportOne of the greatest skills in being a

good leader is learning how to set anagenda or vision for the chapter and gainsupport for it. This has been discussed inrelation to setting goals, making mistakesand avoiding power struggles. If you areChapter President, you should have avision for your chapter. That vision shouldbe accomplished by the many goals youhave set for your chapter. Now not every-one in your chapter may agree with you.While you should listen to everyone andtake everyone’s thoughts into considerationwhen setting your goals, in the end youmust be able to gain support for whatevervision and goals you lay out.

There are numerous ways to con-vince people of your ideas. Show themfacts that back up your plans. Discuss whathas and has not worked in the past. Ex-plain why you think your plan is best. Inbuilding up support, more important thanwhat to do is what not to do. Never forcesomeone to agree with you by convincinghim/her that (s)he is the only one who feelsthat way. Singling people out or creating abandwagon of supporters may very well getpeople to support you on the outside butnot in their hearts. You need supporterswho honestly agree with what you have tosay and do not simply give you their sup-port because of social pressure. You needto honor and respect the single"objectioner" -- the one person with enoughcourage to stand alone against the chapterleader -- and discuss it with him/her andsee if you can agree with one another. Thisis the art of compromise and debate and

they are the most fundamental skills ofstatesmanship.

Creating Win/WinSituations

There is a natural tendency to thinkthat all struggles must result in a winnerand a loser. One of the skills of being agood leader is recognizing that this is notalways the case. Many times, the bestsolution to a conflict is one in which bothparties win -- a win/win situation. These aredifficult to create, but in the end well worththe effort. The key to creating win-winsituations is communicating and compro-mising. Write out the points of each plan orperson’s ideas and then compare. On howmany points do you really disagree? Andon which points is the other person’s ideaactually better? On which points does theother person see your points and agreewith you? By breaking down two differentplans into their individual pieces and reallyanalyzing them together, you may very wellfind that you really don’t disagree on all thatmany points. Those points on which you dodisagree must be negotiated and workedout. It may be a long process, but the valueof coming to a mutually agreeable plan andnot leaving either side with lingering resent-ments makes compromising worth theeffort. For a plan to be well executed, itshould have the support of the chapterleaders.

Time ManagementAnother huge problem for many

chapter leaders is finding time to do every-thing and still have time for schoolwork,other interests, family and a glimpse of asocial life. Therefore, managing one’s timeeffectively is crucial to being a good leader.There are a few key things you can do tohelp with time management.

First of all, delegate. As discussedbefore, all good leaders must learn todelegate. If someone else can do some-thing just as well as you can and is willing

to, why shouldn’t they help you? Save yourtime and energy for those tasks that youfeel you are best at.

Second, use small pieces of time asefficiently as possible. They are often yourkey to effective time management. The fiveminutes before a class starts can mean afew less math problems left to do at homeor a little bit of Junior State work out of theway. Twenty minutes at home before goingout again may seem like the perfect time tokick back, but it may also be the time to jotdown a quick memo to your chapter cabi-net. These little pieces of time can add upvery quickly and can be the key to effectivetime management.

Third, get into the habit of takingthings in small steps. A huge homeworkassignment may be too much to handle allat once, but can be done in a smalleramount. Work for your chapter is thesame. You may have twelve little thingsyou need to do for your chapter one night.Altogether it may seem impossible and youmay just put it all off indefinitely. However,taking care of five may only take a fewminutes. Once five are done, the whole listmay look a lot more approachable.

As tempting as it may be, try not toprocrastinate. Jobs left for later only getbigger and seem more and more over-whelming. Get into the habit of pretending

deadlines are before they really are, andalways be ahead of the game instead ofbehind. You never know when somethingwill come up that you really want or need todo, and that little bit of extra leeway willcome in handy.

You should also get into the habit ofprioritizing things. Keep an organized list ofall the things you need to do and prioritizethem based on how important or urgentthey really are. If you absolutely cannot geteverything done, at least make sure you getthe most important things done. Althoughyou may expect to hear this from yourparents, not from the Junior State, alwaysput your schoolwork and your family needsahead of the Junior State. JSA is importantbut other things are as well.

Don’t feel guilty about taking sometime off for yourself. While it may makelittle difference in the long run if you spenda twenty minute afternoon break relaxing ordoing some schoolwork, you do need timefor yourself. Time spent relaxing and enjoy-ing yourself will let you use your workingtime much more efficiently and prevent youfrom ‘burning out’. Finally, concentrate ashard as you can on your task at hand. Finda place to do schoolwork and Junior Statework where you will have as few distrac-tions as possible. The more effectively youuse your working time the more time youwill have for other things.

Special Circumstances

Religious SchoolsSome chapters at religious schools

may run into special rules. Sometimes theschool administration will not allow certainissues to be discussed or debated. Thereare plenty of political issues that your chap-ter can grapple with without violating therules of the school. The important thing toremember when leading a chapter at a

religious school is to not create unneces-sary tension between you and the adminis-tration. Most religious school administra-tions will be very cooperative with a JuniorState chapter if they simply follow a fewrestrictions. A chapter that purposefullyviolates these restrictions is going to losethe support of the administration and maysuffer greatly because of this. Your

teacher/advisor should help you understandwhat restrictions your school has.

Some religious schools will only letstudents attend a convention if they will beable to attend religious services at theappropriate times during the convention.Additionally, some religious schools may beconcerned that there will be no way forstudents to adhere to their religion’s dietaryrules while at the convention. The JuniorStatesmen Foundation staff has helpeddelegations with providing space for specialservices, finding nearby services thatstudentscan attend and helping to arrangespecial meals for students. Before givingup on the idea of attending conventions,call The Junior State Headquarters.

Junior High SchoolsSome Junior State chapters are

started at junior high schools, schools onlygoing up to the ninth grade. These schoolsface a problem in that only their ninth gradestudents can attend overnight conventions.These chapters frequently find that theycan get students of all grade levels involvedin the meetings and excited about theJunior State. These students will then bethe chapter’s top leaders when they reachthe ninth grade. Many junior high school

chapters also find that they can set up asort of symbiotic relationship with the localhigh school. A stronger and more estab-lished high school chapter can usually offera junior high chapter advice, support andeven joint activities.

Boarding SchoolsHaving a chapter at a boarding

school can be a real benefit to the campus.Many of the problems a regular chapter hasare eliminated at a boarding school. Forone thing, communication and organizingmeetings are much simpler; everyone is oncampus and can be easily reached. Aleadership meeting can be called on rela-tively short notice and memos delivereddoor to door. Publicity can also be mucheasier. Chapter meetings can be held atmany more different times without worryingabout transportation.

An important thing to keep in mind ismaintaining a good relationship with yourschool administration. Administrations willalmost be always willing to help an organi-zation that is willing to cooperate with them.You may have certain restrictions that youneed to adhere to, but frequently many ofthe problems can be worked out if youmake an effort to cooperate with yourschool administration.

The Chapter and Your School

The chapter’s relationship to the school is an all-important factor that you mustconsider at all times. The school is the base from which chapters operate. Not only mustyou consider the chapter’s image among the student body, but also you must think aboutthe chapter’s reputation with the school administration. You must always consider yourrelations with non-JSA members, your relations with the faculty, and your relationship withthe administration.

Relations with otherstudents

How do students view JSA on yourcampus? Is it considered to be an organi-zation of briefcase carriers who have losttouch with reality? Is it an exclusive socialclique? Are you leftists, rightists, or politi-

cally diverse? Is your chapter the “IN” clubon campus or is it “in” with the “out” crowd?The student body’s impression of the chap-ter is important to consider when you arepublicizing events and trying to increaseyour membership. All students at yourschool should feel like the JSA chapter isthe place to learn about politics and govern-

ment and to express their opinions. Dothings which will identify your chapter as anactive and useful club.

Relations with teachersBecause the Junior State’s activities

are educational, you should try to make thechapter known to as many teachers aspossible. Let social studies teachers knowabout all of your events. History teachers,government/civics teachers, the journalismadvisor, and other social studies teacherscan be particularly helpful in spreading theword about your chapter’s activities. Someteachers may even offer extra credit to theirstudents who participate in your chapter’seducational activities. Having a goodreputation among teachers can be impor-tant if you need additional teachers toaccompany your chapter to overnight con-ventions. Holding a debate with two popu-lar teachers as the main speakers can be avery successful event. Your Teacher-advisor can be very helpful identifyingteachers who are influential at your school.

Relations with yourschool’s administration

Whenever you plan an event, keepin mind your school’s administration reac-tion. Principals, Vice-Principals, and coun-selors can be phenomenally helpful orincredibly frustrating depending on their

view of your chapter. On one hand, youradministration can help your chapter withmeeting space, transportation, and some-times even funding. On the other hand,your administration can prevent your chap-ter from fund raising on campus, going toovernight conventions, or even prevent theexistence of the chapter all together.

Never assume that your administra-tion will be antagonistic towards your chap-ter. You should meet with the principal orother administrator who is in charge ofclubs on campus. Let them know thathaving an active JSA chapter on campuscan enrich the school community and bringpride to the whole school. Tell them yourplans for the year and show them how yourchapter can benefit the entire student body.Remember to emphasize your chapteractivities on campus, not the overnightconventions — your chapter activitiesbenefit the campus while the overnightconventions represent more work andsupervisory issues for the administrators.

Some chapters involve administra-tors in activities. JSA chapters often be-come active in reforming school policy.Whether it be changing a dress code,opening up your campus at lunch time, oreffecting the editorial policy of your schoolnewspaper, your Junior State chapter canaffect school policy if you involve adminis-trators in the correct way.

Writing a Chapter Constitution

All chapter constitutions must followthe Fundamental Principles listed in thebeginning of the Chapter Binder and JuniorState Handbook. They also must follow allschool regulations and guidelines. Allchapter constitutions must include thefollowing:

Preamble:State the purposes and goals of your

chapter.

Name:State the name of your chapter.

Membership:Indicate how you become a member

(be sure that your chapter is open to every-one).

Officers:Decide what officers your chapter will

need. Some chapters use traditional titlesof president, secretary, etc., and otherspattern their titles after local government.List your officers, specify their duties, andstate how they will be selected.

Activities:Specify how often the chapter will

meet, how meetings are called, and whoshall preside.

Writing your chapter constitution canseem at first like an overwhelmingly largeand complicated task. A good piece ofadvice is to not get hung up on this task atfirst. The sample constitution given latercan be slightly altered and used very easilyas your chapter constitution for a while.Once you have established chapter leader-ship and structure, you may want to hold aseries of meetings in which you rewrite yourconstitution in a more specific and finalform.

When writing your constitution, youshould remember that you are free tostructure your chapter however you feel isbest as long as you adhere to the basicprinciples of democratic government. Thetraditional four elected officers and a hand-ful of appointed cabinet members shouldwork fine for you. Structuring your chapterand writing your constitution is, in a way,your first real experience working withpolitics and government in the Junior State.Through careful planning of your chapter’sstructure and drafting of your chapter con-stitution, you can gain a real appreciationfor the founders of groups, organizationsand nations throughout history.

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Amendments and Ratification:Describe how the Constitution can

be adopted and amended.

You should include a lot of peoplefrom a lot of different backgrounds in thewriting of your chapter constitution. Includ-ing a diverse group of people with differentpoints of view will make your constitutionmuch stronger. The United States Constitu-tion was built on a series of compromises,and it is often said that it is these compro-mises that have made it survive over two-hundred years. A chapter constitution thatincorporates the opinions and ideas ofmany different people will be all the morelasting because of it.

You should not be too rigid in de-scribing your chapter structure in yourconstitution. While you want certain thingsto be very clear and precise, you mustrealize that in order for a constitution to lasta long time, it must be flexible enough towithstand changes in people and surround-ings. Each new Chapter President maywant to change the structure of the chapterslightly and should not need to rewrite theconstitution in order to do so. Make yourconstitution lenient enough that it will en-dure many different obstacles and othersituations.

One might say that the best constitu-tions are those whose writers not only seethe current problems but also foresee futureproblems with the chapter. Think very

clearly about how you want things to work,which things should be left up to eachyear’s leaders, and which things you wantto remain constant. What problems is yourchapter likely to face in the future, and howcan your constitution minimize the toll theytake on your chapter? Your chapter consti-tution is one of the only things that will staywith your chapter longer than you will. Areally good constitution may stay around fordecades, if its authors are insightful enoughto see what problems the chapter mightface in the future.

Before writing your constitution, youshould check with your school leadershipand administration on their guidelines forclubs. Some schools have certain rulesthat all clubs must adhere to. You shouldmake sure to follow any guidelines yourschool may have. They frequently mayalso require a copy of your club’s constitu-tion to keep on record before consideringyour club an official school club and givingyou such privileges as access to schoolpublicity and meeting rooms. In general itis a good idea to inform your school leader-ship and administration that you are found-ing this club, what you are doing and why todemonstrate that you are a real club thattakes itself seriously and wants to succeed.Initiating good relations with your schoolleadership and administration is essentialas you never know when you are going toneed them for something or when you willbe able to do something to help them.

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SAMPLE CHAPTER CONSTITUTION

Constitution of the Valley High SchoolChapter of the Junior State

PREAMBLE

We, the citizens of the Valley High School Chapter of the Junior State, in order toachieve high standards of citizenship, improve out understanding of democraticprocesses, develop responsibility in the individual, and promote involvement incommunity affairs, do establish this organization.

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this organization shall be “The Valley High School Chapter of theJunior State”.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP

Membership will be granted to all students who have paid their annual membershiptax and are attending Valley High School.

ARTICLE III: OFFICERS

Section AAny student may run for office provided that the person is a chapter member

in good standing.

Section BThe officers shall be elected by secret ballot at the second to last meeting of

the elected term. The candidate receiving a majority of votes cast shall be declaredthe winner. If no candidate received a majority, the candidate receiving the fewestvotes shall be dropped from the ballot and a new election shall commence. Theprocess shall continue until a candidate receives a majority of the votes cast.

Section CThe term of the officers shall start June 1 and end the following May 31. In

the case of a vacant position, the President may appoint a replacement with theapproval of a majority of the chapter. If the President resigns or is impeached, theVice President becomes President.

Section DThere shall be four (4) elected officers:

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1. The President is the chief executive officer of the chapter and is responsiblefor representing the chapter at all events. The President will preside over all meet-ings and be a members of all committees. (S)he is responsible for running thechapter’s educational program. The President may appoint other officers as theneed arises.

2. The Vice President assists the President and becomes President if there is avacancy in that position.

3. The Secretary will keep minutes of all the meetings. The Secretary will recordand maintain all chapter records.

4. The Treasurer will be in charge of all financial matters of the chapter. TheTreasurer will collect monies and keep records of members attending state andregional Junior State events. The Treasurer will prepare a financial report ready atall chapter meetings.

Section EAny officer may be removed by a two-thirds vote of chapter members present

and voting, provided that notice has been given that this motion will be considered.

ARTICLE IV: ACTIVITIES

Section AThe chapter shall meet a minimum of twice a month during the school year.

Meetings may be called by either the President or the Teacher-Advisor.

Section BAll meetings shall be run according to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Re-

vised Edition.

ARTICLE V: AMENDMENTS

This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the chapter mem-bers.

ARTICLE VI: RATIFICATION

This constitution shall take effect upon ratification by a two-thirds vote of themembers of the chapter and upon the approval of the Junior State Governor.

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C-1

Chapter Meetings & Meeting Activities

CHAPTER MEETINGSThis section of the binder on chapter meet-

ings and meeting activities is by far the most im-portant. Chapter meetings are the very core ofyour chapter -- the vast majority of chapter eventsare chapter meetings. Most J.S.A. members' firstimpression of the organization comes from achapter meeting. J.S.A. members spend moretime at chapter meetings than at J.S.A. state con-ventions or regional conferences. Good chaptermeetings are the foundation of a successful chap-ter. The quality of your chapter meetings shouldbe the highest priority of every chapter leader.

Chapter meetings should never be called

just to fill time or because you feel obligated tohave one. There should be a purpose behind ev-ery meeting. Few things turn people away fromthe Junior State faster than leaving a meeting feel-ing like it was a waste of time. A purpose must beestablished before a meeting can be planned. Asuccessful meeting will fulfill its purpose and keepmembers interested.

This section of this binder first discusseshow to plan and run chapter meetings. Later, thesection goes into the details of how to run debates,thought talks and other meeting activities.

Business Meetings & Activity Meetings

Most chatpers divide their meetings intotwo distinct types: business meetings wherechapter officers and members go about planningand running the chapter; and activity meetingswhere chapters hold political awarenessdiscussions, debates and other activities. Usually,during a meeting that is designated primarily foran activity, some business items are discussedand dealt with quickly before or after the mainactivity.

Small or medium size chapters have foundsuccess alternating their weekly meetingsbetween business meetings and activity meetings.Larger chapters with a strong core of officers holdweekly activity meetings and schedule separatemeetings with the chapter officers and teacher/advisor to take care of pressing chapter business.

Business meetings focus primarily onplanning and organizing the next activity meeting,fundraiser, trip to a JSA convention, ormembership drive. The top chapter officers andthe teacher/advisor must be at these meetings.Use this time to decide on the next chapter activity,choose the main participants and give them timeto prepare, assign publicity duties, and settle onthe agenda for the next meeting. It is importantthat the chapter officers and teacher/advisor are

always on the same page and are organized andready when running activities.

At the meetings that center around anactivity, try to keep the amount of business downto a minimum. If people are expecting a debate,they are not going to appreciate spending half themeeting deciding who will make posters for thenext meeting or how to find a location for anupcoming car wash. Business that must behandled at the meeting should be kept short,exciting and simple. All chapter members shouldhear about upcoming events like JSA overnightconventions and one day conferences. Passingout brochures for these major events and tellingmembers how to sign up to participate arebusiness items that create excitement.

Most of the business should be handledbefore your activity for two main reasons. First ofall, by the end of the meeting, your members areless likely to concentrate on what is beingdiscussed. Secondly, if the business takes longerthan expected, it is easier to cut short the activitythan to postpone necessary business. You maywant to leave such things as upcoming eventannouncements for the end since they take littletime and will be best remembered if last.

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When discussing business issues, try tokeep the number of different speakers down to aminimum. Make sure each person speakingknows exactly what they are discussing and whenthey are up. Have them each person prepare what

they are going to say and don’t let anyone rambleon without a point. If you lose your audience’sattention now, you will have a difficult time gainingit back for your activity.

Preparing for a Chapter Meeting

Before doing anything at all for a chaptermeeting, you must ask yourself one question: Whyare we having this meeting? Is it just to fill time?Is it just so we can say we have regular meet-ings? Or is it because we have something wewant to accomplish -- some purpose in holdingthis meeting? If your answer is anything but thelast one, you need to keep searching. Chaptermeetings should be held with a purpose in mind,not just because you want to have a meeting.

ActivitiesMost chapter meetings center around an

activity such as a debate, thought talk or guestspeaker. Chapter business may be taken care ofbefore or after the activity, but the majority of thetime is spent on the activity. The purpose of thistype of meeting is to discuss and learn about acertain issue with the chapter. Having a chapterprogram (see the section on “Chapter Planning”)can give each meeting the purpose of fulfilling alarger goal.

Once you have decided the purpose of themeeting, you should decide how exactly you willfulfill this purpose. Will you learn about a topicthrough a debate or a thought talk? Should youinvite a guest speaker instead? Do you prefer totry something completely different and original?Different types of chapter meetings, how to runthem and other suggestions are covered in thissection later on.

When to hold the meetingNext, you must decide when to hold the

meeting. Most chapters hold regular weekly orbiweekly (every other week) meetings during lunchor right after school, but you need not limit your-self to these times. Decide what times you thinkwill work best for your chapter members and willdraw the largest audience. Lunch times often work

well since students are usually at school then any-way, but lunch meetings often are too short to havea decent debate. After school meetings offer moretime, but you may lose some attendance frompeople who prefer to go home than hang aroundschool an extra hour or so. If another time willwork out well, then try it. Take other school activi-ties and club meetings into consideration whendeciding on a time. To keep things simple, it isusually a good idea to have regular chapter meet-ings at a specific time on the same day each week.If you feel the need for a change from your regularmeeting time, make sure that the new time is very,very, very, well publicized.

Where to hold the meetingNext you must find a suitable place to hold

your chapter meeting. Most chapters find thattheir teacher/advisor’s classroom is the best placeto hold the meeting. Some larger chapters usetheir school auditorium or gymnasium. Be care-ful not to select a location where there will be toomany other distractions. In general, it is a goodidea to hold most of your chapter meetings at thesame place so that people will always know whereto go and be able to find it. However, the occa-sional change of location, if well publicized, canadd variety.

Teacher/Advisor, SchoolAdministration & Transportation

Teacher/Advisors and chapter officersshould decide on chapter meeting times and lo-cations together. You cannot have a meeting with-out your teacher/advisor or another facutly repre-sentative. You may also need to clear the meet-ing with your school administration if you are plan-ning a large event. Make sure they understandwhat the meeting is and what it will accomplish. Ifyour meeting is scheduled for sometime out ofregular school hours, or if it is being held some-

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where other than your school, you need to arrangefor transportation to the meeting as well. Carpoolswill usually work best.

PublicityYour next step in preparing for a chapter

meeting is publicity. Publicizing is indeed one ofthe single most important factors in determiningthe success of the meeting. A well publicizedmeeting will bring in a large crowd full of diversityand enthusiasm while a poorly publicized meet-ing will flounder due to lack of participation. If youhold weekly meetings, start publicizing the meet-ing and the topic for an activity at least a week inadvance. For a thorough look at methods of pub-licity, see the section in this binder on publicity.

The Meeting AgendaNow the time comes to actually plan out

the meeting. What are we trying to accomplish?What activity do we want to hold? What busi-ness must we take care of first? Are there anyevents we should be publicizing? These are thequestions one must ask in planning out the meet-ing. Once the issues that need to be dealt withare laid out, you need to come up with an agenda.An agenda is a ordered list of all the items that themeeting will address. Chapters that consistentlydistribute agendas for their meetings find that theyrun more smoothly and more efficiently. A sampleagenda for a meeting may look something like this:

University High School Junior State Chapter

Chapter Meeting AgendaMonday · October 24

I. Call to Order

II. Distribution of minutes from last meeting

III. Reports from officers

IV. Evaluation of last activity

V. Discussion of upcoming events

VI. Activity: Debate on same sex marriages

VII. Distribution of fliers for events, newsletter, etc.

VIII. Financial Matters (collect taxes, conventionregistration and permission slips, etc.)

IX. Adjournment - Announce date, time, location and topic for nextmeeting

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This may seem like a lot to cover in a chap-ter meeting, but most of the items on this agendacan be handled very quickly. If the meeting wasscheduled to last a half hour, the first five itemscould be handled in less than ten minutes, leav-ing twenty minutes for the debate and the last fewitems. If there is a great deal of business to takecare of, such as preparing for a convention orchapter conference, you may want to call a purelybusiness meeting where you won’t need to rush.

It is a good idea to plan the agenda at acabinet meeting with your teacher/advisor beforethe chapter meeting itself. With everyone’s inputyou are less likely to forget things (i.e. upcomingevents) and the agenda is likely to be of higherquality. Additionally, if the chapter leaders are in-cluded in the planning of the meeting, they aremore likely to actively participate in it and help keepit orderly and productive. Chapter meetings arethe core of your chapter and they should be theproduct of all the chapter leaders working together.

EquipmentIf you need tables, chairs, podiums, mi-

crophones or any other special equipment, ar-range for it well in advance. Most school cam-puses have one person who oversees the use ofmany of those things and can usually arrange fortheir use fairly easily if given proper notice. Lastminute arrangements usually fall through.

LiteratureNext, you should prepare and publish any

literature necessary for your meeting. If you willbe holding a debate, distribute some backgroundinformation or a J.S.A. debate brief on the topic. Ifyou are inviting a speaker, distribute a biographyof the speaker or background information on thecause or organization the speaker represents. Ifyou are holding a thought talk, distribute a ques-tionnaire on the issue being addressed to getchapter members thinking about their own opin-ions.

Whatever type of activity it is, a well pro-duced handout will add to the discussion, givethe meeting a professional style, and make it moreproductive. Prepare, proofread, and publish yourhandouts a few days before the meeting to pre-vent last minute problems. If you plan to distributeevaluation sheets, now is the time to make them(see the section on evaluating chapter meetings).

RefreshmentsIf you are planning to offer (or sell) refresh-

ments at the meetings, start making arrange-ments early. Inexpensive snack foods can givethe meeting a relaxed, inviting atmosphere. Foodhas a way of attracting new people who may cometo your meeting for the first time just to chow downbut return subsequently to participate in the excit-ing activities. Consider selling food such as cook-ies or drinks at the meetings as a fund-raiser.

J.S.A. Meeting Today!J.S.A. Meeting Today!J.S.A. Meeting Today!J.S.A. Meeting Today!J.S.A. Meeting Today!

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At The Chapter MeetingArriving Early

The chapter president and other officersshould try to arrive at the room a few minutesearly. Make sure that everything is in order andthat all necessary equipment is there. By beingthere first, you will make it clear that you are lead-ing the meeting and that you are the one in charge.Welcoming people as they arrive gives the meet-ing a nice feel. Say hello and introduce yourselfto new or prospective members as they arrive.

When to Start the MeetingIt is best to wait a short while before start-

ing the meeting. If the meeting is scheduled forlunch or after school, people need time to leaveclass, go to their locker and use the restroom. Ifenough time has passed and many people arestill not there, start without them. If you alwayswait for everyone to show up, people will arrivelater and later, whereas if a person is late to ameeting they are much more likely to show up ontime to the next meeting. If many people are miss-ing, you may choose to leave important businessfor when more people are there.

Calling the Meeting to OrderUsually, the Chapter President calls the

meeting to order even if someone else will bemoderating/leading the activity. Be sure to startthe meeting off right. It should be upbeat and ex-citing. Starting the meeting off by reciting somememorized lines in a monotone voice about howglad you are that they could attend will not con-vince the audience half as well as a dynamic, ex-citing speaker getting up there and putting somereal thought and energy into what is said. Keepyour opening remarks brief. Avoid starting withan apology or announcement. Get their attention,talk about the activity and then move on to anynecessary business.

Keeping the Audience’s AttentionRunning a chapter meeting can be a very

difficult task. From the very beginning of the meet-ing you have many different demands on you andthe constant burden of competing with everythingelse for your audience’s attention. Newspapers,food, daydreams, and even homework are all fight-ing with you for your audience’s attention. Your

meeting needs to remain more interesting thanthem. Once you have lost their attention to some-thing else, it is difficult to get it back. Therefore,every aspect of a chapter meeting must beplanned and orchestrated ahead of time. Peoplemust know when they are expected to speak andabout what. Fliers and forms that need to be dis-tributed need to be easily accessible. Any sign ofconfusion and disorder will lose your audience’sattention and hinder the meeting.

Parliamentary ProcedureJunior State meetings in general are held

using a system known as parliamentary proce-dure. Parliamentary procedure is a system forrunning effective meetings using motions andvotes to handle decisions. This system maintainsorder while still allowing people to voice their opin-ions. Parliamentary procedure may seem intimi-dating at first, but it is not all that difficult once youget the hang of it.

While debates at conventions and confer-ences stick to parliamentary procedure very strictly,many chapters find that they can relax the rulessomewhat during their debates and run the busi-ness parts of their meetings more informally.Having people raise their hands when they wishto speak and voting on simple decisions can workvery well for the business parts of meetings.Chapters that find their meetings end up too dis-orderly may want to try appointing a parliamentar-ian to help enforce some parliamentary procedure,or a sergeant-at-arms to help keep a large audi-ence quiet and orderly during a meeting. Mostchapters find that there is an appropriate amountof parliamentary procedure that helps their chap-ter meetings run smoothly.

The rules and mechanisms of parliamen-tary procedure that the Junior State follows arelaid out in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revisedand are summarized in the Junior State Modera-tor Handbook.

Being in Touch with your AudienceWhen leading a meeting, try to be percep-

tive to your audience. If their reactions are mak-

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ing it clear that they are not happy with what isgoing on, work with them to change that. If theyare angry that you are dealing with too much busi-ness and they want to move on to the activity, ex-plain to them why you need to take care of thebusiness and make it as short as possible. Youneed your members to enjoy themselves at yourmeetings.

Taking MinutesChapters may want to get into the habit of

taking minutes at meetings -- both general meet-ings and cabinet/officer meetings. Minutes serveas a record of what was discussed and what wasdecided and can be valuable for future reference.Be sure to appoint someone -- your recordingsecretary if you have one -- to take minutes ateach chapter meeting. Type them up and passthem out at the start of the next meeting.

It is a good idea to look over the agendafor the meeting beforehand, so you have a feel forwhat is going to be discussed. The agenda andminutes are different. Minutes are what was dis-cussed, not what was supposed to be discussed.

Before the meeting starts:1. Write down the time, location & title of the

meeting.2. Write down everyone who is present includ-

ing their positions, unless the atten-dence is very large.3. Write down who is leading the meeting.

During the Meeting1. Write down every main point & who said it.2. Write down people’s reactions or rebuttals

to each main point.

3. Write down what the consensus or vote ofthe group is on each point.Depending on the intensity of the meeting,

good minutes will probably be roughly 1-2 linesfor every minute that the meeting runs. (That isroughly one page every twenty minutes.) If youare writing much more than that, you are probablygoing into more detail than necessary. If you arewriting less than that, you are probably not includ-ing enough details.

After the Meeting1. Summarize concisely in a few paragraphs thetopics discussed and the decisions made. (Youmay want to go over this with the person who ledthe meeting.)

2. Hand the minutes over to the Chapter Presi-dent or other person in charge of collecting or pub-lishing them.

3. Put a copy of the minutes in a permanent file.

Activity EvaluationsHolding some sort of evaluation at the end

of your chapter activities is an excellent way toimprove upon them and better meet the needs andwants of your chapter members. This is espe-cially true with new or controversial meeting ac-tivities. A printed handout is usually the best wayto go. In advance, make some sort of brief ques-tionnaire that addresses the key issues on whichyou and your chapter leaders want feedback. Makesure to bring enough copies to the meeting.

A sample evaluation may look like this:

Chapter Activity Evaluation

1) Did you enjoy the activity? Why or why not?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2) How much and what did you learn from the activity?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3) Did you find the topic(s) interesting?___________________________________________

4) What would you have done differently if you were planning the activity?__________________________________________________________________________

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Note that an evaluation like this can beused for several different types of events includ-ing trips and other non-meeting type activities. Youmay want to use the same form for all your meet-ings, or you may want to print up a specific onewith specific questions for individual activities.

After collecting the evaluations, you shouldgo over the results and discuss them with thechapter leadership either at a regular chapter of-ficers meeting or at a special evaluation meeting.You should include your teacher/advisor in theseimportant discussions. You may want to have thechapter leadership and teacher/advisor write abrief summary of the strengths and weaknessesof the meeting based on the evaluations for futurereference. (Chapters can often learn a great dealby looking at what has and has not worked in thepast.) You may also want to have your chapterleadership and teacher/advisor answer a few otherquestions such as:

1) Did the activity attract new members?2) Was anyone turned off from JSA by the

meeting?3) Did the activity cause any problems for

your school administration?4) Did the activity attract any reaction or

support from your community?5) Was the activity too expensive for any of

your members? (If there was a fee)

6) Was the activity constructive and edu-cational or of value to your school andcommunity?

Your chapter leadership and teacher/ad-visor should then discuss the things that are go-ing well with the chapter meetings and those thatare not. Make a list of both and keep it in yourchapter files. Looking back at problems of thepast can often give you a real sense of how muchyour chapter has managed to accomplish andgive you hope when things seem difficult.

Take the list of problems and discuss pos-sible solutions to each. Figure out how importantthe proposed changes are and how much workeach one will take. Rank the changes accordingto their importance and ease of accomplishing,and start working on them. If your meetings arenot publicized enough, appoint someone to lookinto possible new methods of publicity. If peoplefeel your activities are covering too narrow a rangeof topics, plan a few activities addressing some-thing very different. Whatever the problems are,fix them. Just solving one problem at a time canmake huge changes in your chapter strength overseveral weeks. Whatever you do, make sure touse your evaluations the best you can -- they areyour key to improving your chapter.

a brief summary of how the chapter voted on theresolution (many people find this very interesting).If it is a larger event or on a particularly controver-sial topic, try to have a member of your schoolnewspaper staff write a full article and see if oneof your local community papers will cover the eventin some detail. If you were able to take pictures ofthe event, send copies with a simple press re-lease.

Finally, you need to sit down with yourchapter leaders and teacher/advisor and discussthe meeting. Did it go as planned? Were there

After the Chapter MeetingAfter a chapter meeting there are a few

final things you should do to finish up. First of all,always remember to thank any guest speakersand other participants in the activity. Adults shouldbe thanked in writing promptly after the meeting.Student participants in the meeting can be thankedin person although a written letter to students con-tributing an exceptional amount may be greatlyappreciated.

Second of all you should try to get cover-age of the event in your school or local newspa-per. If it was a regular debate, you may just have

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any major problems? What went really well?What could have gone better? If you had studentsfill out evaluations, discuss their comments indetail. Decide what changes should be made fornext time (any meeting, no matter how good, can

be improved upon) and decide how you will imple-ment them. Finally, take a moment to be proud ofwhat you have accomplished, and then start plan-ning for your next meeting. The work of a chapterleader never stops.

Chapter Meeting ChecklistAs you prepare for a chapter meeting, all of the following questions and items should be ad-

dressed approximately in this order.

Before the meeting...

purpose for the meetingwhat sort of activity will be heldwhen will you hold the meetingwhere will you hold the meetingclear the meeting with your teacher/advisorclear the meeting with the school administrationpublicize the meeting as much as possiblearrange for the use of chairs, tables, microphonesprepare any literature and written evaluationsarrange for refreshmentsprepare the agenda

At the meeting...

arrive early to make sure room is readyassign someone to take minutes (especially of business)call the meeting to order (president or other leader)follow the agenda / run the meetingkeep business shorthold the audience’s attentionremain in touch with their reactionsevaluations of the meetingdismiss the meetingclean up room

After the meeting...

thank any guest speakers or other participantstry to have the meeting covered in a local or school newspaper (especially any votes

on important issues)evaluate meeting with chapter leaders and teacher-advisordecide what changes should be made for your next meetingstart planning for your next meeting

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Chapter ActivitiesWe have now discussed how to run a

chapter meeting from start to finish, but we havenot yet discussed the actual activities that mostchapter meetings center around. Any type of po-litical awareness activity can be the core of yourchapter meeting. This section discusses pos-sible activities you may want to hold.

Advance planning is the key to runninggood meetings. Meetings planned the night be-fore are not as good as ones that are thought outahead of time. Ideally, you should start preparingfor a chapter meeting at least two weeks in ad-vance. Assuming you are holding weekly meet-ings, this gives you the meeting the week beforeto publicize the next meeting, ask for help and re-cruit participants.

Variety is also important in planning meet-ings. Many chapters find that experimenting witha variety of formats and topics keeps membersinterested and excited. Remember that not ev-eryone will like each topic. One meeting may borea member, while the next one may fascinate thesame person. A wide variety of topics along withconsistent high quality and excitement in yourmeetings will keep your members coming back.

Many chapters find that having a long termplan for their meetings, such as a series explor-ing some problem from different angles, gives theirchapter a greater sense of excitement and pur-pose. Some suggestions for long term planningand balancing your chapter meetings are dis-cussed at greater length in the section on devel-oping a Chapter Program.

The Most Common Meeting ActivitiesThought Talks

Thought talks are an excellent way to ad-dress an issue without the formality of a debate.In a thought talk, more people get to speak, al-though usually in less depth. Many less experi-enced speakers may also feel much more com-fortable speaking at a thought talk where there arefewer rules, and one generally does not need togo to the front of the room or take questions.Thought talks lend themselves to topics wherethere is no clear cut division between two sidesbut rather many different ways of looking at it.

Guest SpeakersInviting guest adult speakers to your high

school campus can be one of the most educa-tional ways to address an issue. Make sure thatspeakers know they will be speaking to bright,politically aware high school students -- you don'twant speakers to talk down to your audience orgo over their heads. Sometimes it is difficult tofind an appropriate speaker to address certainsubjects. You want someone who is engagingenough to keep the audience's attention and knowl-edgeable enough to converse on the subject withconfidence. Remember to select a chapter mem-

The most typical chapter meetings are de-bates, thought talks, and guest speakers; how-ever, there are no real limits on the variety andcreativity you can have with your meetings. Be-low is a brief description of a few of these com-mon activities and some suggestions on whenthey might be right for your chapter. A few of themore difficult ones to run are explained in greaterdetail later in this section.

DebatesA debate is the most common activity

chapters hold. In a debate, several people get toexpress in some depth their opinions on a certaintopic. For issues that students feel passionatelyabout, the chapter debate can be the best way toexchange ideas and educate one another whilestill maintaining order. Some newer chapter mem-bers may feel a bit uncomfortable speaking dur-ing the more formal debate atmosphere. Mostchapter debates differ from debates at conven-tions and conferences in terms of how long theylast and in their degree of formality. Chapters mayalso try alternative styles of debates such asCross-Fire and Cross-Examination debates.

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ber to introduce the speaker and be sure that theyprepare the introduction in advance.

Problem Solving ForumsProblem Solving Forums are like thought

talks where the focus is on proposing some solu-tion to a given problem. Problem Solving can beexcellent for issues where everyone agrees some-thing is wrong but just differ on how to go aboutfixing it. For example, a problem solving forumwould not work well for the death penalty, sincethere is no “problem” there, just different opinionson whether or not it should be allowed. A problemsolving forum on rising crime rates would workhowever. Then, administering the death penaltycould be a proposed solution to the problem. Ofcourse, for a complex problem like crime, doz-ens of solutions may be proposed. Frequently, a"plan" to address the problem will be proposed,debated, and adopted.

Mock United NationsHolding a Mock United Nations session is

a great way to explore a current international is-sue. Your members will gain an appreciation forhow world leaders solve an international crisis.The main participants should be willing to researchtheir assigned countries thoroughly and keep ontop of world events. Mock U.N. sessions take agreat deal of organizing, so make sure your chaptermembers are excited and willing to participate. Amock U.N. Security Council, which has 15 mem-bers, may be more feasible than simulating theGeneral Assembly which has well over 100 mem-ber states.

Mock TrialMock trials are a great

introduction to the judicial pro-cess. Many of your memberswill be intrigued by the judicialissues, but may not know verymuch about the judicial systemand courtroom procedure. Youshould extend a mock trial over several meetingsin order to completely act out the case. Althoughonly a few main participants are needed (two law-yers, a judge, and a defendant), try to include morechapter members as witnesses and jury mem-bers. Although covered briefly in the next section,to run a mock trial you should send to JSA officefor ready-made mock trial packets.

Impromptu Speech ContestsImpromptu speech contests involve many

people giving short ‘impromptu’ speeches on top-ics they are given only moments before they haveto speak, and then voting on who gave the bestspeech. Impromptu speech contests are a greatway to strengthen your chapter members’ on-your-feet speaking skills and are usually a lot of fun.They can be an excellent alternative activity onemeeting during a long string of more serious ac-tivities. They can also be a great way to preparefor a convention or to maintain member interestright after a convention. Although they are a greatdeal of fun, do not resort to having them too often,as the more in depth traditional activities are muchmore educational.

We will now discuss each of these activi-ties in greater detail and outline how to organizethem.

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The Chapter DebateDebates are by far the most common ac-

tivity in the Junior State. Debates are ideal foraddressing controversial issues where there is alot of information and two clearly defined positions.Debates allow for two conflicting sides to be pre-sented. Debates can, therefore, be incredibleeducational tools by first providing the audiencewith a broad-based education of an issue and thenallowing the audience members to make up theirown minds based upon the information they havereceived.

Setting up a Chapter Debate

Follow the steps outlined in the previoussection on putting meetings together, paying spe-cial attention to publicity. A good debate and highattendance often work hand in hand. While orga-nizing the logistics of a meeting, begin planningfor the debate by doing the following:

1. Choose a Debate Topic. Your first task ischoosing a topic that your chapter members willbe interested in debating. Try to be creative withyour topics -- debates on abortion and the deathpenalty can be overused at times, although bothtopics raise very difficult and important issues.

2. Find Participants. Finding participants is yournext step. For most debates you need a modera-tor and two debaters -- one arguing for and onearguing against the resolution. Make sure thedebaters are willing and eager to prepare and re-search for the debate. Sign debaters up withenough time to do some good research at least

one week in advance. Give the debaters a copy ofTHE JUNIOR STATE DEBATE HANDBOOK,which can be found in and copied from this binder.

The moderator should be someone confi-dent, comfortable in front of large audiences,knowledgeable about Junior State debating, andwell organized. Give the moderator a copy of THEJUNIOR STATE MODERATOR HANDBOOK inadvance and tell them to follow the proceduresoutlined.

3. Publicize. As with all chapter meetings, youneed to publicize. Advertise the debate topic andmake it look exciting and controversial. Challengepeople to come defend their beliefs. For moreideas, see the section in this binder on Publicity.

4. Prepare the Participants. Once you havesigned up your debaters and moderator, you needto work with them to make sure that they are do-ing their work. Debaters need to spend a few hours(usually not much more) reading up about theirtopics. If they are signed up one to two weeks inadvance, they should be able to find time to dothis. If you are worried that they will not haveenough research, go over what they have withthem and give them suggestions.

You are now set for a great chapter de-bate. Once the meeting is in order and any otherbusiness has been taken care of you should be-gin the debate. (Remember to keep announce-ments down to a minimum -- people came for thedebate, not other things.)

Debate Resolutions Your Chapter Can UseResolved, that abortion be outlawed except in the cases of rape, incest or saving the mother's life.Resolved, that the death penalty be outlawed.Resolved, that marriage be legally defined only as a union between one man and one woman.Resolved, that marijuana be legalized and its sale be regulated like alcohol.Resolved, that colleges should not use race or ethincity as a criteria in the admissions process.Resolved, that the words "under God" be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance.Resolved, that schools be allowed to schedule a daily moment of silence for prayer or reflection.Resolved, that protecting the environment is more important than expanding our economy.Resolved, that the U.S. should cut taxes and limit government spending to reduce deficits.Resolved, that the U.S. should adopt a universal health care system.Resolved, that military action is justified to force regime change in nations that support terrorism.Resolved, that the U.S. restrict trade with countries that violate the human rights of their citizens.Resolved, that members of Congress be term limited & restricted from serving more than 12 years.Resolved, that the private ownership of handguns be banned.

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Alternative Styles of DebateCross-Fire Debates

Cross Fire debates allow for greater ques-tioning and greater direct conflict with the audi-ence and debaters. They are held with two speak-ers on each side. Each side is given a certainamount of time to state their arguments beforequestioning begins. Then, the moderator ques-tions each side for a set period of time. After that,each side has time for a rebuttal. Then audiencemembers are allowed to make short question-typespeeches to which the debate teams respond.The exact specifications of this debate should bedecided upon by the chapter leaders based onwhat will work and how much time exists.

Cross-Examination DebateCross-Examination debates are similar to

regular legislative style debates with one main dif-ference. After the opening speeches, each sidehas a certain amount of time to cross-examinethe other side -- that is ask questions directly tothem and have them respond.

Debate/Thought TalksDebate/Thought Talks are an excellent ac-

tivity for a chapter with many members whofeel uneasy about speaking in the strict debateformat. Debate/Thought Talks open up with twospeakers speaking just as they would in a regulardebate. Then, however, when it becomes timefor the subsequent speeches, the format is turnedinto a thought-talk where anyone may speak fromtheir seat for any length of time, and no attempt ismade to balance out those speaking for or againstthe resolution. When time is running short, theoriginal speakers are invited to give brief closingremarks on their respective sides of the resolu-tion.

Role-Playing DebatesRole playing debates are just regular de-

bates where the debaters assume the role of acharacter, historical leader or type of person. Cre-ativity is key to this and the options are limitless.A health-care debate may involve a business ex-ecutive and an employee or union representative.A violence in the media debate may involve Mr.

Rogers and Rambo. Be creative but be sure notto lose the educational value while trying to makethe debate entertaining. Consider combining thesewith historical debates described below.

Historical DebatesHistorical debates are just regular debates

with an historically important resolution. For in-stance, an historical debate resolution may be thatthe Scopes Monkey Trial decision was wrong orthat The Articles of Confederation were adequateor superior to the Constitution. Try to find an is-sue where there will be a split opinion and try tobe tactful. These can often combine with role-playing debates very well such as having ThomasJefferson and Alexander Hamilton debate eachother on early American policies.

Teacher DebatesThese debates follow the standard JSA

format, but teachers are the main speakers. Sub-sequent speakers should be students. Make surethe topic is something that is appropriate forteachers to be speaking about, and make surethey prepare. This can be very entertaining, butbe sure to keep it educational. Try making it anannual event and invite other clubs to join you.

OthersBe creative! The activities you and your

chapter hold are up to you. Be imaginative. Don’tlet the lists of common activities prevent you fromtrying something daringly new. Often the very bestactivities for your chapter are those that you andyour other leaders think up yourselves.

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Other ActivitiesIt is also important when planning your

chapter events not to hold only debates. Debatesare an excellent way to address issues, but otherchapter activities can allow for greater participa-tion and a more comfortable atmosphere for mem-bers (especially newer ones) to articulate theirideas.

Thought TalksA thought talk, quite simply, is a forum for

open discussion on an issue of importance.Thought talks, if well-organized, can be the mostsuccessful and educational of all chapter activi-ties. Unlike a debate, in which there are stan-dardized rules and times for speaking, in a thoughttalk, audience members can make comments andshare their opinions without the constraints of pro-cedure and time.

Holding a thought talk as a chapter activityis relatively easy. All it takes is a room conduciveto discussion -- that is: a good-sized room in whicheveryone can see and hear each other -- an in-teresting and stimulating issue, and most impor-tantly, a well-prepared and well informed modera-tor.

The thought talk leader should begin bydefining the issue and discussing its importance.A simple handout or visual display on the issuecan also be very valuable. Before sharing theirthoughts and feelings, people need to understandexactly what the issue is and why it is worth dis-cussing. If it is a controversial issue, the contro-versy should be explained as well as a few argu-ments from each side. You may want to have afew speakers do some research and prepare shortspeeches outlining the different sides of the is-sue. A well prepared leader should be knowledge-able enough about the issue to correct any obvi-ous mistakes in facts people share with the audi-ence.

The skill to leading a good thought talk isto be able to keep a robust conversation going.One way to do this is to prepare beforehand aseries of questions that lead the thought talk on alogical path from one end of the issue to the other.Start the discussion off with the first question and

see where it goes. The participants may very welllead the discussion on a logical path on their own.However, if the conversation dies or if the discus-sion becomes repetitive and only a few issuesare being addressed, it is time for the leader tostep in. Use the questions to guide the thoughttalk in the direction you want it to take. Ask a ques-tion and then call on a few people to respond. Af-ter that, move on to the next topic or question.This will ensure that people attending the activityaddress all the issues involved in the topic get agood sense of what the problem is.

If at any point the conversation dies, tryasking someone specific a question. Be carefulnot to put reluctant people on the spot or makeanyone feel uncomfortable. A simple “Is there any-thing you would like to add?” can be encouragingyet not embarrassing. A good thought talk leaderwill pay attention to who is talking and who is notand try unobtrusively to get the quieter people toshare their thoughts as well. The strength of thethought talk ultimately lies in the diverse bunch ofopinions that can be shared, so increasing thenumber of active participants will improve thethought talk.

Guest SpeakersInviting a guest speaker to address your

chapter can be one of the most exciting and edu-cational activities of the year. Outside speakersbring expertise on specific areas as well as pointsof view not necessarily represented in your chap-ter. The possibilities for topics and speakers areendless but should focus around a political topicthat will excite your chapter members. Guestspeakers are especially appropriate after discuss-ing a given issue for a while or before some bigrelated event, like a school board vote on an im-portant issue.

Guest speakers are also the perfect op-portunity to get involved with the whole school. Ifyou are able to secure a speaker who will be ofinterest to many of your school’s students, con-sider turning the event into a school wide activity.School administrators may really like the idea ofhaving a school board member address the en-tire school or a judge talk about issues relating to

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youth. This will also serve to introduce the wholeschool to your Junior State Chapter.

If you want to invite a speaker to speak ona particular issue, remember that the Junior Statealways tries to present both sides to every issue.Try to invite speakers to represent both sides ofcontroversial issues to the same meeting. If thisis not possible, have one side represented at onemeeting, but have the other side represented at asubsequent meeting.

Local politicians and government leadersalways provide great insights when they speak toJunior State Chapters,and they enjoy meetingand speaking to highschool students. Con-sider inviting the schoolboard member, citycouncilperson, countysupervisor, or state leg-islators who representthe area around yourhigh school. Aroundelection time, invite thecandidates running foroffices. If there is a hotlycontested race, youmay consider sponsor-ing a candidate debateor candidates forum.

Remember toinvite speakers farahead of time -- mostlocal leaders keep verytight schedules and fill up their calendars far inadvance. Invite a speaker two months in advanceif possible. Start by writing an invitation letter thatincludes a description of your chapter, the day andtime you would like the person to speak, the issueyou would like him or her to address, and the for-mat of his/her presentation (i.e. how much timethey have to speak, how questions from the audi-ence will be handled.) Be sure to prepare an ac-curate and laudatory introduction of all speakersyou present at your meetings, and be sure to thankthem in public right afterwards. Giving them asmall token of appreciation (such as a school t-shirt or mug) is also a very tasteful practice. Inaddition to thanking them in person, be sure to

thank them immediately afterwards in writing.Send them a thank you note within a day or twothanking them for taking the time to speak withyou and for sharing their insights with your chap-ter members. Stress how much your chaptermembers gained from their speaking.

Other ideas to help your event include get-ting a biography of the person to prepare a shortintroduction speech or hand out at the meeting;sending press releases to the school and localnewspapers before and after the event; gettingpictures with you and your guest standing besidea Junior State sign; and asking your administra-

tion or social studiesdepartment chair ifyou can have a man-datory (or optional)assembly with yourguest speaker. Al-ways remember tothank your guests inwriting after the event.

Problem SolvingForums

Problem solving fo-rums are basicallythought talks wheresolving a certain prob-lem is the goal. Youshould begin by find-ing a problem of greatimportance to yourmembers. Sugges-tions may include vio-lence and drugs on

campus, the spread of AIDS or poverty in yourcommunity. The closer to home the issue is themore people will feel a sense of urgency to ad-dress it. Start the activity by explaining in somedetail what the problem is. Explain what attemptshave already been made to solve it and why theyhave or have not worked -- these are importantwhen thinking of new solutions. Then open thefloor up to a free discussion of the problem andhow to solve it. Take all suggestions seriously.The leader of a problem solving forum shouldmake everyone feel welcome to contribute andthat their input is both appreciated and taken seri-ously.

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As you are moving along, have someonewrite all major ideas down on the chalk board (orlarge piece of paper that you can keep) so thateveryone can see what is being discussed andwhere the discussion is heading. After some time,start focusing on developing the more popularideas into full plans. Have people argue aboutwhat will and will not work and why. Keep thediscussion focused on the task at hand -- creat-ing a solution for a problem. Don’t let stray re-marks or humorists lead you astray. In the endyou should have one or more alternate plans tosolve the problem. Publicize these plans and con-sider submitting them to governmental or otheroffices who may take them more seriously thanyou think.

You may want to consider holding a prob-lem solving forum on an issue directly affectingyour school. You can then use it as the startingpoint for a chapter led effort to solve the problem.For instance, a chapter at a school with a hugegang problem may want to hold a discussion onways to curb gang violence. They may even con-sider inviting people with direct experiences withgangs who are now committed to peace to dis-cuss life in a gang and why efforts to curb gangviolence have so far not worked. The chaptercould then decide on a step by step solution tothe problem of gang violence on campus and ini-tiate their solution to solve it by working with theschool leadership and the administration or holda school-wide forum. This sort of program com-bines political education and involvement withyouth community involvement. It is one of thegreatest things a chapter can do.

Mock TrialsMock trials provide a chapter an excellent

look into the workings of the judicial system andjustice in our nation. Mock trials in the Junior Staterely largely on the chapter leaders to organize.Most chapters either work very hard to create theirown mock trial or use one of the ready made pack-ets available from the Junior State office. Usuallychapter members are selected to serve as law-yers, witnesses and a judge, and the rest of themembers serve as a jury. Most mock trials takeseveral meetings to complete. When the hear-ings are over, the jury should deliberate on a ver-dict. If the defendant is found guilty, the judgeshould deliver a sentence. Again, ready made

mock trial packets are available by calling the Jun-ior State Office. It is a good idea to try one ofthese out before attempting to produce your own.

Model United NationsOften, some of the most challenging is-

sues to students center around international af-fairs and the complexities that problems betweenmany nations can create. A great way to learnabout such issues is through a Model United Na-tions session. One can gain incredible insight intothe methods and intricacies of international rela-tions by dealing with them first hand through aninternational simulation.

Model United Nations sessions often runmany meetings and frequently meet more thanonce a week. In general, each country is repre-sented by one or two students who do researchon their country and its positions on various is-sues. During the meeting, the simulated GeneralAssembly is usually presented with a single is-sue that they must resolve. Then, following rulesof Parliamentary Procedure, they debate variousproposals to solve the problem while remaining incharacter with their nations.

Few activities can relay the arts of com-promise and negotiation -- the basis of interna-tional relations -- quite as well as such sessions.If your members are truly committed to putting inthe work, a model United Nations session can bea truly great activity.

Each country is represented by one or twostudents who research their country, so they canaccurately represent it. They should know basicfacts about their country (like location, population,form of government, politics, dominant religions,etc.) as well as their country’s recent history, pastrelations with other nations and critical issues.

Which countries you choose to have rep-resented is also up to you. Some chapters chooseto run “Model Security Councils” where only thefifteen members of the UN Security Council arerepresented. These work particularly well whendealing with a crisis since it is frequently the Se-curity Council who deals with real life internationalcrises.

The issue you deal with should be one rela-

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tively easy to understand and in the news. Thechallenge for your members should be to repre-sent their countries in character and to practicethe arts of negotiation and compromise -- a verycomplicated or obscure topic will only make thismore difficult. The issue should also be some-thing that concerns many countries.

In general, the General Assembly or Se-curity Council should be presented with a prob-lem and given plenty of specifics and informationabout the situation. Consider having membersaddress the General Assembly as representativesof the nations most directly involved. The floorshould then be open to motions from member na-tions. The idea here is for the nations to speakabout how they feel and then come up with a reso-lution that can be agreed to by a majority. Howthey do this is largely up to them, as long as Par-liamentary Procedure is adhered to. Have some-one very experienced in Parliamentary Procedureplay the role of Secretary-General (or Presidentof the Security Council) and moderate.

Model United Nations frequently take sev-eral meetings -- it may be good to have these meet-ings every day for a week instead of letting a fullweek go by between meetings. People should besigned up for their nations several weeks in ad-vance, and you should have a preliminary meet-ing to go over the way your particular Model UnitedNations will work. In general, only plan a ModelUnited Nations if your members will really re-search their countries, read the newspaper andreflect as accurately as possible what their coun-tries would really do in a given situation. A ModelUnited Nations takes a great deal of organizingand energy, so make sure your chapter is up for itbefore planning one.

Impromptu Speech ContestsImpromptu speech contests involve many

people giving short ‘impromptu’ speeches on top-ics they are given only moments before they haveto speak, and then voting on who gave the bestspeech. Impromptu speech contests are a greatway to strengthen your chapter members’ on-your-feet speaking skills and are usually a lot of fun.They can be an excellent alternative activity onemeeting during a long string of more serious ac-

tivities. They can also be a great way to preparefor a convention or to maintain member interestright after a convention. Although they are a greatdeal of fun, do not resort to having them too often,as the more in depth traditional activities are muchmore educational.

Start by creating a list of 30 - 50 topicsranging from serious, the death penalty is crueland unusual punishment, to nonsense, turtles arebetter pets than cats. If your chapter membersneed practice in public speaking, use lighter top-ics that anyone can speak on. If your chapter isfull of award winning debaters, make all the top-ics serious and have a real competition. Writethe topics on slips of paper or index cards. Par-ticipants should pick the topic out of a bowl andthen take two to three minutes to prepare. Theirspeech should last three minutes. Have the nextparticipant step outside of the room to preparewhile the speech is being given.

At the end, have chapter members voteon the winner. If you are running a real seriouscompetition, you may want to have a panel ofjudges determine the winner.

Local Government SimulationsA simulation of a school board, city coun-

cil, county board of supervisors or county com-missioners meeting serves two important pur-poses. First, the simulation will educate chaptermembers about a particular issue. Second, chap-ter members will get firsthand experience with howlocal government is run.

Select a controversial local governmentissue. For example, if you were to hold a MockSchool Board Session, you may choose the is-sue of condom distribution. Next, find out howyour local school board conducts its meetings.How many members are on the school board?What type of agenda do they follow? Then selectparticipants to be the school board members. Theschool board member should have different opin-ions on the topic at hand. Let the school boardmembers debate the issue and allow time for au-dience members to address the board with theiropinions. Audience members can also be as-signed specific roles, like local minister, teacheror concerned parent.

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Chapter Meetings & Meeting Activities

Creative Chapter MeetingsOne of the key things to remember in lead-

ing a chapter is that to a great extent it is yours.You are the leader of the chapter and with thosemany responsibilities come a great many privi-leges. One of these is being able to be creativewith your chapter meetings.

The above activities are just suggestionsfor what other chapters and leaders have tried inthe past. While you may find that these activitieswork very well for your chapter, you never knowwhat will work better until you try. Be creative! Beoriginal! Unlike Debate Clubs, Model U.N., MockLegislatures and other clubs, the Junior State doesnot restrict its activities to any one type. You arefree to try whatever educational activities you thinkwill work, provided your school administration andteacher/advisor agree to it.

Hold brainstorming meetings with yourchapter leaders to create new ideas for activities.Try combining activities, changing orders around,involving more and different types of people, al-tering formats or go for something entirely differ-ent. If there is an important issue your chaptershould address, don’t feel limited to addressing itin one of the traditional formats. A creative formatspecialized for the issue may be the most educa-tional way to handle it. Do whatever will interest,excite, involve and educate your chapter mem-bers.

Let the traditions and patterns in the Jun-ior State give you a foundation upon which to build-- don’t let them box you in and prevent you fromtrying new things. Many of the Junior State’s great-est activities started as original creations of aleader’s inspired imagination.

Social ActivitiesYou should not feel limited in your chapter

activities to only very serious and dry chaptermeetings. After all, the Junior State is a socialorganization. People join it primarily to meet otherinteresting people and exchange ideas with them.Maintaining the right balance between educationaland social activities in your chapter is extremelyimportant.

Ideally, a chapter should try to create ac-tivities that are both educational and social, suchas watching a political or controversial movie to-gether. Chapters may want to end their more se-rious activities with something on the lighter side,like scheduling a few debates before a schooldance or hosting a beach party or barbecue afteran afternoon of debating.

In addition to making the club more enjoy-able, holding regular social activities can do won-ders for your chapter’s image, morale and senseof unity. A bunch of people who don’t know eachother getting together once a week to debate isnot a fun club to be in. A group of diverse individu-als who are all friends and respect and like eachother is much more what your Junior State chap-ter should be like. Social activities also let peoplesee other sides of your members other than theirpolitical faces. It gives them a sense of together-ness and unity which can really create chapter

spirit. Your chapter’s image will be changed asmore and more people who once saw your chap-ter as ‘not for them’ will join in and bring their friendsas well.

Often, social activities are best held at dif-ferent times from your regular chapter meetings.Evenings and weekends can work quite well.Social activities are usually very popular, but trynot to overdo them -- too many social activitiesand not enough educational ones can change yourclub into a party club rather than a Junior Statechapter. Keep an appropriate balance betweenthe social and educational sides, and always makesure that the social side is in some way enhanc-ing the overall education of the club.

The following are some examples of so-cial activities that have worked in the past. Don’tbe afraid to be creative and try other ideas as well.

Spaghetti DinnerFind a chapter member who is willing to

host a spaghetti dinner and set a date that is con-venient for your chapter. (Of course, it doesn’thave to be spaghetti -- it is just a simple sugges-tion -- any simple, inexpensive food will do. Veg-etarian food is often best as it will accommodateboth vegetarians and those following most reli-

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gious dietary laws.) Have members sign up inadvance so the host will know how much food topurchase. Have a fee that will cover the cost ofthe food. Consider having a debate before or somesort of discussion during the dinner. Rememberto publicize it well in advance to make sure thatpeople will not have conflicting plans.

Potluck DinnersPotluck Dinners can also be very success-

ful social activities similar to the spaghetti dinner.Have chapter members sign up for each item thatis needed. Either find a member willing to havethe dinner at his/her house or hold it at park orother suitable area. Remember to have some-one bring cutlery, plates, cups and napkins andsign a few people up to stay after to help clean up.Consider having some sort of other activity orentertainment during the dinner as with the spa-ghetti dinner.

Installation and Awards BanquetAn Installation and Awards Banquet can

easily become an annual event. You can frequentlyhold it at a local restaurant. Call far ahead of timeand find out what facilities they have. Some res-taurants will give you an entire room for the eveningif you promise to have so many people attend andorder food. Hold the banquet at the end of theyear after your new officers have been elected.Install the new officers, and give awards to honorthose members who have worked especially hardin the last year. This type of activity can give peoplesome time to reflect on the organization and re-

ally raise the support and enthusiasm for the or-ganization in its next year.

Watching a MovieSeeing a movie can be a lot of fun and

very educational as well. Pick a time when mostof your members can meet. Weeknights oftenwork well, as many people make other plans forweekends. Pick a movie with a social, political orotherwise controversial theme. Most movie rentalstores will have a wide variety of such films. Makethe meeting about an hour longer than the movie.Make some popcorn (or something else if you pre-fer). Before starting the movie, pose a few ques-tions or things to take note of while watching thefilm. (It is a good idea to have someone watchthe film ahead of time.) After the movie, start adiscussion. Discuss the issues of importance inthe movie, what message the writer was trying toconvey, what reaction there was when it cameout and anything else about the movie you thinkyour members will find interesting. Let the con-versation go on as long as it does naturally -- don’tforce people to stay real late against their will.

If the movie is not too long, you might alsoconsider showing it at three or four consecutivelunch meetings within the same week. This canbe difficult if there are other clubs meeting, how-ever. Don’t spread the segments out over sev-eral weeks as people will forget what is going onand not bother to show up.

Political Awareness Events& Political Activism

As stated earlier, the mission of the JuniorState is to educate, involve and represent the youthof America. While most of the activities discussedthus far have focused on educating, politicalawareness and activism can include the latter twoas well. Political awareness events and politicalactivism are two things your chapter should seri-ously consider doing.

Political activism gives high school stu-dents who are not of voting age a voice in the realworld of government and politics. It lets students

experience, first-hand, how the system reallyworks. Further, your chapter members are morelikely to remain politically active after graduation ifthey get some experience dealing with govern-ment officials while in high school.

When planning political awareness andactivism events for your chapter, you must re-member that The Junior State is a nonpartisanorganization. This means that your chapter, northe Junior State in general, cannot affiliate itselfwith a political party, partisan campaigns or with a

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single side of a controversial issue. In our Ameri-can two-party system, this may seem to rule outany real political activism. This is not the case.Chapters that hold political activities make surethat both sides of the issue are represented andthat chapter members are encouraged to take astand on the side they believe in. For example, ifyou wish to tackle the issue of a dress code atyour school, your chapter may be divided on theissue. Your challenge is to give the chapter mem-bers the tools they need to address this issue withthe school administration and the school board,no matter which side they are on. Bringing in ex-perts to address both sides of the issue will makethe whole chapter more informed and better ad-vocates, no matter which side of the issue theybelieve in. Also, because you will have people onboth sides working closely together, your chapterdiscussions may be instrumental in forging a com-promise solution.

Taking a strong stance on an issue not allyour members agree with may cause you to loseparticipation from those members. You need themto keep the political diversity that makes yourchapter interesting and educational. If your chap-ter gets the image that is a bastion of conserva-tism or a haven for liberals, many people with dif-fering points of view will be turned off from joining.You need them both in terms of strength and po-litical diversity. It is very easy and often fun tohave a chapter unified around similar political ide-ologies, but that is not what JSA is for. JSA is forexamining your own political ideology and chal-lenging it - you can’t challenge it without otherpeople feeling free to express their viewpoints.Always delineate between the members of yourchapter and your chapter as a whole. Everyonemust feel comfortable expressing their views atyour chapter meetings. Be careful with politicalactivism that you do not destroy this.

Sample Political Awareness and Activism Ac-tivities:

• Candidates ForumInviting the candidates running for a par-

ticular local office to your chapter meeting orschool for an assembly is a perfect way to getchapter members and others involved in politics.Candidates are always looking for volunteers to

help out and speaking to your chapter is a greatway to introduce the chapter members to the can-didates and vise-versa.

For students that are not looking to get in-volved in a campaign, the event is still extremelyeducational. It lets them hear politicians up closeand crystalizes the issues of the campaign forthem. Further, they will gain an understanding ofthe position for which the candidates are running.Consider holding the Candidate Forum in theevening when parents can attend also.

• Letter writing campaignsLetter writing campaigns are a good way

for your chapter to focus on one particular issueor piece of legislation. Before you start the cam-paign, remember to provide lots of information onboth sides of the issue. You may want to haveadult speakers or a student debate on the issuebefore your chapter members sit down to writetheir letters.

Your job will be to give chapter membersthe name(s) and address(es) of the elected offi-cials for your area who have direct control overthe issue or legislation at hand. Be careful not towrite to office holders who do not have any juris-diction over the matter. The chapter may alsoprovide members with paper, envelopes andstamps. Do not give your chapter form letters tofill out and mail in -- this is a common techniqueof politicial action committees and most officialsignore these mass produced letters and postcards. You want to ensure that each memberwrites his or her own letter with his or her ownfeelings on the issue included. Members' lettersexpress their personal point of view, not the viewsof the Junior State. These letters are more likelyto be read and acted upon.

• Voter Registration DriveMost Junior State chapters conduct voter

registration drives on their campus for studentswho turn 18. Contact the Registrar of Voters inyour county to obtain the proper forms. Find outthe deadline for registering for the next election.Make sure to ask if there are any special instruc-tions you must follow. Some chapters obtain thebirthdays of all members of their school and sendthe voter registration form to them in their

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homeroom as a birthday gift. You may also wantto have all chapter members take forms home tomake sure that their parents are registered.

• Town Hall MeetingsIs your community currently debating an

issue that directly affects youth? Maybe yourchapter should sponsor a Town Hall Meetingwhere students, parents, public officials can hashout all the pros and cons of the issue. For ex-ample, many cities have recently adopted or areconsidering teen curfews. City councils can adoptsuch an ordinace with or without input from youngpeople. Town hall meetings give youth a chanceto explain their feelings on issues affecting themto community members and office holders.

• Field TripsOne of the best ways to learn about gov-

ernment is to observe it in action -- up close andpersonal. Arranging a field trip for your chapter tovisit a school board, city council meeting or courttrials involves a lot of work, but it is extrememly

rewarding.

The first step is getting school approval,especially when meetings will be conducted dur-ing school hours. Next, contact the clerk of theschool board or city council who will be able tohelp you arrange the details of your visit and giveyou a copy of the agenda for the meeting. Youmay want to schedule your trip when their is a hottopic being debated. The clerk may also be ableto tell you how you or your chapter members canget on the agenda to address the members of theschool board or city council -- some of the chap-ter member may want to prepare short speechesto deliver. Make sure that your representative onthe school board or city council knows that youare going to be in attendance -- they will probablygive you special recognition during the meeting!

If you want to attend a trial, judicial offi-cials can frequently tell you which trials are beingheld in which courtroom.

Involving Your Whole Campus and CommunityThe ideal Junior State chapter serves not

only as an educational tool for its members butas the center for political education and activismfor the entire campus or even community. Thebenefits that your members can attain from edu-cational activities and events can be brought toyour entire campus or community with a little hardwork. What these events can do for your schooland your community makes it well worth the ef-fort. In return your chapter will have a heightenedsense of purpose, greater enthusiasm and unityand a strengthened public image.

Any of the activities we have discussed inthis binder can be made school-wide or open tothe community. Much of the logistics of the eventwill depend on your school policies and commu-nity structure, but some basic guidelines for in-volving your whole school or community are out-lined below.

Get School/Administration Approval FirstThe first thing to do (once you have your

activity in mind) is to discuss it with your school

administration and teacher/advisor. These peoplewill need to help you every step of the way, sogood communication and a trusting relationshipis crucial. If you want the activity to be schoolwide, discuss how you might achieve this withyour school administration and student leadership.Some chapters have been able to hold a school-wide assembly run by their chapter. Others havehad every class conduct a poll or other brief activ-ity during the same period. Discuss your objec-tives in running the activity and figure out whatoptions you might have. If you want the activity tobe open to the entire community, your school ad-ministration needs to work with you even more.Your chapter represents your school, and yourschool’s administration is ultimately responsiblefor your chapter’s actions. Do not try to workaround your school administration in any circum-stances -- work with them and cooperate withthem at every step of the way.

Publicize, publicize, publicize...Any school-wide or community based

event is going to need extensive publicity. Even ifthe event is a mandatory school-wide assembly,

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students need to walk in already knowing aboutthe activity and excited about it. Publicity for aschool-wide or community based activity needsto start at least four weeks in advance and more ifat all possible. If your event will be open for thepublic to attend, you need to get major coveragein local newspapers, fliers all over town and calls(if possible) to local community leaders. You can-not expect people to automatically be excitedabout something just because you are -- it takesa lot of work. Publicize as much as you possiblecan and then publicize some more. It is essentialto running a good event.

Take your audience into considerationWhen running a school-wide or commu-

nity based event, you need to remember that youare not doing this for just your chapter members.While your chapter members may have a basicunderstanding of the issue(s) that your event isaddressing, you cannot assume this of everyoneat your school or in your community. Many JuniorState members know more about current eventsand issues than full grown adults do. You mustassume that there are people attending who knowabsolutely nothing about the issue(s), and youmust cater it to their needs. Also consider youraudience when choosing the way you approachthe issue(s). A school-wide audience’s attentioncan be much more difficult to keep than your chap-ter members’. Cater it to the interest of the typi-cal member of your audience.

Involve your entire chapterInvolving your entire chapter in planning the

event is absolutely essential to the event’s suc-cess. You are trying either to get your entire schoolor your whole community interested and excitedabout your activity, and your chapter members areyour closest link to both your school and your com-munity. For students to be excited about a school-wide assembly (for more reasons than just miss-ing class) they need to have heard of the eventand how amazing it will be. By getting your chap-ter members involved and excited in the event,you have a much greater chance of accomplish-ing this goal. Your chapter members will tell theirfriends and their friends may mention it to theirfriends, and so on. In a school of 1,000 students,fifty chapter members each telling ten non-JSAmember friends about an activity will mean thatover half the school attends the activity having al-

ready heard about it directly. If your event is forthe whole community, involved and excited mem-bers will tell their parents, friends and grandpar-ents and will likely bring in a huge piece of yourevent’s attendance.

Getting your members involved in this typeof activity does not just mean telling them to goout and get people to attend. People told to dothat seldom will. Getting people involved meansgiving everyone a part on planning the event. Havechapter-wide meetings for everyone to put in theirideas and make everyone feel important in the plan-ning process. Plan committees of members totake care of certain issues and appoint enthusi-astic leaders who will excite their committee mem-bers. Show that it is not just one person but manydifferent people who are excited about the event.Create a snowball effect of enthusiasm. As moreand more people join the effort and get excitedabout the event, more and more people will wantto participate. Invite everyone to help and findsomething for everyone to do. The success of anevent like this depends on a huge amount ofschool-wide and community based momentumto keep it going. Make it big.

Thank all participantsIf lots of people showed up to a school-

wide activity, you obviously cannot thank each par-ticipant individually. However, if there were cer-tain people who played an unusually large role orspecial people (like local government officials) whomade a special effort to attend thank them per-sonally and in writing afterwards. They may notnotice if you forget, but they certainly will notice ifyou remember. Having people think well of yourchapter is very important.

Use the event to strengthen your chapterThe possibilities to strengthen your chap-

ter through such an event are limitless. Get asmuch publicity and media coverage as possible.See if the local newspaper or radio station will doa brief interview with the activity planners. Sendout press releases before the event to as manylocal newspapers, radio and television stations aspossible. Take pictures and send them along withsummaries to local papers after the event. Haveyour school newspaper do a large write up of theevent, people’s reactions to it and what it accom-plished.

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Section C

Use the event’s success to raise yourchapter membership and the respect for your clubon campus and in the community. Show that theJunior State really is committed to political activ-ism and education and that the youth of your com-munity really do care and can make a difference.Meet with your officers, teacher-advisor andschool administration if possible to discuss theevent, what it accomplished and what you can doto make the most of it.

Preparing a Delegation for a Junior State Convention

1

Preparing Your Chapter for a Junior State Overnight Convention

WHAT HAPPENS AT A CONVENTION?Junior State overnight conventions are the

most exciting events the organization offers.These spectacular programs bring together hun-dreds of politically aware and opinionated highschool students. The most common activity at aconvention is the debate. Debating on a topic thatis of personal interest is a great way to get intothe spirit of the convention. For those who don’twish to debate, moderating is also a good way tobecome very involved in a debate. A mock trial isanother big activity at some conventions. Mem-bers can serve as judges, jury members, wit-nesses or lawyers. Those who are on the shyside may prefer to participate in thought talks orlisten to expert panels. Some people really enjoyorganizing things and behind-the-scenes work.

Logistics are for them. Logistics are the adminis-trative jobs that make the convention work. EachSpring State Convention features the exciting elec-tions of Junior State officers. Your chapter canrun a candidate or participate by campaigning forothers. Beyond that, there are social activitiessuch as the dance on Saturday night. Whateveryour members choose to do, going to a conven-tion is one of the best ways to get them really ex-cited about JSA.

WHAT KINDS OF TOPICS ARE DEBATED?Check the convention brochure for the

exact list proposed for each conference. Here’sa sample list:

Resolved, that abortion be illegal except in the case of rape, incest or to save the lifeof the mother.

Resolved, that handguns be banned.Resolved, that food production hormones be prohibited.Resolved, that cigarette companies should not be held responsible for the ill effects

of smoking.Resolved, that the minimum wage be abolished.Resolved, that a multi-party system is better than a two-party system.Resolved, that drugs be legalized.Resolved, that term limits be set for members of Congress.Resolved, that the Republican Revolution has failed.Resolved, that the UN should create its own military and peace-keeping force.Resolved, that English proficiency be required for US citizenship.Resolved, that euthanasia be legal.Resolved, that recentered SAT scores symbolize the decline of US education.Resolved, that all forms of gambling be prohibited.Resolved, that prostitution be legalized.Resolved, that all public school students be required to wear school uniforms.Resolved, that the death penalty be abolished.Resolved, that the US should adopt an isolationist foreign policy.Resolved, that the US terminate all relations with nations that condone terrorism.Resolved, that the recent wave of immigration has improved America.Resolved, that environmental protection is more important than economic growth.Resolved, that government sponsored affirmative action programs be eliminated.Resolved, that government programs for school integration are no longer needed.Resolved, that there be mandatory drug testing for all welfare recipients.Resolved, that high school students should attend single sex math and scienceclasses.Resolved, that the office of the Presidency has too much power.

Appendix C

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HOW ARE CONVENTIONAGENDAS ORGANIZED?

Conventions are organized into “activityblocks.” There are several activities going on si-multaneously during any given block, and del-egates can choose to attend the activities thatmost appeal to them. Here is a sample agendasummary for a two day convention:

SaturdayRegistration 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.Opening Session 10:00 a.m - 11:00 a.m.Block I 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noonLunch 12:00 noon - 1:30 p.m.Block II 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.Block III 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.Block IV 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.Key Distribution 4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.Dinner 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.Chapter Caucus 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.Social Activity 8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.Curfew 12:00 midnight

SundayBreakfast 7:30 a.m - 9:00 a.m.Block V 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.Block VI 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.Block VII 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noonLunch !2:00 noon - 1:30 p.m.Closing Session 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

WHAT ARE THERULES REGARDING ATTENDANCE?

All student participants from your highschool and their teacher advisor(s) must registertogether as one delegation. Students from otherschools may not attend the convention as part ofyour delegation, nor may outsiders visit membersof any delegation during the convention. Chapterpresidents and teacher advisors are responsiblefor organizing and submitting the registration pack-ets for their delegations to The Junior State officein a well-organized and timely fashion. For everygroup of 1-19 students in your delegation, youMUST bring at least one teacher (1 for 1-19 stu-dents, 2 for 20-38 students, 3 for 39-57 students,etc.). Delegations that arrive at a convention with-out adequate adult supervision will be sent home.Rules of conduct at the convention are explainedon the Permission Slips that all delegates and theirparents must read, sign and submit as part of yourdelegation’s registration packet.

HOW DO I ARRANGE FOR ATEACHER TO ATTEND THE CONVENTION?

Your chapter’s teacher/advisor must ac-company your chapter to the convention. Be-cause of this, it’s probably best to find a teacher/advisor for your chapter who would enjoy watch-ing the convention activities. Social studies teach-ers (Civics, History, Economics) are usually yourbest bet. New teachers are particularly receptiveto getting involved. Many teachers are interestedin politics regardless of the subjects they teach,so approach some of the less obvious teachers,too. With the approval of your school, a teacher’sspouse or a parent may assist the teacher as asupplemental advisor, as long as the majority ofyour advisors are teachers. For example, if youare sending 50 students to a convention, you need3 advisors. Two must be teachers, but if yourschool approves, the third advisor can be a par-ent.

WHAT AM I PAYING FOR?Lodging at the hotel, all educational mate-

rials, exciting educational programs and the danceon Saturday night are covered by the registrationfee. Meals are not included, but there are inex-pensive restaurants near all the convention sites.Delegations that live far from a convention sitecan usually arrange to arrive the night before theconvention for an additional fee, with approval inadvance from the JSA Program Director. Theymust be accompanied by a teacher/advisor whomust stay overnight and supervise the students.

WHAT DO I HAVE TODO TO REGISTER MY CHAPTER?

First of all, THOROUGHLY read the con-vention registration packet. TWICE. It tells youprecisely what you need to do and answers themost frequently asked questions. It also containsall the necessary forms. Helpful hint: Set yourchapter’s internal registration deadline sufficientlyin advance to allow you time for organizing thematerials and for mail delivery. Remember, if yourregistration is late, every delegate will be chargeda late fee. If you run into unforeseen problemsthat will delay your registration beyond the dead-line, get in touch with The Junior State office.

Here’s what you will need to submit (MAKECOPIES FOR YOUR OWN RECORDSBEFORE YOU SEND THEM):

Preparing a Delegation for a Junior State Convention

3

1) Registration form and payment in full2) The Hotel Rooming List signed by your teacher

advisor3) A Permission Slip for every delegate signed

by the delegate and a parent /guardian

WHAT ARE SOME GUIDELINES FOR ARRANG-ING PAYMENT AND PREPARING THEFORMS?

Registration Form and Payment: Thisform is an inventory of who is coming and howmuch payment is due. Fill it out completely andexplain anything that is unusual or could be mis-understood.

Here are the payment options:

One inclusive check payable to The Junior Statefrom your school. If your school takes a long timeto process check requests, send a copy of thedocumentation showing that you have arrangedwith the school to send the check, PLUS a guar-antee from the school that payment will be re-ceived before the start of the convention.

OROne inclusive check payable to The Junior Statefrom a parent or teacher (delegates pay that indi-vidual)

ORA school purchase order (must be payable within90 days).

DO NOT SEND INDIVIDUAL PERSONALCHECKS FROM THE DELEGATES. DO NOTSEND CASH.

If you are mailing your chapter’s taxes at the sametime, the taxes should be paid with a separatecheck.

Hotel Rooming List Signed by yourTeacher Advisor: Housing arrangements call forfour students of the same sex to be housed in aroom with two beds. For large groups, it may beeasiest to ask the delegates themselves to workout groups of four to room together. Remember,you have every right to question a rooming choice.As chapter president, you are responsible for yourdelegation’s conduct at the convention. If you thinka rooming arrangement may lead to problems,talk with the individuals involved and work things

out in advance. For smaller delegations, it’s some-times better to make rooming assignments your-self to avoid anyone feeling that they were the oneperson not wanted in the room with everyone else.If you have an odd number of delegates, try to putleadership people and/or more mature and out-going students in the room that will be shared withanother school. The Junior State conference reg-istrar will then assign students from anotherschool to share the room with them. Make surethese students are aware you are doing this andare open to meeting new people. Once a room-ing list has been submitted to the JSA office, nochanges may be made in the rooming assign-ments.

Please make arrangements with The Jun-ior State office before the registration deadline ifany of your delegates will need special arrange-ments due to a physical disability or handicap.

You will also be requesting hotel accom-modations for your teacher advisor(s) on this form.Be sure you check with them about the housingarrangements they prefer.

Make sure your housing list is legible--itwill be used to generate your delegation’snametags.

Permission Slips: Permission slips listthe rules for the convention and require the signa-ture of each delegate and a parent or guardian.When you first get your registration packet, pho-tocopy a generous supply of the permission slips.Pass them out to prospective delegates early, sothey’ll have plenty of time to get them signed andturned in to you before the deadline.

WHAT ABOUT REFUNDS?Because guarantees have to be made to

the hotels far in advance of conventions, the Jun-ior State office will not make refunds after the reg-istration deadline has passed. Likewise, if yousend in a copy of documentation and a guaranteethat a school check is being processed, you willbe held to your original headcount and must payfor any students who cancel. Paid delegates whofind themselves unable to attend should find an-other student from their school to go in their placeand have the new delegate reimburse them forthe registration fee. The replacement student

Appendix C

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MUST submit a permission slip. Also, The JuniorState reserves the right to send home, withoutrefund and at their own expense, any individualdelegates, or even an entire delegation, for viola-tions of the conference’s rules of conduct. Makesure your delegates are aware of this.

HOW DO I GET PEOPLE TO COME?The same way you get people to a chap-

ter meeting. The same publicity strategies apply.Have a couple of informational meetings about theconvention. Mention it at EVERY club function.Call the Junior State office to get extra brochuresto hand out to your members. Every potentialdelegate should have a brochure to show his orher parents. Parents are more receptive if theycan see a brochure explaining the event

The convention’s biggest selling points arethe activities and the atmosphere. Talk about spe-cific topics that will be discussed. Topics willrange from enduring controversies like abortionand gun control, to current affairs ripped from theheadlines. Chances are that if you read about inthe newspaper or on the web, there will be an ac-tivities where you can discuss it at the JSA con-vention.

The atmosphere at the convention is an-other reason students love JSA conventions. Stu-dents speak passionately about the issues of dayand express their opinions openly in a tolerent at-mosphere. All the delegates don't agree with eachother, but everyone respects others' views andrespects them more when they express thoseviews with sincerity.

Get prospective delegates to a regional orone-day event if you can. Most people are willingto spend $5 (the usual registration fee for a re-gional conference) to find out what JSA is all about.

On top of the intense political activities,there are more relaxed and entertaining activiiesas well. There's usually a dance at night alongwith several other social activities. Part of the funis just being with other students who have thesame interests and meeting new friends who havevaried talents and interets.

Talk about the convention incessantly.Word of mouth is very powerful. Make presenta-

tions to classes. Then you get the “That soundslike fun. Maybe I’ll go. I’ll go if you do” effect. It’san easy way to double your delegation. Announceit in the daily bulletin if you can. Ask governmentand other Social Studies teachers to make an-nouncements.

HOW DO WE GET THERE?Remember, first of all, that students are

not allowed to drive themselves to JSA overnightconventions. Check your school rules on trans-portation. You may be able to form carpools withparents and teachers driving. Some conventionsoffer bus transportation for an additional fee, oryour school can hire its own bus. In many areasyou can take Amtrak, subways or other trains to astation near the convention. Start planning trans-portation early. The longer you wait, the more ex-pensive and harder to arrange it is.

WHEN SHOULD I START PREPARING?NOW. Start publicizing as soon as you

know the dates. Check with the Principal, Vice-Principal or Activities director at your school aboutany school approval that needs to be arranged.Do this well in advance to allow time for obtainingapproval. Find out what it takes and how long ittakes to get a check from your school and factorthat into your planning. Hand out permission slipsand brochures as soon as you get them. Havean informational meeting about the convention.Take a count of how many people expect to at-tend and get their telephone numbers so you canfollow up with them. Insist that all the delegates’registration materials be returned to you well be-fore the deadline (at the very latest a week in ad-vance) to allow time for you to arrange for pay-ment, time for you to get your packet organizedand the time needed for mail delivery.

FINALLY!...Have your convention preparation meet-

ing two or three days before the convention itself.Delegates, your teacher/advisor(s) and parentsshould attend. Go over the rules, activities, whatto bring, transportation plans and special respon-sibilities.

Remember to bring copies of all the reg-istration documents to the convention with you.

Follow this checklist:

Preparing a Delegation for a Junior State Convention

5

A Checklist for Preparing Your Delegation for a Junior StateConvention

1._____Get School Approval._____ Give a copy of the brochure to the school official in charge of student activities._____ Find out the procedure for obtaining school approval for the trip._____ Find out the procedure for obtaining a purchase order if your school offers this op-

tion. If so, find out the payment schedule._____ Find Teacher/Advisors to accompany your delegation.

2._____Publicize._____ Pass out brochures to every chapter member or potential chapter member. Tell them

to take the brochure home and show their parents. More brochures are availablefrom the Junior State Office, just call 1-800-334-5353.

_____ Distribute brochures to teachers and club advisors who may know of interested stu-dents.

_____ Post brochures around your campus. Write your name and phone number on thebrochure as a contact person for interested students.

3._____Registration._____ Find out procedure for obtaining a school check for your entire delegation’s registra-

tion fees. If your school cannot do this for you, you may have to have a Teacher/Advisoror parent write the check. If this is the case, tell your chapter members to whom theyshould make their checks payable. The Junior State cannot accept individual checksfrom each delegate.

_____ Pass out Parent Permission Slips to all interested students._____ Set deadline for returning registration checks and Permission Slips to you. This dead-

line should be at least ONE FULL WEEK before the JSA convention registration dead-line.

_____ Collect checks and process them with your school in order to obtain one inclusivecheck for all registration fees. Remember, you need a separate check for your mem-bership taxes.

_____ Collect Permission Slips. Make sure every delegate has gone over the Permission Slipwith their parents and has returned the signed slip to you.

_____ Fill out Registration Form and Hotel Rooming List Form. Make sure these forms arelegible and all the names are spelled correctly. Have your Teacher-Advisor review theRegistration and the Rooming List Forms and sign the Rooming List.

_____ Mail the Registration Form, Hotel Rooming List Form, registration check, and permis-sion slips. Make two copies of each of the forms, keep one for yourself and give oneto your Teacher-Advisor. Double check all registration materials for accuracy. Makesure your registration materials are postmarked by the registration deadline toavoid incurring a late fee of $10.00 per delegate.

4._____Arrange Transportation. Remember: No student driven cars are allowed at JuniorState conventions._____ Figure out how your delegation will arrive at the hotel. If you are attending a con-

vention where JSA is offering transportation, make sure your registration materialsindicate whether you are planning to utilize our buses or not.

_____ If your delegation is large enough, you may want to arrange buses through yourschool district or outside bus company. If you chose to do this, START EARLY. Theprocess could take a few weeks.

Appendix C

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_____ If you decide to car pool, make sure to find enough parent drivers to accommodateyour entire delegation. Set a time and place for everyone to meet before the conven-tion and the meeting (schedule it for the evening hours). Go over transportation,what to bring, the format of the convention, and, most importantly, the conventionrules.

_____ Schedule one chapter meeting where you debate or discuss one or more of the de-bate topics from the convention (can be format for many meetings).

_____ Make sure to select a chapter representative(s) for special events like State AssemblyMeetings or simulation activities.

6._____What to bring with you:_____ A phone list of all of your delegates complete with emergency contact phone numbers

and the cell phone numbers for all the delegates who have them._____ Copies of the Registration Receipt letters sent to you by the Junior State Office._____ All fees must be paid before the convention. In the event your delegation has any

outstanding convention fees, you must contact the Junior State Registrar to obtainapproval to pay these outstanding fees at the door. Your delegation will not beregistered into the hotel until all registration materials -- including fees andPermission Slips -- are collected by the Convention Registrar.

If you are having trouble with your registration or if youthink you cannot send in your materials by the

registration deadline

CALL THE JUNIOR STATE OFFICE BEFORE THEREGISTRATION DEADLINE

1-800-334-5353

Preparing a Delegation for a Junior State Convention

7

Sample letter to Convention Delegates from a JSA Chapter President.

Dear Chapter Member:

Veteran JSA’ers and JSA newbies, I would like to brief you on the Do’s and Don’ts of the JSA Conven-tion

Packing: First of all our Chapter prides itself in being a group of professional and intellectual students, andwe are well noted for that. The convention dress code requirements are that of formal/business attire.

For Guys, that means a suit. Dress shirt, tie, dress shoes slacks, and a suit jacket preferred; (slacks andbutton down shirt are the minimum). Because this is a two day convention, I recommend you bring one suit.If you have a spare and want to have a different one for the second day, then go ahead and bring two.However remember that the more you take the harder it is to fit and the more baggage you’ll have.

For the Ladies, business apparel is a requirement. Usually a women’s business suit works perfectly. If youdon’t have a business suit, then I recommend a black (or other color) knee length skirt (make sure the sliton the side isn’t too deep), and a white or colored blouse. I recommend women’s dress shoes, unless youwant to be a trooper and walk around all day going from block to block wearing heels.

Saturday evening is a social period, so you will want to bring a change of clothing, something you’d wearevery day to school, or to a school event. JSA does have a dance and other social events Saturday night, sodress appropriately. School dress code will be in effect for the social portion of the JSA night events.

Also make sure you pack something to sleep in. Pajamas, comfortable sweats, baggy tee-shirt, orwhatever you wear to sleep. Remember, that you should not have tennis shoes, or flip flops, when we arein the business session of the JSA convention. It’s always a good idea however, to pack a set of comfort-able shoes for the social portion of the day.

Remember to pack toiletries as well. Deodorant, toothbrush and past, shampoo, soap, lotion, contactsolution, brushes, combs, gel, hairspray, and feminine hygiene products. You need it; you bring it.

Expensive jewelry and electronics are to be brought at your own risk. If you loose it, or leave it behindsomewhere, JSA, and our chapter, nor the hotel will assume responsibility.

Money for Food and Memorabilia: are a must. All meals will be paid for by you the individual. There willbe a flux in price ranges for places to eat. There will be a fast food restaurants near by, and more expensivehotel restaurants or special JSA menu items from the hotel. All students will be allowed to choose where toeat, as long as they do not go by themselves. All delegates must travel in pairs for their safety.

Spending differs on the bases of the individual’s spending habits. A delegate is strongly recommended tobring $35.00 - $50.00 for eating purposes.

Transportation: will be done though our Chapter. Saturday morning all delegates will be at the conventionhotel by 9:15 a.m. for registration/check in. Please be on time. If our chapter arranges transportation by

Appendix C

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bus or by carpool you will be notified of the time and place to meet on Saturday morning and a time andplace to be picked up on Sunday). Remember no students are allowed to drive to the convention orthey will be sent home. Conferences are known to end early and sometimes late. Please be flexible forthe Sunday pick up.

Rooms: will be assigned before the convention. There will be no member of the opposite genderallowed at any given time in any of the delegate’s rooms. Violation of this school and JSA rule will result ina report filed to the school administration and being sent home immediately from the JSA program. Therooms will have two queen size beds, and four delegates will share a room.

Supervision: Let your parents know that Mr. Jones, our Teacher/Advisor, will be accompanying ourdelegation and chaperoning us over the weekend. Because our delegation is so large other teachers fromthe school, Ms. Smith, Mr. Johnson, and Ms. Nguyen, will also be with us the entire time. During theweekend, we’ll meet as a group and check in with our advisor at lunch and dinner on Saturday, after dinnerat the Chapter Caucus on Saturday evening where JSA requires that a roll call be taken, Sunday morning at9:30 a.m. when we have to turn in our room keys and right after closing session. Yes, there is a curfew andbed checks at 12:15 a.m. after the dance on Saturday night – we all need to in our rooms and stay in ourrooms until morning. JSA and our school are very serious about the rules listed on the permission slip, soREAD them and DON’T BREAK them!

During the day: the debates, thought talks and other activities are the best part of JSA. While you aren’tforced to make a speech, give it a try! It makes the convention more fun for you and all the JSA’ers arereally supportive. Make sure to pick one activity in each “activity block” to attend – we can’t just hang outin the lobby all day.

Hopefully this letter will have addressed all questions and concerns. If there was something not addressedby this letter, please contact me or our Teacher/Advisor

Chapter President Information Teacher/Advisor Contact InformationHome # School Phone #Cell # Email AddressE-mail address

Sincerely,

Your JSA Chapter President.

Preparing a Delegation for a Junior State Convention

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STANDARD JUNIOR STATE CONVENTION RULES1. All rules for school field trips prevail. Use of illegal drugs or alcohol is not permitted.Students also will be punished if they are in a room where drugs or alcohol are present. The useof tobacco products is not allowed. To ensure these rules are obeyed, the Teacher/Advisor andThe Junior Statesmen Foundation must approve the attendance of each delegate. We reservethe right to deny any student the privilege of attending the event.

2. At Chapter Caucus students will meet with their Teacher/Advisor in the assigned rooms. Nostudents may leave the hotel property after the dinner break.

3. At curfew, Teacher/Advisors will check delegates at their rooms. Delegates must remainquietly in their own rooms after curfew. Delegates also are required to meet with the Teacher/Advisor at other designated times.

4. Delegates must attend all conference activities.

5. At no time may male and female students be in each others’ rooms.

6. Delegates may not leave the convention hotel without the permission of their Teacher/Advi-sor. During meal times, with their Teacher/Advisor’s permission, delegates may leave the hotelto eat in designated areas. Under no circumstances are delegates to leave the hotel after thedinner break.

7. Delegates must wear their name tags (in a visible location) at all times.

8. All students assigned to a room are responsible for any charges made to the room. Allstudents assigned to a room are also responsible for the condition of the room. No outside phonecalls can be made from student hotel rooms. Room service and other items may not be chargedto a student’s room. No delegate may change rooms without the permission of The JuniorStatesmen staff members at the event.

9. No student may drive a car to the convention or ride in a student driven car duringthe convention.

10. Visitors are not allowed in the convention hotel. Delegates are not allowed to associate withany visitor who is not an official guest of the Junior State program.

11. Students are expected to dress appropriately. Delegates should respect the rights of otherhotel guests and not do anything to damage the reputation of the Junior Statesmen program.Students must not open or throw anything out of windows. Students must stay off balco-nies.

12. Pizza deliveries and room service deliveries are not permitted after curfew.

13. Students should not bring expensive items to the convention. Valuable items must bestored in the hotel safe. The Junior State/The Junior Statesmen Foundation are not responsiblefor items stored in a luggage storage area. No large radios or portable stereos are allowed.

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Sample Convention Agenda

Fall State: “The Revolving Frontier”

Saturday, November 22

Registration 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Catalina Foyer

Opening Session 10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. Catalina Ballroom

Block 1 11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.Debate: Animal Testing Catalina IDebate: Universal Health Care Fountain TerraceDecade Debate: America’s Foreign Policy Newport IIThought Talk: Space Exploration Program Newport IIIDebate Workshop Balboa ITeacher/Advisor & Chapter Presidents Meeting Balboa II

Block 2 12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.Debate: Flag Burning Catalina IDebate: Capital Punishment Fountain TerraceDebate: Exportation of Moral Values Balboa IDecade Debate: Laissez-faire Economics Newport IIThought Talk: Media Newport IIISER Council of Chapter Presidents/Cabinet Meeting Balboa II

Lunch 12:50 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.

Block 3 2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.Debate: Statutory Rape Catalina IDebate: “Soft Drugs” Fountain TerraceDebate: PATRIOT Act Balboa IDecade Debate: New Deal Newport IIThought Talk: Music Newport IIIActivity: The Colombia Policy Balboa IIPolitical Fair Catalina Foyer

Block 4 3:00 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.Debate: Racial Data Catalina IDebate: Corporate America vs. Political America Fountain TerraceDecade Debate: Nagasaki Bombing Balboa IThought Talk: Manifest Destiny Newport IIActivity: The Colombia Policy (continued) Balboa IIPolitical Fair Catalina FoyerTeacher/Advisor Reception Huntington

Preparing a Delegation for a Junior State Convention

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Block 5 4:00 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.Debate: Recall Catalina IDebate: Religion Fountain TerraceDecade Debate: McCarthyism Balboa IThought Talk: Activism vs. Terrorism Newport IIActivity: Trading Spaces Newport IModerating Workshop Balboa IITeacher/Advisor Reception Huntington Beach

Key Distribution 5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Dinner 5:30 p.m. – 6:50 p.m.

Chapter Caucus 7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Evening Activities 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.Comic Debate: Trix Rabbit Newport IIMovie Night: Head of State Balboa IIQuiz Bowl Fountain Terrace

Night Activities 9:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.Movie Night (continued) Balboa IIDance Catalina Ballroom

Curfew 12:15 a.m.

Sunday, November 23, 2003

Breakfast & Luggage Storage 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.Summer School Breakfast 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Laguna III

Block 6 9:00 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.Debate: Homosexual Rights Catalina IDebate: North Korea Intervention Newport IIDecade Debate: Black Panthers-Civil Rights Movement Newport IThought Talk: Political Leaders Newport IIIActivity: Presidential Survivor Fountain Terrace

Block 7 10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.Debate: California Undocumented Immigrants Fountain TerraceDebate: “Concealed Carry” Law Balboa IDecade Debate: Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Newport IIThought Talk: Everyman Runs for Office Newport IIISpeech Contest Catalina IAssembly Meeting Newport I

Appendix C

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Block 8 11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.Debate: America’s Foreign Policy Catalina IDebate: Pet Owners Balboa IDecade Debate: “Reaganomics” Fountain TerraceThought Talk: When is war the answer? Newport IIAssembly Meeting Newport ITeacher Advisor Feedback Meeting Newport III

Lunch 11:50 a.m. – 1:20 p.m.

Closing Session 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Catalina Ballroom

The Junior State of America is Proud to PresentThe Junior State of America is Proud to PresentThe Junior State of America is Proud to PresentThe Junior State of America is Proud to PresentThe Junior State of America is Proud to Present:::::

The Revolving FrontierThe Revolving FrontierThe Revolving FrontierThe Revolving FrontierThe Revolving Frontier

Saturday, November 22

Registration & Luggage Storage8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Catalina Foyer

Chapter Presidents and Teacher/Advisors, please report to the registration table for agenda packets andnametags. Drop your luggage off at Bristol 1 and be sure to take anything you need, because you won’t begetting it back until dinner! Any wallets, debate notes, or lucky rabbit’s feet should be taken now!

10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. Opening Session Catalina BallroomKeynote Speaker: Ralph Nader

Presidential Candidate, Green Party

Preparing a Delegation for a Junior State Convention

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BLOCK I 11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.

DEBATE: Animal Testing Catalina IResolved, that all animal testing be banned.

Public interest in animal welfare has been growing since the mid-1970s. The only legal protection afforded to animals comes from theAnimal Welfare Act of 1966, which mandates a minimum living standard for test animals. The research community also applies the ruleknown as the “Three R’s”-Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement. Replacement, the substitution for living higher animals withinsentient material; Reduction of the amount of animals used to obtain experimental data; and Refinement in efforts to decrease theincidence or severity of inhumane procedures performed on test animals.

Pro: A.J. Jabbari, Aliso NiguelCon: Ilya Golosker, BuckleyModerator: Greg Frenkiel, Troy

DEBATE: Universal Health Care Fountain TerraceResolved, that health care in the United States be universal.

The Soviet Union was the first country to have universal health care provided by the government. Since then, universal health care has beencoined as ineffective and a challenging task because of its economic liabilities. Despite this however, the United States has a differentprecedent and offers equal opportunity and services to all citizens. A universal health care program would provide health care for all ages,races, and backgrounds.

Pro: Samantha Stern, AgouraCon: Grace Park, Sunny HillsModerator: Christine Lee, West

Decade DEBATE: America’s Foreign Policy Newport IIResolved, that America’s foreign policy should be to “speak softly and carry a big stick.”

The quote “to speak softly and carry a big stick,” was initially a West African proverb. It was obtained by President Theodore Rooseveltin 1901 and used to sponsor the establishment of a large United States Navy, which intervened in disputes regarding Alaska and Venezuela,later adapted as the “Roosevelt Corollary.” It essentially defines a foreign policy of negotiation from a position of strength or forceintending to warn foreign leaders. Nowadays, however, many argue that the United States has abandoned this ideology and replaced itwith, “speaks loudly and carries a big stick.”

Pro: Jae Pee, WhitneyCon: Matt Faulkner, ServiteModerator: Doran Walot, Tarbut V’ Torah

THOUGHT TALK: Space Exploration Program Newport IIIIs the space exploration program an appropriate recipient of federal funding?

The most obvious triumph of the United States space exploration program (NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration)was the landing of Neil Armstrong on the moon in 1969. Since then, there have been both advances and setbacks in the field. While fewmajor advances in actual exploration have been made, the space program is largely responsible for the invention of (or the introductionof new uses of) such things as satellites, Velcro, and Teflon. Contrastingly, multiple disasters have taken place and been heavilypublicized (an example is the recent Columbia crash). Are we spending too much money on space exploration? Not enough? Shouldfederal funding for space exploration be cut? Should funding be privatized?

Moderator: Anna Coutrier, Mission Viejo

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DEBATE WORKSHOP Balboa I

Debating can be a daunting task for even the most experienced of JSA delegates. Recent polls show thatpeople, in general, fear public speaking more than they fear spiders or heights. Even seasoned JSA delegatesare not immune to this fear. This workshop will provide valuable debate techniques that will boost yourconfidence and bolster your pursuit of the ever-coveted Best Speaker gavel. It is highly recommended thatnew JSA delegates attend this workshop.

Led By: Bing Chen, Aliso Niguel

TEACHER/ADVISOR & CHAPTER PRESDIENTS MEETINGBalboa II

All Teacher/Advisors and Chapter Presidents are asked to come to this mandatory meeting! Not only willyou be able to ask questions about the weekend or JSA in general, but will be receiving crucial informationfor your delegation.

BLOCK II 12: 00 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.

DEBATE: Flag Burning Catalina IResolved, that flag burning is protected under the 1st Amendment.

Flag burning can be looked upon as a form of artistic expression and speech, both rights protected under the First Amendment.However, it can also be interpreted as hate speech. The United States Supreme Court has ruled over the years that it is acceptable forthe government to limit speech that threatens public safety and peace, therefore overruling the First Amendment. Ultimately, thelingering question of hate speech and flag burning still lies: “how far is too far?”

Pro: Judge Hensley, Palm SpringsCon: Jessica Morales, ConnellyModerator: Niharika Bandi, University (Irvine)

DEBATE: Capital Punishment Fountain TerraceResolved, that the insanity plea does not preclude capital punishment.

William was responsible for the abduction and rape of four women. Upon psychiatric testing, William was found to have 10 differentpersonalities. His lawyers pleaded insanity, and William was put in a psychiatric institution. However, many criminals are learninghow to use the insanity plea to their advantage, sometimes even faking symptoms. In one extreme case, a man got off for a crimebecause he was on a sugar high. Insanity is defined as “a legal term descriptive of a person judged to be incapable of recognizing rightfrom wrong or of conforming his or her behavior to the law.” Should pleading insanity protect you from the death penalty?

Pro: Alex Wong, Laguna HillsCon: Annique DeWitt, Santa BarbaraModerator: Diana Rosen, Northwood

Preparing a Delegation for a Junior State Convention

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DEBATE: Exportation of Morals Balboa IResolved, that the United States should not export its morals to other nations.

The United States has been repeatedly criticized for imposing its morals onto sovereign nations. The United States is now viewed asthe most powerful country in the world, but also as the country whose foreign policy is “failing miserably on the world stage.” Someargue that with levels of school shootings, hate crimes, and sexual abuse rising dramatically in the United States, we need to reevaluateour own morals before we export them to other nations. However, at the same time, shouldn’t everyone have the right to free speech,safety, and happiness?

Pro: Rachel Stein, Santa BarbaraCon: Ryan Petersen, ChaminadeModerator: Grace Park, Sunny Hills

Decade DEBATE: Laissez-faire Economics Newport IIResolved, that the laissez-faire economic policy was responsible for the “Roaring Twenties.”

The laissez-faire economic policy was a doctrine written by Thomas R. Malthus, David Ricardo, and the Manchester School. Thelaissez-faire economic policy is known as “classical economics.” It holds that there is a world of economic relationships autonomousand separable from government or politics. It is the world of the free market, governed by such laws as supply and demand. Theroaring 20’s were a period of intense growth for the economy and private businesses.

Pro: Spencer French, ChaminadeCon: Jennifer Hong, University LAModerator: Laura Chanan, Tarbut V’Torah

THOUGHT TALK: Media Newport IIIHow biased is the media?

Tell us, is Fox News really “Fair and Balanced”? We are barraged by facts in various forms every day – the television, the radio, theInternet, newspapers, and more. Do any of these methods provide an unbiased view of important information? If not, is it possible forthe media, in any form, to provide us with unbiased facts? Is it more important to have unbiased sources of news or to ensure diversityin reporting? What role does corporate sponsorship have on the quality of the United States’ media?

Moderator: Jessica Morales, Connelly

SOUTHERN EMPIRE CHAPTER PRESIDENT MEETING Balboa II

Are you a Chapter President? Come to the Council of Chapter Presidents meeting!!! We will be discussingany problems you might have. If you haven’t already, this will be a chance for you to meet the people who runyour region. If your chapter president isn’t available, please send another representative from your chapter.You will get secret, critical information about the rest of the year. See you there!

Led By: Jina Kim, Southern Empire Region Mayor

Lunch 12:50 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.

Are you daydreaming about pizza, sandwiches, and a nice tossed salad with goat cheese and caramelizedwalnuts? Time to satisfy the munchies with some yummy food!

Delegates must remain inside the hotel unless accompanied by their Teacher/Advisor to one of the nearbyrestaurants. Food options in the hotel include the Bisto Café where JSA delegates get 10% all orders, theTerrace Lounge which is serving a special Mexican buffet for $8.50 for JSA delegates, or the special snackcart outside the Grand Ballroom serving hot dogs, sandwiches and pizza slices.

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BLOCK III 2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.

DEBATE: Statutory Rape Catalina IResolved, that the statutory rape law be repealed.

Statutory rape laws were first introduced in England more than 700 years ago. They made it illegal to “ravish” a “maiden” under 12years of age. Later, this law was brought to the United States. The law now applies to both genders and the age limit has been changedto 18. One can now be convicted whether or not knowledge of the minor’s age was implicit or if the sex was consensual.

Pro: Loryn Lezcel, South HillsCon: Renee Garet, Palm SpringsModerator: Haritha Devarajan, University (Irvine)

DEBATE: “Soft Drugs” Fountain TerraceResolved, that “soft drugs” be decriminalized.

“Soft drugs” such as cannabis or LSD are widely believed not to result in physical dependency (unlike hard drugs such as heroin andcocaine). The term “soft drugs” denotes drugs like marijuana that do have a decided effect upon the user, but is short lived, andnormally does not do any long term damage. However, at the moment, possession, sale, or use of both soft and hard drugs is illegal.

Pro: Alanna Lee, PacificaCon: Eric Bernstein, BuckleyModerator: Lyndsay Willman, Rim of the World

DEBATE: PATRIOT Act Balboa IResolved, that the USA PATRIOT Act be repealed.

The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct TerrorismAct, also known as the USA PATRIOT Act came into effect on October 26, 2001. Now, many have spoken out against this Act,saying it was passed too hastily and with very little debate in Congress, due to the fear that the September 11th tragedy inflicted. TheAct gives more power with less oversight to agencies like the FBI. It does not even define what a “terrorist” is, and leaves that up tothe Attorney General.

Pro: Jeff Guarrera, Aliso NiguelCon: Stephanie Yu, Hacienda HeightsModerator: John Chen, Sunny Hills

Decade DEBATE: New Deal Newport IIResolved, that FDR abused his presidential power with the New Deal.

The Great Depression after WWI hit the United States hard. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created policies that expanded the sizeof the federal government, altered its scope of operations, and greatly enlarged the powers of the presidency which were termed theNew Deal. FDR immediately called Congress into the special “hundred-day” session, and hammered through many of his socialwelfare programs. Many of these worked, many did not. When the Supreme Court found the NRA and AAA unconstitutional, hepushed for the court-reorganization plan, which would allow him to appoint more justices. Was this too far? Did FDR try to disruptthe flow of government? Was Congress to weak to stand up to him?

Pro: Diane de Gramont, Dos PueblosCon: Annique DeWitt, Santa BarbaraModerator: Jason Kim, Sunny Hills

Preparing a Delegation for a Junior State Convention

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THOUGHT TALK: Music Newport IIIIt’s my music, isn’t it? A look at music downloading and file sharing.

In early September, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) began suing individuals who weresharing a “substantial amount” (1,000 or more files) of copyrighted music on peer-to-peer networks. TheRIAA has thus far targeted file sharers from pre-teens to senior citizens. Some of the settlements broughtabout by their actions are well above $10,000. Music downloaders are up in arms. Is the RIAA right, or shouldthey stop going after peer-to-peer users?

Moderator: Anthony Kim, Irvine

THE COLOMBIA POLICY Balboa II

It’s 2005 and two Colombian rebel forces have taken eleven Americans hostage and are preparing tojoin forces to bring down the Colombian government. The drug trade has expanded, giving evengreater funds to these terrorists, and Colombia has requested American intervention. What do wedo? It’s all up to you, as you take on the role of a member of the President’s Cabinet for this openended two-block whirl-wind Foreign Policy Crisis Simulation.

Moderator: Spencer French, Chaminade

POLITICAL FAIR Catalina Foyer

Ever wanted to tell that political group what you really think of their policies? Ever wanted to ask them“what in the world was that?!” Now it’s your chance! Come to the political fair, where many politicalorganizations will have booths set up to answer your questions, debate with you, and give you free stuff.

BLOCK IV 3:00 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.

DEBATE: Racial Data Catalina IResolved, that California implement Proposition 54.

The controversy over Proposition 54 came to a semi-end after the October 7 recall ballot. Prop. 54 terminates the right for California’sgovernment agencies to collect information regarding a person’s race, ethnicity, or national origin. It argues for removing race/ethnicityfrom birth and death certificates, school and university records, law records, and much, much more.

Pro: Joyce Huang, Sunny HillsCon: Ryan Sepassi, BuckleyModerator: Ashley Stein, Tarbut V’ Torah

DEBATE: Corporate America vs. Political America Fountain TerraceResolved, that corporate America controls political America.

Corporations often sponsor and support specific political ideals and candidates based on what benefits them best or what candidatesgive them donations. Corporations also sponsor the media, advertisements, ideas, and possibly the news itself, directly swaying publicopinion which transfers itself into votes, arguably controlling the whole of political America.

Pro: Nina Pedrad, University (Irvine)Con: John Sharkey, ServiteModerator: Jay Yoon, Sunny Hills

Appendix C

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Decade DEBATE: Nagasaki Bombing Balboa IResolved, that the United States should not have bombed Nagasaki, Japan.

World War II, one of the bloodiest wars in history, came to an end when the United States dropped the first atomic bomb onHiroshima, Japan, causing death and destruction. Japan was given an ultimatum to surrender. Shortly thereafter, on August 9, 1945,another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

Pro: Angela Chang, WhitneyCon: Lissy Donovan, ConnellyModerator: Julie Walker, Fountain Valley

THOUGHT TALK: Manifest Destiny Newport IIHas the United States’ sentiment of Manifest Destiny continued into the 21st Century?

The phrase “Manifest Destiny” was first used by the American journalist and diplomat John Louis O’Sullivan in an editorial support-ing annexation of Texas, in the July-August 1845 edition of the United States Magazine and Democratic Review. The jingoistic tenetholds that the territorial expansion of the United States is not only inevitable but divinely ordained. The phrase was later used byexpansionists in all political parties to justify the acquisition of California, the Oregon Territory, and Alaska. By the end of the 19thcentury the doctrine was being applied to the proposed annexation of various islands in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.Technically, manifest destiny ended at the beginning of the 20th century. Nevertheless, many scholars claim that manifest destinycontinues to be the driving motivation for American foreign policy today.

Moderator: Silvia Lu, Upland

BLOCK V 4:00 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.

DEBATE: Recall Catalina IResolved, that the recall be abolished from the California Constitution.

In the beginning of the 20th century, California’s put a provision for recalling elected officers as another Progressive Era Reform. Torecall a politician, one must submit a proposal which states the reasons for recalling the official, then receive signatures on a petition,and then submit for the recall to be placed on a statewide ballot. Under the provisions of a recall, the official being recalled cannot runon the recall ballot, nor will the “second in command” succeed the recalled official, instead whoever gains a plurality of the votes is thenew official.

Pro: Andrea Vo, WhitneyCon: Alvin Yu, Sunny HillsModerator: Rachel Stein, Santa Barbara

DEBATE: Religion Fountain TerraceResolved, that organized religion instills morals.

Organized religion includes religious institutions such as the Catholic Church as well as the Muslim faith. Many of the statutes thatreligion is based on are moral ones, such as the Ten Commandments. It is known that religion is a definite power in the world, but doesits potency and influence lie in its ability to make a noble and righteous citizen?

Pro: Kelly Linskey, ConnellyCon: Bing Chen, Aliso NiguelModerator: Laura Chanan, Tarbut V’Torah

Preparing a Delegation for a Junior State Convention

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Decade DEBATE: McCarthyism Balboa IResolved, that McCarthyism was necessary for national security.

Joseph McCarthy, a Republican senator from Wisconsin, played on American citizen’s fear of communists to get reelected. He chargedthat 205 communists were working for the State Department. Soon, the act of accusing people of be a communist was termedMcCarthyism.

Pro: Mark Woodall, Temple CityCon: Britta Grayman, Palm SpringsModerator: Philip Gant, Peninsula

THOUGHT TALK: Activism vs. Terrorism Newport IIAt what point does activism become terrorism?

There has always been a fine line between activism and terrorism. Recently, many people have been forced to wonder if that line hasbeen crossed. Most notable in the array of activists is the Earth Liberation Front, which has recently taken responsibility for manyhigh-profile acts of environmental activism (August’s torching of SUV dealerships, for example). When does activism become moredestructive than helpful? Does that line exist? Has it been crossed?

Moderator: Jina Kim, Sunny Hills

TRADING SPACES: Gun Control Newport I

The issue of gun control has become very heated in the past few decades. Learn a new way of approachingthis long standing issue as JSA puts a spin on one of America’s favorite shows. Still don’t get it? We cannotgive away the surprise.

Moderator: Diane de Gramont, Dos Pueblos

MODERATING WORKSHOP Balboa II

Do you want to become a JSA Certified Moderator? Take your first steps in getting involved in JSA and getcertified today! Moderators are an integral part of JSA, helping to make sure debates run smoothly. At theModerating Workshop, you can learn all about moderating, and get the chance to earn your gavel. Don’twaste time- come learn about moderating today, and you’ll have received your certification in no time!

Led By: Christine Lee, Director of Moderating

TEACHER/ADVISOR RECEPTION Huntington Beach

Key Distribution 5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Teacher/Advisors, come to information table to pick up room keys for your entire delegation. Delegatesshould meet with their T/As to get their individual room keys. At this time, students can take their luggage totheir rooms. Go shower, take a nap, and get into comfortable clothes.

Dinner 5:30 p.m. – 6:50 p.m.

Time for more food! Venture outside for cheaper meals but be back on time for chapter caucus!

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Chapter Caucus 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.Everyone must report to their Teacher/Advisor! Please check which room you are in from the list below.

Agoura, Buckley, AR Cabinet, Whitney, Aliso Niguel, Connelly, El Dorado, Irvine, Newport BeachMater Dei, Mission Viejo

Northwood, Newport Harbor, Orange Lutheran, Pacifica, Palm Springs, Palm Valley Fountain Terrace

Rim of the World, Servite, Sunny Hills, Tarbut v’Torah, Troy, University (Irvine), BalboaUpland, Woodcrest Christian

Evening Activities 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Nonsense Debate Newport IIResolved, the Trix Rabbit should be given his cereal.

Moderator: Stuart Baimel, Dos Pueblos

Movie Night Balboa IIJoin us all for the movie Head of State, with Chris Rock and Bernie Mac.

Quiz Bowl Fountain TerraceThink your chapter is the smartest? Prove it at Quiz Bowl. Come and play against other chapters toprove you are the best.

Led By: Dave Havskjold, Chaminade

Night Activities 9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.

Movie Night (cont.) Balboa II

Dance Catalina Ballroom

One cannot get hundreds of high school students together without a dance. Come meet the newfriends you made today!

Curfew 12:15 a.m.

Trust us when we say that EVERY delegate must be in their rooms by this time. Teacher/Advisorswill be patrolling the halls and one can never quite predict their moods at 12:15 a.m.!

Preparing a Delegation for a Junior State Convention

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Sunday, November 23Sunday, November 23Sunday, November 23Sunday, November 23Sunday, November 23

Breakfast & Luggage Storage 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Delegates NEED to be out of their rooms. Anything that you need during the day should not go intothe luggage storage room. If you need to leave early, please store your luggage in your Teacher/Advisor’s room.

Summer School Breakfast Laguna IIIDid you go to JSA summer school, or would you like to find out more about this opportunity?Come and reminisce, see all your summer school buddies, find out how to start a chapter of JSA,plan for next summer, or just join us for a cheap and delicious breakfast!

BLOCK VI 9:00 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.

DEBATE: Homosexual Rights Catalina IResolved, that the federal government should uphold California’s AB205 concerning homo-sexual rights.

Bill AB205, recently passed in the California State Assembly, allows homosexual couples who are recognized as domestic partnersmost of the rights of married couples, including the rights to order autopsies, donate organs of their partner’s bodies, file state incometaxes jointly, get child support and alimony, and receive health coverage under a partner’s plan.

Pro: Ash Pathi, BuckleyCon: Annie Nozawa, PeninsulaModerator: Ryan Petersen, Chaminade

DEBATE: North Korea Intervention Newport IIResolved, that the United States should intervene militarily in North Korea.

The President of North Korea, Kim Jong Il, has announced that they have gone against UN treaties and have developed nuclearweapons. Should the United States stop this by force or negotiations?

Pro: Jay Yoon, Sunny HillsCon: Basil Ballard, BuckleyModerator: Adam Enterrios, Rim of the World

Decade DEBATE: Black Panthers-Civil Rights Movement Newport IResolved, that the Black Panthers were detrimental to the Civil Rights Movement.

Founded in 1996 by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton, the Black Panther party was the largest political party which promoted BlackPower in the 1960s. In 1968 FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover labeled the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense as “the greatest threat to theinternal security of the country [among] violence-prone black extremist groups.”

Pro: Nina Zhang, WhitneyCon: Anthony Wilsher, ServiteModerator: Alex Wong, Laguna Hills

Appendix C

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THOUGHT TALK: Political Leaders Newport IIIIs it ethical to make fun of political leaders?

We’ve all heard it (many of us have done it): making fun of political leaders can be fun! Sometimes it’s the easiest way to express ourown political views, since we are unable to vote. However, some may argue that this only serves to undermine the power of politi-cians. Is this true? Should mockery of politicians be avoided? Is it immoral, or a valid means of expression?

Moderator: Alanna Lee, Pacifica

PRESIDENTIAL SURVIVOR Fountain TerraceCome and join us for the JSA version of Survivor, Presidential Style! Become one of your favoritepolitical figures and find out who can survive it all!

Moderator: Mary Keefner, Connelly

BLOCK VII 10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

DEBATE: California Undocumented Immigrants Fountain TerraceResolved, that driver’s licenses not be given to undocumented immigrants.

Controversy has arisen upon Grey Davis’ signing legislation giving undocumented immigrants California drivers licenses, especiallyunder the circumstances in which he signed the legislation. Many speculate that Davis signed the bill to increase his support in therecall election, since he had refused to sign the bill twice before while not being recalled.

Pro: Erica Mccauley, West CovinaCon: Rachel Stein, Santa BarbaraModerator: Tracy Labrusciano, Connelly

DEBATE: “Concealed Carry” law Balboa IResolved, that the “Concealed Carry” law be passed in California.

In the Midwest and southern states, guns are accepted as a tool (and sometimes revered) as opposed to populous suburban statesalong the coasts where guns are seen largely as a menace. The “Concealed Carry” law would allow individuals to carry guns that arehidden.

Pro: Dave Havskjold, ChaminadeCon: Cody Weireter, AgouraModerator: Jessica Morales, Connelly

Decade DEBATE: Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Newport IIResolved, that the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution should not have been passed.

• The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution were passed by Congress and signed by the President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 7, 1964a claim that North Vietnamese had sunk a United States ship. The resolution dramatically opened the door to massiveescalation of the Vietnam War.

Pro: Stuart Baimel, Dos PueblosCon: Jina Kim, Sunny HillsModerator: Mary Keefner, Connelly

Preparing a Delegation for a Junior State Convention

23

THOUGHT TALK: Everyman Runs for Office Newport IIIAs is made obvious by California’s current political situation, it is not especially difficult torun for an important office. Should requirements for candidacy be strengthened?

An action star, a man whose fortune comes from a pornographic magazine, a college student, and many more.Would you ever expect people with these credentials to run for the office of governor? Should the require-ments for candidacy for governor be strengthened? If so, in what aspects?

Moderator: Kelly Linskey, Connelly

SPEECH CONTEST Catalina I

JSA is filled with some of the best debaters in the nation. Come to the Speech Contest, where a panel ofjudges from the Debate Department will judge two minute speeches for presentation, oration skills, andcoherence. Come be the “Best JSA Speaker” at Fall State.

Moderators: Lyndsay Maier, Tiffany Li

ASSEMBLY MEETING Newport I

Who got the voting age lowered to 18? The Junior State Assembly! All Assembly members come to thismeeting where you can find out how you can change the United States!

Led By: Russell Akiyama, Speaker

BLOCK VIII 11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.

DEBATE: America’s Foreign Policy Catalina IResolved, that America’s foreign policy is driven by its economic interests.

United States intervention in the Middle East prompted the belief that a strong motive for involvement was the United States’economic interests considering the region’s abundant oil supply. The topic, however, expands beyond whether or not Iraqi interventiontargeted profits for the United States. Rather it questions if indeed United States’ foreign policy in general is directed by the economicinterests of the nation.

Pro: Dhivya Reghunathan, AgouraCon: Silvia Lu, UplandModerator: Spencer French, Chaminade

DEBATE: Pet Owners Balboa IResolved, that pet owners should be tried in a criminal court for their pet’s actions.

Although occasional, many people have become victims of violent attacks from pets- usually dogs. Because animals are not expectedto take responsibility for there actions, the question rises of whether pet owners should be exonerated from their pets’ behavior. Doesownership imply responsibility? Victims of attacks by dogs cannot press charges against the pets, but it has been suggested that theydo so against the pet owners who should be held accountable.

Pro: Stephanie Young, Sunny HillsCon: Alanna Lee, PacificaModerator: Jennifer Hong, University LA

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Decade DEBATE: “Reaganomics” Fountain TerraceResolved, that “Reaganomics” is the best economic policy.

“Reaganomics” was the policy instituted by President Ronald Reagan during the 1980’s focused on lowering taxes for businesses andfixing the economic problems that had plagued the United States during the 70’s. The primary goal of his “supply-side” economics(also called “Voodoo Economics”) was to create jobs and lower inflation through giving businesses more money, so that in theory, morewealth would trickle down to the average United States citizen.

Pro: David Tran, ServiteCon: Brett Jackson, AnacapaModerator: Julie Walker, Fountain Valley

THOUGHT TALK: When is war the answer? Newport IIWhen is war the answer?

This question is especially relevant when one considers the recent war in Iraq. The great amount of disagreement over that conflict, aswell as others in the past, forces us to ask: When is war the answer? Ever? Under what circumstances do you think that declaring waris a wise option?

Moderator: Angela Chang, Whitney

TEACHER ADVISOR/CHAPTER PRESIDENT FEEDBACK MEETING Newport III

Our goal is to make each convention better than the last. Please come to this meeting to debrief on theweekend, but most importantly, to give the student leaders that planned this conference feedback so thatCongress and Spring State 2004 will be even better.

Lunch 11:50 a.m. – 1:20 p.m.This is your last meal at Fall State, so make the best of it and eat a lot!

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Closing Session Catalina BallroomKeynote Speaker: Congressman Chris Cox

R - CA

Publicity, Fund Raising, Membership Drive & Chapter Conference

D-1

The Junior State of America

CHAPTERPUBLICITY

We Want You

For J.S.A.

Carroll J.S.A. Chapter

Hosts Mayor Garrett

Students Ask Tough Questions

"J.S.A. debate on affirmative

action. Today at lunch.

Room 222."

400 S. El Camino Real, Ste 300San Mateo, CA 94402

800-334-5353 800-317-9338www.jsa.org jsa@jsa.org

Section D

D-2

Publicity

Publicity is very important for Junior Statechapters and the entire organization. The mis-sion of the Junior State of America is to "MakeDemocracy Work" by training young people to beactive participants and leaders in a democracy.JSA can only accomplish this goal if people knowabout the organization. A robust publicty cam-paign will let people in your campus communityknow about your chapter and JSA.

The following pages are guidelines thatyour chapter can follow to get the word out aboutJSA. In doing so, your chapter will grow and havean impact on the lives of more people. By reach-ing out and letting people know about your chap-ter and its activities, you'll be a part of improvingour society in the years to come.

Tactics of Publicity

Remember, you are selling JSA. Approachyour buyers (students and community) as asalesperson. Be aggressive, but always appearsincere and compassionate.

PA AnnouncementsMany high schools have public address

systems that allow clubs on campus to make an-nouncements that are heard by everyone in theschool. If this is the case at your school, takeadvantage of this method of publicizing your meet-ings and activities at every opportunity.

Try to make the announcements with flair.Capture the students’ attention with announce-ments regarding something that appeals to them.After getting the students to listen, you must fol-low up with easy instructions on how to get in-volved with JSA. Repeat the location and the timeof the meetings and/or activities at least twice.

Remember, using the P.A. system is aprivilege that is extended to your club. Do notmisuse this opportunity by trying to get student'sattention with sensational or inappropriate an-nouncements. Although they may sound like afun idea at the time, such announcements onlyhurt your chapter's reputation with your school ad-ministration and with students who hold your chap-ter in high esteem.

Here is an example of a PA Announcement:

Fliers and PostersFliers and posters are one of the quickest

and most effective means of publication, if donecorrectly. They must: 1) catch people’s interest;2) be creative and 3) be meticulously accurate.Set your mind into a mode where you are selling

"Want to get into the fast paced worldof politics? Debate hot issues likeabortion, affirmative action, metal de-tectors, and so much more? Inter-ested? Then JSA is the place to be!That’s right, the Junior State of Americaor JSA for short, is holding its mem-bership drive all this week. Get in-volved in debates, thought talks, mocktrials, and fun! JSA is not only for po-litical buffs. It’s here for anyone whohas an open mind and a desire for fun!So come on down to Room 315 atlunch with three dollars all this weekto be in JSA. Once again, that’s threedollars, Room 315 at lunch all this weekto get in on JSA."

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a product, and you need to include whatever ittakes to get the customers to buy. Look throughthe advertisements in magazines or newspapersand emulate those which catch your interest orseem to be exemplary. Remember, you’ll havemany examples to work with because the high-paid advertising executives from the magazinesand newspapers know what they’re doing.

Tactics:1) Keep signs simple. They should includea catchy phrase and/or picture with the importantinformation in bold letters.

2) Choose colors that stand out like reds,blues, purples, and greens. In addition, signs withbold, black letters on colored paper work extremelywell.

3) Remember, students don’t go around look-ing for signs. You must catch their attention anddeliver the information while students are rushingfrom one class to another. Avoid a sign with toomuch to read.

4) Again, simplicity is the key. When it comesto advertisements, only instant gratification will do.Signs that please the eye and contain clear infor-mation are the only ones read.

5) Make sure the information is absolutely cor-rect. Check and double check the dates, times,price, etc. Your chapter will lose credibility andfrustrate students if they miss an exciting debateor show up to Spring State a week late.

Press Release:The press release is a way of informing

the media about important Junior State activities.They follow a very different format than all otherforms of writing. Without an excellent press re-lease, communication between you and the readerwill never happen.

Press releases can be used for all typesof chapter activities. Your high school newspa-per and local, community newspapers are alwayslooking for stories and events involving high schoolstudents. When your chapter gets good presscoverage, more people are attracted to join. Good

press also improves your standing with the schooladministration as your chapter becomes a clubthat the whole school can be proud of.

Tactics1) Press releases must catch the editor’s at-tention. Remember, you are competing with hun-dreds of press releases they receive.

2) Always state all of the information as con-cisely as possible. Your release should not bedull, but remember, it isn’t a novel.

3) Avoid wordiness at all costs! Keep thelanguage simple. Of course, you shouldn’t soundlike a second grader, but long sentences and bigwords lose the reader’s interest.

4) Press releases must be professional. Theinformation must be accurate and exact. Writingone should entail the same amount of proofread-ing as one of your major essays for English.

Step by step instructions:1) The top of your release should have thewords “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE”.

2) On the top left corner, type the “what, date,place and time”.

3) On the top right corner, type the contact(s)name and phone number(s).

4) The first sentence should catch thereader’s attention. The second sentence shouldsummarize the “who, what, where, when” and ifpertinent, the “why and how”.

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5) Like a news article, the subsequent infor-mation should be written with your most impor-tant facts first and least important facts last.

6) Since the reader most likely will not be fa-miliar with JSA, tie in some information about theorganization in the release.

7) Never be ambiguous. Do not say, “Theevent will take place next Monday.” Be specificand say, “The event will take place next Monday,October 29.” In addition, avoid confusing thereader. The abbreviation “JSA” may be clear toyou, but if you use “JSA” without explaining what itstands for, you leave the reader wondering.

8) If the press release is more than one page,type “(more)” at the bottom of every page exceptthe last one. This ensures that the reader knowsthere is more to the press release, especially ifthe other page is lost.

9) Do not write “FOR IMMEDIATE RE-LEASE” on top of the second page.

10) On the bottom of the last page, type three“###” to indicate the end of the press release.

11) Include directions on how to get to the site.

12) Never staple the pages of the press re-lease. The pages must be separated in the news-room, and may get ripped.

13) For newspapers, send the press releasetwo weeks before the event. For television sta-tions, send the release one week beforehand. Ifyou send it earlier than the designated time, themedia will disregard the release since it is too farin the future. However, if you send the release toolate, all of the space in the paper or TV may al-ready be filled.

14) While finding the addresses of the news-papers and TV stations, get the phone numbersand names of various department heads. Youwill need them when you make your phone calls.

Press Release Follow-Up:Since some major media outlets receive

hundreds of press releases a week, it is your jobto remind the media and find out whether they willshow up at your event or not. Call the newspa-pers one week after you send the releases, andcall the TV stations a few days after you send thereleases.

1) First, write out what you will say. Keep itshort but complete. This will help you keep frommumbling and annoying the listener. Be sure youfirst ask for the correct department, e.g., educa-tion editor or political editor.

Example: “Hi, may I speak to the education edi-tor? I’m from the Washington High School JuniorState of America Chapter. We sent a press re-lease a week ago, and would like to know if youwill cover our candidate forum on Saturday, Oc-tober 29.”

2) They will either give you a yes or no an-swer. Whether they plan on attending or not, askthem to publish your announcement of the event.Sometimes they may ask you to send anotherpress release. This is when a fax machine comesin handy. If they request another press release,fax one as soon as possible, and make a follow-up call the next day.

3) Offer any additional information on direc-tions, JSA itself, etc. Make sure you know whatyou’re talking about! If you don’t know the answerto something, be honest and tell the person thatyou will get back to him/her with the exact infor-mation.

4) Most importantly, be polite and alwaysthank them.

Don’t be discouraged if the media doesn’tshow up at your event. There are many variableswhich affect whether they show up or not. Amajor news story or an unexpected event maysuddenly surface at the same time as your event.Keep sending press releases for your events,when there is a slow news day, your persistencemay pay off.

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Preparation for the media at the event:1) Designate one person (yourself?) to behost for the media.

2) Prepare any information, brochures, andhandouts about JSA and the event to help themedia construct the story.

3) Upon their arrival, greet the media person-nel and make them feel comfortable.

4) After they sign in, show them around tothe different activities at the event while answer-ing any questions or supplying information of yourown.

5) As they leave, offer them any additionalinformation. Then, thank them for coming andfinish it off with a warm handshake.

6) After the event, send them a thank you let-ter immediately. This will make them feel wel-come to any other JSA activities in the future.

7) Now it is your job to keep your eyes pealedand see whether the event gets coverage or not.

Public Service AnnouncementsPublic Service Announcements are short

"advertisements" sent to radio stations for airing.Most stations have some sort of “Community Cal-endar” program to air these ads.

Below are excerpts from the annual re-port of the Southern California Broadcasters As-sociation, Inc. regarding public service announce-ments.

1) Writing for broadcast is salesmanship.You can’t sell unless you’re completely informedabout your “product” or event.

2) Did you grab the reader’s interest in thefirst few seconds?

3) Did the announcement deliver the mainidea quickly? Clearly? Completely? Often enoughto stick in the mind?

4) Did you register the key facts about yourproject or our organization strongly? Did you

mention the name at least twice in the spot?

5) Is the information specific enough to getyour idea across?

6) Does your announcement maintain inter-est from beginning to end?

The most important thing to rememberwhen you are writing a radio spot is that your mes-sage must be clear and concise. You want toinform the listener in clear, simple language, “what,when where, why and who” in twenty to thirty sec-onds.

Along with your public service announce-ment, always be sure to include literature aboutthe Junior State (you can get it from the JSA of-fice) with a letter to the program director explain-ing your event and how you would like to haveyour message read as a public service announce-ment.

Sample Public Service Announcement30-second Announcement

Note: In addition to radio spots, radio talkshows are an easy way to plug JSA. Whenever aradio topic about youth or politics comes up onstations, call in and advertise JSA. But be surethat you don’t obviously sound like you’re adver-tising JSA. Anyone can do this, and there’s noth-ing like the rush of being on the radio. Try it.

Are you a high school student inter-ested in government and contemporaryissues? The Junior State offers all highschool students both exciting debateson current issues and lively questionand answer sessions with leading po-litical figures. Through the JuniorState programs, high school studentsare able to better understand the com-plex problems that face us today. Ifyou’re interested, or just have ques-tions, please call the Junior State ofAmerica, 1-800-334-5353.

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Tactics1) Your job is to overcome the listener orviewer’s apathy. Create interest in your story andmotive the listener to do something.

2) Determine the objective of the total campaign.In other words, what is the specific goal of thepublic service announcements?

3) List all pertinent facts to be included in or-der of importance.

4) Decide on the single most important thingyou want to say.

5) Think of how you would say your radioannouncement face-to-face to one person. Thenwrite it that way.

The following list of suggestions was pre-pared by radio stations. Strict adherence will en-courage use of your material.

10-second spot has approximately 20 words.20-second spot has approximately 50 words.30-second spot has approximately 75 words.

1) Use 8 1/2x11 white paper only. The copymust be clear and easy-to-read.

2) Use upper and lower case typing. Doublespace.

3) Punctuate simply for ease in reading as inany written article. Do not hyphenate at the endof a line. Do not separate sentences with a se-ries of dots. Use no abbreviations.

4) Do not staple the pages together becauseparts of the pages may be torn if separated.

5) Do not mention prizes to be given away ordrawings of any kind (if any) in the radio spot.

6) The stop date (last day the announcementwill be aired) on the radio spot copy must be theday before the dated event.

After you write your announcement, readit aloud. How does it sound? It should soundnatural and believable. It shouldn’t sound as if it isbeing read.

Closing ThoughtsThe aspects of publicity may seem over-

whelming at first, but take it one day at a time. Besure to have good organization and motivation,because it will get you through even the thickestof times. No matter what the end result may be,your contributions to JSA will be felt, and not onlyat the present. Each diligent step you make willhelp the future generations of JSA make their firstone. With that, I’d like to leave you with the BasicB’s of Publicity.

Basic B’s of Publicity1) BE quick to establish personal contactswith the right persons at each newspaper, radioand television station in your area.

2) BE sure to write everything down, and toinform a State publicity cabinet member of whatyou are doing. Send him/her a copy of all newsreleases.

3) BE prompt in meeting every deadline.

4) BE legible. Type news releases.

5) BE accurate. Double check dates,names, and place before you submit your copy.

6) BE honest and impartial. Give creditwhere it is due.

7) BE brief. Newspaper space and air timeare costly.

8) BE brave. Don’t be afraid to go after yourgoals and try new projects.

9) BE appreciative of all the space and timegiven to the Junior State for publicity.

10) BE professional. Members of the pressare always invited as guests. Never ask them tobuy tickets or pay admission.

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Chapter Publicity Quick Tips

Top-notch publicity is, by no means, a one-person job. Notable results require planning, prepa-ration, execution of the plans, and post-event duties. You, as the president, must choose diligentmembers to bring your chapter the publicity it needs.

1) Choose a publicity director and student photographer.

2) Choose an historian to collect a printed and pictorial record of the chapter’s JSA activitiesinto a scrapbook. These scrapbooks can serve as models for future chapter presidents andmark JSA’s history in your school. (Believe me, looking at old JSA scrapbooks is a riot!) Inaddition, your scrapbook will be the basis of your club for the Prof. Rogers Award presentedat Spring State to the most outstanding chapter in each state.

3) Contribute to your regional and state Junior State publications. (You may want to set up anewsletter. The staff can produce your chapter’s newsletter and/or be continually contri-buting to regional and state JSA publications.)

4) Utilize the school newspaper. Try to recruit newspaper staff members into your chapter.

5) Use the school public address system and daily bulletin.

6) Make classroom announcements or ask teachers to make an announcement of your up-coming events.

7) Display press clippings, Junior State brochures, posters, pictures, etc., on school bulletinboards and buildings.

8) Visit or write the editor of your local paper. Tell him/her about the Junior State, and thensend press releases for major chapter, regional and state events. Address them to the editorpersonally.

9) Visit or write the managers and staff of local radio and TV stations. Familiarize them withthe Junior State. Offer to provide chapter members as participants in any upcomingprograms on youth issues.

10) Do not hesitate to call upon the Junior State office for additional information or assistancein your publicity program.

Above all else, never get discouraged! If you put in your best effort, your voice will be heard.

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Publicity, Fund Raising, Membership Drive & Chapter Conference

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CHAPTERFUNDRAISING

400 S. El Camino Real, Ste 300San Mateo, CA 94402

800-334-5353 800-317-9338www.jsa.org jsa@jsa.org

The Junior State of America

Section D

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Fundraising

With convention and transportation costs,JSA may seem like quite an expensive (althougharguably wonderful) experience. This can be eas-ily remedied if your chapter is spirited and not afraidto work hard to fund raise.

Fundraising Ideas

The methods by which you can raise funds areendless. Here are some to get you started:

Sell food during a school break. We all knowthat school cafeteria food is barely edible. If yousell food either during lunch or a mid-morningbreak, you’re almost guaranteed to make a reallysolid profit (as long as you don’t buy too muchextra). Start slowly. Buy a little the first time yousell food to see if it sells out or not. Then gradu-ally increase to see how much is the ideal amountto buy. Some food sale ideas are: donuts, breadsticks (from a pizza store), frozen yogurt, beefbowls, and soft drinks. Simply contact a chainstore and tell them that you would like to hold afund raiser at your school for JSA. They will mostlikely give you a special price for buying in bulk;you then charge about $1 more than you paid forthe item. Selling food is one of the easiest fundraisers available. You will need to pay up front forit, though, and someone will probably have to misspart of the school day to pick it up. (Some places,such as Pizza Hut, will deliver it.) This fund raiseris perfect for all chapters, regardless of size, aslong as the chapter treasurer is organized, thereare sufficient chapter members who want to helpsell, and the school allows food sales.

Sell candy during the school day. You can ei-ther do this by contacting the fund raising depart-ment of a candy company or by purchasing thecandy yourself. Buy the candy in bulk at a dis-count store (such as Price Club) and separate itinto clear bags (if the customers can’t see whatyou’re selling, they won’t buy it). Be sure to buy agood variety of candy (from all different kinds ofchocolate bars to Gummy Bears) to ensure thatbuyers will find whatever they want. Make surethat all the kinds of candy you buy are approxi-mately the same price per unit. You will sell themall for the same price, and some types of candyare more expensive than others. A bag of candy

worth $10 will probably earn a profit of $5. Thisprofit can be handled in one of two ways: 1) Thechapter can absorb it and put it toward paying forchapter expenses (such as transportation); 2) thechapter can deduct the money raised by eachmember from that individual member’s conven-tion cost (this motivates people to sell, becausein a sense, they get to keep the money they earn.If a member sells ten bags, he/she has raised thefunds for nearly all of his/her Fall State fee!). It isimperative that you have chapter members signup whenever they take a bag of candy. It is rec-ommended that you make them turn in the moneythey earned before they pick up another bag, be-cause you might never see the money again. Beaware also that some teachers do not allow candyto be sold in their classes. Tell chapter membersto use discretion.

Sell chapter JSA T-shirts or sweatshirts. Finda store (look in the phone book and call around toget bids) that will print them inexpensively. Havesomeone (you might hold a chapter contest) cre-ate a design. Then, take pre-orders from chaptermembers so that you will not order too many, andsell the T-shirts for about $10 and the sweatshirtsfor about $25. You will make approximately $5profit on each. You might also include this T-shirtor sweatshirt as part of the dues that memberspay to join JSA (add $10 or $25 to the national JSAdues); your members will feel as if they are get-ting a complete package, and more people willjoin the club. This is suitable for large chaptersonly.

Hold a raffle. Write letters to local businessesstating the nature of JSA, and ask them to donateitems for your raffle. Sell tickets for a couple ofdollars each, and make sure that the prizes aregood enough that they will compel people to buytickets. Never buy the items you will raffle, be-cause you will lose money. This is suitable formedium-sized or large chapters.

Sell chapter scrapbooks. If you plan to do this,you should have a photographer at all of your chap-ter events. Then, have your chapter officers gettogether toward the end of the year and designthe scrapbook. Be as creative as possible, andbe sure to include the pictures of every single

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member (or else they won’t buy it). You can ei-ther get it printed professionally (this works best ifyou have a large chapter, and remember to callaround to get bids), or you can photocopy it your-self. Sell it for a few dollars more than you spenton it. Take pre-orders, or else you might end upwith a lot of extra scrapbooks. This is an activitythat is designed more as a service to your chap-ter than as a lucrative money-maker. This is suit-able for medium-sized or larger chapters.

Have a car wash. Be sure to get volunteers, thenthreaten to hurt them (just kidding) if they don’tshow up. Seriously, though, unless you have dedi-cated chapter members, you will most likely endup washing all of the cars yourself. Be sure tofind a parking lot or gas station in the middle of abusy intersection where you can have the carwash. Then have volunteers hold up signs on thesidewalk, to attract dirty cars. A catchy slogan is:“Topless car wash!” (The bottom is free, but theyhave to pay to get the top of their car washed.) Ifyou have chapter members bring soap, rags andhoses, and if the gas station supplies the water,then you will make a pure profit. Car washes area lot of fun as well. This fund raiser is perfect forall chapters, regardless of size.

Have a mini-conference. This requires a lot ofwork (coming up with activities, signing up debat-ers, etc.), but can potentially make a lot of money.If your school does not charge you for the use ofclassrooms, then your only cost is the printing ofagendas; you will make a nearly pure profit.Please refer to another section of this handbookfor more information on how to run a mini-confer-ence. This fund raiser is suitable for a chapterthat has a lot of strongleaders that have at-tended other mini-conferences.

Hold a garagesale. You canget rid of yourchapter’s junk andmake money at thesame time. This fundraiser has the potentialto raise a lot of money aslong as you ensure that

there will be a plethora of quality items to sell, andthat the garage sale is well-organized. Announcethe activity about a month in advance at a chaptermeeting, so that members have time to dig throughtheir junk. Be sure to have a sign-up sheet through-out the month at chapter meetings, and remindmembers to sign up for what they want to bring. Ifyou do not have an adequate list of items to sell, itis wise to not have the garage sale at all, for it willprobably be more trouble than it’s worth. This isperfect for all chapters, regardless of size; the de-termining factors in whether it will work or not arethe number of items for sale and the amount ofpublicity.

Send holiday grams. This can be done forValentine’s Day (which would include a card anda flower), Easter (chocolate eggs), and just aboutany other holiday you can think of. There are com-panies who have professionally printed cards, bal-loons, candy, and/or flowers for every occasion.Ask your student council for a list of companies.Then charge $1 more than it costs you to buythese grams from the companies (some want youto pay up front; others don’t). Allow a week forstudents to order these grams for their classmates(make sure someone has a table set up everyday of the week), then deliver them during classone day (this aspect of an in-class surprise makesthese holiday grams very popular). The sendersshould be given adequate space on the cards towrite a message to their friends. Remember,however, that you will usually make more moneyif you do not go through a professional company.Doing it yourself (designing your own card, wrap-ping your own flowers, etc.) may take more effort,but it will be a more lucrative fund raiser. This is

suitable for all chapters, regardless ofsize.

Attend the taping of a show.Shows such as Jeopardy

and Family Feud needan audience,

and will payfor people toattend (ap-p r o x i -m a t e l y$200 for 30

p e o p l e ) .Most shows

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will send a bus to pick your chapter up. You needto contact the entertainment agency that sets upaudiences for shows in the area. Most likely, yourstudent council will have their number, since thesecompanies send flyers to most schools. Have asign-up sheet before you contact the agency,though, because most agencies will expect youto know how many people you can bring (and youbetter deliver!). This is best for large chapters ifyou plan to make money. It works well as a socialactivity for smaller chapters.

Sell key chains or license plate frames. Theattraction of these sales is that your classmatescan personalize their own messages. You willhave to contact a company that specializes indoing this (ask your student council for a phonenumber, or look in the phone book). This is per-fect for all chapters, for you will market to the en-tire school.

Have a party! JSA too often has the image that itonly holds boring debates. Parties are fun socialevents that not only help dispel this nasty rumorbut also serve as fund raisers. The important thingabout holding a party is that you need to publicize,publicize, publicize! That way, people other thanchapter members will attend, and you will attractmore people to JSA. You can either hold the partat someone’s house, or you can rent a banquethall. If you plan to do the former, you can havechapter members either donate food and supplies,or you can have them save their receipts, and youcan reimburse them later. Charge a $6.00 or $7.00entrance fee, and play music and games. Somegame ideas are:

• Twister (it’s cheesy, but hilarious)• Icebreakers• Dating Game: Stick onto the backs of everyonethe name of someone who was part of a famouscouple (Ex: Sonny, Cher; Hillary Clinton, BillClinton; Romeo, Juliet). The objective of the gameis to figure out who you are (by asking yes or noquestions to your friends such as: “Am I a politi-cal figure?” “Am I presently alive?” “Am I Hillary?”)and to find your better half by asking yes or noquestions about the identities of others.

If you are holding a party at a banquet hall,first contact a hall (hotels, gyms, and convention

centers are good spots). They will usually havedifferent packages that include catering and differaccording to how many people are attending andhow much you want to spend. The hardest partof organizing a banquet is estimating how manytickets you can sell (and therefore what your bud-get is). It is wise to pre-sell the tickets before youpay for the room and the catering (this is not al-ways easy, though, because a lot of people willpay at the door). Remember that it is best to re-serve too little space and food than too much. Tryto be conservative with your estimates, or yourchapter could lose a lot of money. Also, be sureto inquire about the facilities available (you maywant a dance floor, for example). If you want aD.J. or a professional photographer, ask your stu-dent council for some contacts. Then call aroundfor bids for the D.J. The photographer will notusually charge for coming to an event; he/she justreaps the profit made on the pictures. Make surethat the program for the evening will attract peopleto attend, as well. Award/end-of-the year banquetsare a good idea, because chapter members willwant to see who receives the “Best StatespersonAward,” or the “Most Flirtatious Award.” They willalso get to see the induction of their new chapterofficers and thank their teacher advisor for all ofhis/her hard work throughout the year. For sucha big undertaking as a banquet, a committeeshould be formed to organize it. This house partyis suitable for all chapters. The banquet is suit-able for larger chapters who have either a chap-ter member who is experienced in planning par-ties or a teacher advisor who is willing to help.

Planning AheadOne of the most crucial parts of fund rais-

ing is to plan ahead. The chapter treasurer shouldknow months in advance of any event (i.e. SpringState, Congress, etc.), how much each studentwill need to pay to attend, and if the chapter willincur any additional costs while sending its del-egation (i.e. a bus to transport students to a dis-tant convention may cost over $300, a teacheradvisor who wants a private room, etc.). Fundraisers need to be planned and timed so that thisdoes not occur the week of an event: “Oh mygosh! We need $300 to charter a bus! We onlyhave $5 in the account...”

Also, keep in mind that the amount ofmoney your chapter needs will change as more

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students sign up to attend a convention. For ex-ample, a chapter sending five students to Con-gress will only need one teacher advisor, and willmost likely be able to find someone to drive themto the conference. A delegation of 35 people, how-ever, will most likely need a bus. It may also haveto pay for the rooms of extra teacher advisors iftheir school mandates that more chapter advisorsattend than the Junior State will pay for (which isone per 19 students).

Getting OrganizedNow that you have planned ahead and

determined how much money you will need andwhen, the next step to successful fund raising isto effectively organize the event. First, you willneed to obtain permission (either from the admin-istration or the student council) by submitting thenecessary forms. Be prepared to tell the peoplein charge what item/service your chapter plans tosell, what the money is needed for, and when youwould like to hold the fund raiser (many schoolshave an activities calendar to ensure that clubsare not selling competitive items at the same time).

It is wise to request permission for yourfund raiser at least a month before your chapterwill need the money. This is for two reasons: One,the administration/student council may not ap-prove your request (you may have wanted to havea fund raiser the night of the prom), and you mayneed the time to plan something different; two,you never know if the fund raiser you planned willmake the money you anticipated. For example, agarage sale may be rained on, so there must besufficient time to hold another event before themoney is needed. Remember, procrastination isdeadly when it comes to fund raising.

Do you remember the cliche, “It takesmoney to make money?" Well, this is especiallytrue of fund raising; although, there are some ex-ceptions when the items to be sold are donated,such as garage and bake sales. You will need toremove money from your account (which, if youhave a school account instead of a private ac-count, can take up to two weeks) to buy the itemyou plan to sell. Most companies, such as a pizzastore or doughnut shop need the money up front,not after the fund raiser is complete. If your chap-ter does not have the money to pay up front, you

will need to borrow the money from parents. Butbe sure to pay them back!

Now that you have requested permissionto hold your fund raiser and have the funds to fi-nance it, you will need to find chapter memberswho are willing to facilitate the event. Make sureto announce the fund raiser at least a week inadvance at a chapter meeting, and have a sign-up sheet for all those who are willing to help. Then(and this part is crucial), call these people andmake sure they know exactly what their duties areand when they need to be done. Many fund rais-ers have failed because volunteers thought it wasscheduled for another day or were misinformedof their task (and therefore, no one picked up whatyou were planning to sell). In addition, if any ofyour volunteers need a campus pass (to pick upa perishable item or to set up during school time),be sure to arrange this with your teacher advisor.

Next, your fund raiser needs to be wellpublicized for it to be successful. Utilize flyers(black ink on brightly colored paper works the best)and bulletin announcements (make sure they arecatchy, brief, and are repeated often). For moreinformation, please refer to the publicity sectionof this chapter binder.

Finally, cross your fingers and have fun!The bucks will roll in soon...

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Quick Tips forSuccessful Fund Raising

1. Determine how much money your chapter will need and when.

2. Obtain permission to hold the fund raiser from the administration/student council.

3. Make sure you have the money needed to initially finance the fund raiser (to buy the prod-uct you’re selling, etc.)

4. Recruit volunteers to help fund raise (have a sign-up sheet).

5. Call the volunteers to ensure that they know exactly what they are assigned to do and when.

6. Arrange any school or off-campus passes needed with your teacher-advisor.

7. Publicize with flyers, announcements, etc.

8. Have fun!

"Money doesn't grow on trees."

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MEMBERSHIPDRIVEGUIDE

400 S. El Camino Real, Ste 300San Mateo, CA 94402

800-334-5353 800-317-9338www.jsa.org jsa@jsa.org

The Junior State of America

Section D

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Membership Drive

The beginning of a new semester is the perfecttime to hold a JSA Membership Drive at yourschool. Follow the steps outlined in this sec-tion of the binder, and you can turn your chap-ter into a JSA powerhouse! Here is your chanceto bring new blood into your chapter and giveit new life. If you are trying to increase yourmembership or if you are just trying to get yourchapter off the ground, this packet will helpyou.

The key to a successful Membership Drive is aseries of two or three meetings designed to at-tract and hook new members. This section givesyou a strategy for planning the meetings, pub-licity ideas, and activities to hold at the meet-ings. You can also refer to the section on Chap-ter Meeting Activities for more ideas.

Step One: Planning the Membership DriveIn order to be successful, your membership drivemust be well thought out. Invite all key chap-ter officers and leaders to a meeting for the solepurpose of planning the membership drive. Asuccessful membership drive takes a lot of work,so be sure to include chapter members who donot hold an elected office — all hands on deckfor this project!

Set Your Plan of Attack.Go through the methods listed in this brochurefor publicizing and organizing your New Mem-bers Meetings. Decide which ones you want todo and which will be most effective on yourcampus. Brainstorm other ideas that will workat your school. Remember, the more you do topublicize these meetings, the more membersyou will attract.

Delegate Responsibility.Now that you have decided what you want todo, delegate tasks and responsibilities to otherchapter leaders. Decide who will make post-ers, hang posters, deliver invitations, etc. Makea time line or calendar of when each of the taskswill get done. Most importantly, DO NOT DE-LAY. Get things done as soon as possible.Things that are done at the last minute are of-ten futile.

Set The Dates of The Meetings.Set the dates for your New Members Meetings.Be sure to choose days that do not conflict withother school activities. Depending on how youdecide to publicize, you should give yourselfone to two weeks before the first big meeting.The next meeting should be the following weekto capitalize on the momentum.

Decide On An Agenda.Set the agendas for your meetings. Use the ideasin this brochure as a starting point for planningsuper activities to hold at your first and secondNew Members Meetings.

Step Two.PUBLICIZE! PUBLICIZE! PUBLICIZE!There is nothing more important to your mem-bership drive than publicity. You should con-centrate most of your efforts on marketing JSAto your entire school.

Posters.Cover your school with tons of posters. Theposters should be aimed at getting new mem-bers. Be creative. Some ideas: “JSA IS FOR YOU— JOIN! JOIN! JOIN!” OR “FEBRUARY IS JSA NEWMEMBER MONTH, COME CHECK IT OUT!” Youcan probably come up with slogans as good asthese — probably even better than these! Re-member to get the point across in every posterthat you want new members to come join. Besure to include the time, date and place of yourNew Members Meeting. Make sure your post-ers meet school regulations. Don’t forget thatthe Uncle Sam — “We Want You for JSA” post-ers are available from the Junior State office bycalling 1-800-334-5353.

Hand Out Invitations.This idea has worked very successfully at manychapters. If gives people a more personal feelfor the club and usually gets great results. Checkout the sample invitation in this packet. Youcan go through the yearbook to pick out peoplewho would make a great addition to your JSAchapter. Think about what your membership islacking — if most of your members are liberal,invite some noted campus conservatives to join.Are there good debaters at your school who

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have not joined JSA yet? What about peopleinvolved in your student body government oryour school’s newspaper? You can never haveenough underclassmen members: they are yourchapter’s future. Also, ask yourself if your chap-ter is representative of the entire school. It isimportant to get people from all walks of lifeinvolved in JSA because it makes for better de-bates and discussions. It furthers JSA’s goal of

preparing your generation to be active citizens— our democracy works best when everyoneparticipates. Make sure you reach outside ofyour circle of friends for new members. Onceyou have decided who should get a personalinvitation, have the invitations sent to them intheir classes or hand deliver them yourself.

YOU ARE INVITED . . .

Dear Student Leader:

You have been recognized as a school leader. I would like to cordially invite you to join thebest club on campus . . . The Junior State of America. JSA is an organization that gives studentslike you and me an opportunity to express our views on issues that are important to us like abortion, thedeath penalty, and student rights. You don’t need to be a great debater or public speaker to join, you justneed to be interested in the world around you and the issues that effect our lives.

In addition to its educational value, JSA is a great place to meet other interesting highschool students and make great friends. Please come to our NEW MEMBERS MEETINGon Wednesday, February 15 at lunch in Room 60.

JSA is a club with a purpose. To Make Democracy Work by preparing high schoolstudents to be active, involved citizens. Be a part of a new generation of politically aware citizens thatare ready and willing to make a difference. Join JSA!

I look forward to seeing you at our meeting. Please call me if you have any questions. Mynumber is 619-555-1234.

Jennifer Ann SorensonJSA Chapter President

Sample Invitation

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Visit Classes.Have chapter leaders who would be good rep-resentatives of JSA visit classes to invite studentsto join. Social Studies, Journalism, Government/Civics, and Current Events classes are probablythe best place to start. Your Teacher/Advisorshould be able to tell you whom you shouldapproach. Send teachers a note asking them ifyou could take a couple of minutes of their classtime to introduce students to the schools po-litical awareness club. After you have sent thenote, go to the teachers and ask them for thebest time to visit. When you visit, be prepared,excited and to the point. Describe JSA and givethe class the information about your meeting.Refer to the “JSA Talking Points” in this packetfor things to say when describing JSA.

Talk to Teachers, Parents, and Administrators.Even though JSA is a student-run organization,your chapter will be stronger if it has the posi-tive support of teachers, parents, and adminis-trators at your school. Again, your Teacher/Ad-visor can be invaluable in this part of your pub-licity plan. Teachers and administrators can beespecially effective in pointing politically awareor politically curious students to your JSA chap-ter. And, of course, supportive parents are al-ways important when it comes time to ask forthat convention registration check. Ask yourschool’s Social Studies Department Chair if youcan make a brief presentation about JSA at thenext Social Studies Department meeting. If youhaven’t already, make an appointment with theadministrator at your school who is in chargeof all of the clubs and activities on campus; tellthem you just want to acquaint them with thegoals and activities of JSA. Also, see if you canmake a brief presentation at the next PTA orPTSA meeting for your school — you will besurprised just how supportive parents can beonce they know about the organization. Again,if you need help describing JSA to any of thesepeople or groups, refer to “JSA Talking Points”in this packet.

Make a Flier.Making your own personalized flier can be veryeffective. The flier should stress that the chap-ter wants new members and now is the time tojoin. Don’t forget to include your meeting in-

formation. You should highlight both the educa-tional and social aspects of JSA. Other things toinclude are the chapter president’s phone num-ber and upcoming chapter and state events. Takea look at the sample flier included in this packetfor ideas. If you don’t have the resources to makeyour own flier you can photocopy the standard“What is JSA” flier enclosed in this packet. Youcan also call the Junior State office to get morecopies of this flier sent to you.

Announcements.Put announcements in your school bulletin andhave them repeated as often as possible. Don’tforget to emphasize that the meetings aregeared toward new members and that every-one is welcome even if they have never been toa JSA meeting before. If you decide to haverefreshments at any of your meetings, be sureto include this in the announcements — foodis a major draw!

Hold a “Bring In A New Member” Contest.Your present members are a great resource.Hold a competition to see which member canbring in the most new members. Advertise aprize for the winner, it could be something coollike $15 off Spring State, or something fun andcheesy like a pack of M&M’s. Getting the restof your membership involved will help makeyour membership drive successful.

Step Three. Hold THE BIG MEETING.This is the vital part of your membership drive.You have got to hold a meeting that will payoff for all of your hard publicity work. Thismeeting has got to keep your new memberscoming back for more. Pulling off a successfulmeeting will take preparation. Don’t blow itoff. Your first impression is vital.

Agenda.The agenda you set for this meeting is up toyou. There are a number of things you can dothat will work. Decide on what will work bestfor your school. This is a sample agenda for thefirst meeting that works well in most situations.If you need more help in setting up the meet-ing, contact your state or regional officers.

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JUNIOR STATE OF AMERICA

JOINJSA

TODAYThe Washington High SchoolChapter of JSA is having a mem-bership drive, and we want youto join. JSA is a student-run, po-litical awareness club that fightsstudent apathy. Our chapter hasdebates and discussions that giveyou a chance to speak out on theissues that effect us. You cansit back and listen and learn orget up and let everyone knowyour opinion.

Come to our NEWMEMBERS MEETINGS:

Wednesday, February 16 at Lunch in Room 60. Discussion topic:

Banning Gang Clothing On Campus Safety Measure or Violation of our Rights?REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED!

Wednesday, February 23 at Lunch in Room 60

Debate on the Death Penalty.Questions: Call Crystal Frierson, Chapter President at 619-555-1234

Sample Flyer

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I. Give a brief, well prepared overview of JSA.Explain our ideology of student-run, nonparti-san political involvement. Let your new mem-bers know that their views are welcome. Give agood description of JSA activities, but don’t getbogged down with debate procedure or the pro-cess of registering for a convention. Refer tothe “JSA Talking Points” for help. Do your bestto give them a feel for the organization. If youhave the time and a VCR, you might want toshow the JSA Promotional Video Tape — avail-able for loan or purchase from The Junior StateOffice. You might want to distribute brochuresfor upcoming JSA events. Don’t forget to relateto them your own personal reasons for beinginvolved in JSA — personal testimony can bevery effective.

II. Announce that in order to join, they mustpay JSA taxes. Hold up the form and tell themthey can pay today or at upcoming meetings.Make sure to get everyone’s name, address, andphone number, even if they don’t pay taxes rightaway. Make sure you contact them about fu-ture meetings.

III. After your introduction, hold a thought talkon a timely or hot topic. Thought talks are agood introductory activity for new membersbecause they encourage involvement by theentire group but are not very intimidating. Usea topic that everyone has an opinion on likeabortion, the death penalty, drug legalization,or racism. Have someone do research on thetopic and start off the conversation by present-

ing information on both sides. Have articles topass out to those who want them. Make surethat you ask some current chapter members tobe ready to stir up the conversation if it starts toslow down.

IV. Wrap up the meeting by serving refresh-ments and make sure to announce when thenext meeting will be. It is important that every-one leave knowing how to get involved andwhen and where the next activity will be. Yourchapter leaders should be instructed to minglewith the new members to make everyone feelwelcome and to answer any questions.

The Second Meeting.Part of the first meeting was taken up with in-formational stuff. Use the second meeting toshow just how exciting JSA can be. Have a chap-ter debate on a hot topic — make sure the par-ticipants are prepared and that the moderatorexplains the format to the new members (ahandout with information on the topic and thedebate rules can be very helpful). You mightwant to invite a guest speaker - a school boardmember or city council person. Some chaptershave had very exciting debates where teacherswere the debaters — either teacher vs. teacheror teacher vs JSA member. The choice is yours,just remember to be prepared. Remember notto bore your chapter with details that the chap-ter leadership can handle at a separate meet-ing. Don’t forget to announce your next meet-ing and any upcoming JSA activities.

.

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JSA Talking Points

JSA is a student-run, non-partisan, non-profit political awareness club. Students run the chaptermeetings, decide on debate topics, organize every aspect of the chapter.

JSA gives students an opportunity to voice their opinions on local, state, national, and worldissues. The free exchange of ideas and views is a highlight of all JSA activities.

JSA is a club with a purpose. JSA strives “To Make Democracy Work” by preparing high schoolstudents to be active, involved citizens.

JSA is more than just a debate club. JSA encourages political awareness and involvement throughits debates and other activities.

JSA gives students valuable “citizenship training” by letting students run their own government.JSA’s National, State, Regional, and Chapter governments reinforce democratic principles andprepares students to be informed, active citizens.

JSA chapters conduct a wide range of political awareness activities: informal discussions, struc-tured debates, educational simulations, challenging mock trails, informative political guest speakers,and voter registration drives are only a few of the activities chapters hold.

JSA chapters are the center of political awareness on high school campuses across the country.Being part of JSA is a chance to meet and make friends with other bright, involved students whoare aware of what is happening in the world around them.

JSA holds Saturday conferences and overnight conventions that allow students from many differ-ent high schools a chance to debate and discuss important issues. JSA events feature excitingactivities, interesting political keynote speakers, and great social activities.

JSA provides a valuable opportunity for students to develop or sharpen public speaking skills.Public speaking is a major emphasis of JSA. Our debates and discussions help students developthe ability to verbally express their thoughts and opinions in a clear and persuasive manner.

JSA gives students a chance to develop important leadership skills. As a student-run organization,JSA helps its leaders develop leadership skills such as organizing meetings, delegating responsi-bility, and motivating their peers.

JSA helps to develop critical thinking skills. JSA members challenge each other’s assumptionsabout the issues that affect their lives. This forces students to reevaluate their positions and de-velop more sophisticated arguments to support their beliefs or to change their position altogether.

JSA encourages “PEER TO PEER” education. Students are in charge of their own educationalactivities. Students learn best when they learn from each other.

A strong, active JSA Chapter is an asset for any high school campus. JSA is a valuable supplementto a high school’s social studies curriculum. Our American democracy depends on an educationsystem that prepares young people to take on the responsibilities of citizenship.

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The Junior State of America

PLANNING ACHAPTER

CONFERENCE

400 S. El Camino Real, Ste 300San Mateo, CA 94402

800-334-5353 800-317-9338www.jsa.org jsa@jsa.org

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Running a Chapter ConferenceThe chapter conference is possibly the

greatest activity a chapter can hold. Chapterconferences (also known as mini-conferences)promote expansion within your school as wellas within neighboring chapters. Since these con-ferences are usually small and informal, every-one has the opportunity to take part in the de-bates without the pressure of a large state con-vention. Chapter conferences, no matter howsmall, are invaluable because they improve thechapter in size, strength and experience. Thissection is designed to help you run a successfuland enjoyable chapter conference.

Phase One: Initial PreparationsLocation & Time

Finding a location is your first priority. Ifyou do not have a location at which to hold theconference, you cannot hold the conference!Your school is probably the best place to hold aconference. Usually, school administrations en-courage chapter conferences. In addition,schools generally do not make you pay to usetheir facilities (although some may charge a smallfee for janitorial services) and schools have allthe facilities you need: audio-visual equipment,large and small rooms for debates and activi-ties, ample parking and even places to hold so-cial events. Keep the cost of the location downso that the conference costs stay low.

When making arrangements for a site,you also must decide what date you want tohold the conference. Usually there is more thanone chapter in your area planning to hold achapter conference. If both conferences fall onthe same day, the attendance at both is cut andmany people who would have attended bothcan only attend one. To avoid this, many statesand regions in the Junior State have appointeda cabinet member to help schedule all chapterconferences and avoid conflicting dates. Beforescheduling your chapter conference, you shouldtalk to this person and find out what dates areavailable. Never hold a conference on a datethat the chapter conference coordinator has al-

ready given to another chapter -- it will hurt bothof your chapters. Also make sure to choose adate that does not conflict with other social ac-tivities in your school -- your own membersshould be your strongest attendance.

Conference Planning MeetingOnce you have the location confirmed,

you can begin planning the conference. To be-gin planning, hold a meeting with all the peoplewho will be playing a large role in conductingthe conference. In the meeting you should de-termine who will serve as Conference Coordina-tor, the theme of the conference, the debatetopics and format, the conference schedule, andwho will serve in other important roles.

Conference CoordinatorOne conference coordinator should be

chosen. One person should be able to make thefinal decisions. The conference coordinatorshould be someone who will delegate well andcan cooperate with many different chapter lead-ers. In general, the Chapter President shouldnot serve as the conference coordinator. Theconference coordinator should be chosen beforeany other planning takes place. Once chosen,the conference coordinator should get in con-tact with any people on state or regional cabi-net assigned to work with chapter conferences.

One of the things to remember in plan-ning a chapter conference is that they are notusually designed to be enormous. They are“mini-conferences” as they are frequently called.If you go in expecting a huge attendance, youare likely to be disappointed. Thirty, fify, a hun-dred people is excellent attendance for a chapterconference.

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ThemeAt this point, a theme should be chosen.

The theme should be so broad that many differ-ent debates can come under that theme. Oncethe theme is chosen, choose the title of the con-ference. The title should be something invitingand exciting and relate directly to the theme.

Some themes that have worked in the past:• Education in America• Foreign Affairs• The American City• American Political Culture• Saving the Environment• Crime in America • Religion’s Role in America• Historical Topics

Remember that most of your activitiesshould fall under the theme you choose, so makeit broad enough and interesting enough that peoplewill not lose interest. A whole conference on dif-ferent issues pertaining to the death penalty willget very boring, not to mention morbid. Also re-

closing speeches. You may want to alter thetimes, such as a 7-4-3 or a 5-3-2 format. You canalso have different styles of debates, such ascross examination or cross fire debate. You arealso free to have non-debate activities such asthought talks, mock trials, simulations -- anythingyou think will get people interested and involved.It is your conference, and you are free hold what-ever activities you feel are best. In deciding whatsort of activities to have and what format to makethe debates, you should also decide how long youwant each debate to run. Most debates at confer-ences and conventions run between 45 and 75minutes in length, but you do not need to stick tothis. Remember that if a debate is too short, theremay not be enough time to really delve into theimportant issues and learn something. On theother hand, if it is too long, people may lose con-centration and get bored. You decide based onthe topics, formats, activities and what you thinkwill work best.

Conference ScheduleFirst decide how long you want the con-

member that you are free tohave some activities that donot fall directly under yourtheme, although most of themshould.

Debate TopicsChoose debate topics

that go with the theme andthat are fun to debate. Re-member that to be debatable,the topic must be controver-sial. Try to create a balancebetween different issues thatall fall under your conferencetheme so that there will besomething there for every-one.

Debate FormatDebate format is the

style of debate you will use inyour conference. The basic6-3-3 Junior State debate al-lots six minutes to the open-ing speeches and three min-utes for the subsequent and

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT presented by the Lincoln High Chapter of JSA

Saturday, March 9 9:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m.Lincoln High Auditorium

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ference to be. Don’t make it too long or peoplewill lose concentration and get bored. Generally,for a conference held on a Saturday, starting at10:00 a.m. with registration an hour before andending by 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. is good. Starting alittle later than that can sometimes be a good ideagiven that people don’t like to get up too early on aSaturday morning.

Next decide how long you want each ac-tivity to be. Just like conventions, most confer-ences arrange all the activities into “blocks” oftime. During each block, a one or two activitiesrun simultaneously. Don't make the mistake ofscheduling too many activities. If fifty people at-tend your conference, two activities per block with25 people each feels like a success. If you hadscheduled three or four activities in a block, atten-dance would be very thin and your conferencemight look like a failure. The attendees can de-cide which activity they want to attend each block.Don’t have too many activities each block -- chap-ter conferences are small and there may not beenough people to sustain several different activi-ties. Generally three, maybe four activities eachblock is plenty. Figure on one activity for everytwenty to thirty people expected to attend. Betterto put more time and energy into a smaller num-ber of really top notch activities than spread yourresources too thin over several poorly attendedand poorly planned ones.

Decide who does whatDecide at the planning meeting who will

be in charge of what. Don’t make the conferencecoordinator in charge of everything. If more thanone chapter will be involved, decide what eachchapter will do for the conference. Too manypeople taking large roles in the conference is boundto mean little accountability and much confusion.Only a handful of people should have major re-sponsibilities in planning the conference. Thereare, however, bound to be many smaller jobs thatindividuals can do. Try to give everyone whowants to participate at least some role in the con-ference preparation. This will help unify the chap-ter.

Extra Chapter Conference Ideas

• Social Event. Consider the possibility of in-cluding a social event in the day. A social event

gives chapters an opportunity to know each otherbetter and gives the individual members of thechapters a chance to meet each other as well.You may want to have a dance, dinner or both. Asocial activity can make the day complete and canalso be a great way to raise funds for your chap-ter. (A dance where you invite the whole schooland charge a small entrance fee could make morethan a thousand dollars!)

• Debater Workshops. Having a Debater Work-shop can greatly improve the debating skills ofthose who attend. Schedule any Debate Work-shops early in the day so that those who attendwill have a few blocks left to try out their newlyattained skills. You can find a member of yourchapter skilled in debating to lead one or have yourregional or state Debate Department find yousomeone. If a member of your chapter will berunning it, make sure (s)he understands that theworkshop is for Junior State debating and notsome other style. To have your regional or stateDebate Department find someone for you, callyour local Director of Debate, Mayor or Governoror call the Junior State’s National Headquarters.

• Special Speakers. Special speakers or “key-notes” for your opening or closing session or otheractivities can give your conference a professionaltouch. Between opening and closing sessions,opening is preferable as by closing session mostof the delegates are tired and will quickly lose con-centration. You can usually find good speakerswilling to speak for free by contacting local com-munity groups related to your theme. If your themeis Education, you may find a local school admin-istrator and a teacher’s union representative will-ing to speak on funding of schools. If your themeis Violence, a member of the local police depart-ment may be willing to discuss the issue. Youcan also include outside speakers in your open-ing and closing sessions. A speaker from Moth-ers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) may be willingto come speak during an activity focusing on howto reduce accidents related to drunk driving. Withoutside speakers, remember two things: Invitethem way in advance (they often have very busyschedules) and remember to thank them in frontof the audience at the conference and in writingafterwards.

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• Showing a Film. Showing a film can give anice break in the other activities of the day andcan add a very nice touch to the conference.Choose one that is both enjoyable and relatedto your conference theme. For instance, if yourconference theme is American Politics, you mightwant to show All the President’s Men, whichshows the investigation of Watergate. Your lo-cal video rental store is bound to have manymovies that in some way relate to your theme.

• JSA Candidates’ Forum. As mentioned be-fore, a candidates’ forum is a block of time setaside for Junior State members planning to runfor office. It gives candidates a chance to ex-press their views and discuss their platforms, aswell as answer questions from the audience. Thepeople attending your conference will get achance to compare and contrast the candidates’merits and platforms and will be able to make amore informed decision when elections rollaround. If many candidates attend the confer-ence, these can be very exciting. You may havea member of your chapter run the candidates’forum him or herself, provided that (s)he is nota candidate. It often is easier to have a unbi-ased member of the state or regional govern-ment, such as the Lieutenant Governor (who isalready in charge of running elections), run thecandidates’ forum. To do so, contact your localor state Junior State government official or callthe Junior State’s National Headquarters.

Blocking the ConferenceOnce you have decided on the activities

and their length, you should “block” out yourconference. This means deciding which activi-ties go in which blocks and finalizing the actualschedule for the entire day. Remember to in-clude time for registration and lunch. If yourconference is being held in the spring, you maywant to hold a candidates’ forum where stu-dents running for Junior State office can discusstheir candidacy and platforms. Decide if you planto have a social event (see next section) and takethis into consideration when scheduling.

When blocking out the activities, makesure to balance the activities in each block well.You can usually get a feel for which activities are

going to draw more people than others. Don’tschedule a real big drawer next to a real smallone -- you will end up with debaters talking tothemselves. Try to schedule activities with aboutthe same draw in the same blocks. This wayyou will have a roughly equal number of peopleat all activities and give people interested in theless popular topics an audience to work with.

It is also a good idea to avoid having sev-eral activities on the same issue run simulta-neously. If your conference theme is educationin America, and you have two debates on schoolfunding, schedule them for different blocks. Thisgives people a wider variety each block and al-lows people really interested in one issue to at-tend both activities on that issue.

You should schedule a five to ten minutebreak between each block for people to changerooms, use the restroom and stretch. Be sure toschedule enough time for lunch or your partici-pants will not come back on time.

On the next page is a sample chapter con-ference schedule to use as a rough guideline. Itdoes not have a set theme and the activities covera wide range of different topics. This is onlyprovided to give you an idea of how a confer-ence could run. Your conference is your confer-ence and you should feel free to plan it howeveryou feel is best.

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SAMPLE CHAPTER CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

8:00 a.m. Conference leaders arrive

9:00 a.m. REGISTRATION

10:00 a.m. - 10:25 a.m. OPENING SESSION

Welcome AddressReview Agenda for the day

10:30 a.m. - 11:25 a.m. BLOCK ONE

Debate WorkshopCensorship of school newspapers Debate

11:30 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. BLOCK TWO

Abortion DebateDeath Penalty Debate

12:30 p.m. - 1:55 p.m. LUNCH

2:00 p.m. -2:55 p.m. BLOCK THREE

Environmentalism vs. Economy DebateDiscussion on Community Policing

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. CANDIDATES’ FORUM

4:00p.m. - 4:30 p.m. CLOSING SESSION

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Phase Two: PublicityThe Brochure

One of the most important parts of pub-licizing your conference is a brochure or flyer.After your planning meeting, you will be able towrite a brochure. The brochure should contain:

· The name of your conference· The theme with a short introduction· Debate topics and descriptions of all activities· Any speakers or guests that will be attending· The date, time and location of the conference· The cost of the conference and any social events· Information on the social event· Directions & a map to the location· Debater/Moderator/Participant application withaddress where it should be sent· Artwork or other things to make it look inter-esting and attractive

Keep the brochure inexpensive and light(so you are not charged a lot for mailing). Makeit easy to read and appealing -- remember thatthis is an advertisement. Send copies of the bro-chure to local chapter presidents, regional andstate leaders, The Junior State Office and any-one else you think might bring in attendance.The brochure can be as elaborate or as simpleas you want; it is all a matter of how much youwant to spend on printing and mailing. You maywant to make it a two sided tri-fold or your maywant to keep it a simple one sided flyer. Youmight want to consider making it such that youcan fold it and mail it without putting it in anenvelope to save time and money.

PromotionExtensive promotion is necessary for

large attendance. First of all, tell the membersof all the chapters involved. Then tell them totell all their friends. Tell the Junior Staters in your

area at conventions, other conferences or byphone calls.

Try the following:

· Contact chapter members -- they shouldall be attending.

· Contact Government, History, SocialStudies and Speech teachers and askthem to tell students who may be inter-ested. You might want to ask them togive students extra-credit .

· Get all your friends to attend.· Contact the local newspapers -- try a

small advertisement· Run an article in your school newspaper

about JSA and the upcoming conference.See if you can run an inexpensive add inthe paper as well for the few weeks be-fore the conference.

· Contact participants in your school’sdebate team, Model U.N., NationalForensics League and other similar clubs

· Run bulletins in your school’s daily an-nouncements.

· Contact leaders in your school’s studentgovernment.

PhoningIn the last week before the conference

you should phone the people who will help youget a large attendance. Also, confirm guestspeakers, debaters and moderators, and confirmthe site of the conference. One piece of goodadvice: Don’t plan for an unrealisticly huge at-tendance because you will only end up cancel-ing activities. Having a few more people at eachactivity than planned is seldom a big problem.

Phase Three: Final PreparationsSigning Up Debaters and Moderators

It is important to do this early. Begin bycontacting those who responded to debate ap-plications or contacted you directly. Then, thosepeople who are leading the conference shouldfill in the open spaces. If all else fails (and it

frequently does) call the Chapter Presidents,leaders and well known debaters in the area forhelp. If you still can’t find debaters for certaindebates, consider cancelling the debate or turn-ing it into a thought talk. In general, debaters

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and moderators who come to you and volun-teer are much more likely to adequately prepareand show up the day of the conference thanthose participants who you need to convince toparticipate.

Once you have all of the debate slotsfilled, it is nice to contact the debaters by send-ing them a letter to confirm their debate. Youshould have the debaters confirmed at least twoweeks before the conference so that they havetime to prepare for the debate. If the debatersdo not have time to prepare, the debates will belower quality and less educational.

Preparing the AgendaAt this point you should have a schedule

of when each activity will take place. With thisinformation you can write an agenda. Keep inmind that there should not be conflicts in sched-ules (e.g. one person should not have two ac-tivities in one block).

Here are some guidelines for youragenda:

· Be clear, short and readable.· Divide all activities into clear, separate

blocks of time.· Include the issue (resolution), partici-

pants (debaters, moderators or leaders)and room of each activity.

· Have a break for lunch or dinner if dur-ing those times.

· Include opening and closing sessionswith any speakers you want to addressall the participants.

· Include registration time· Include breaks between blocks so that

people can complete essential activities(water, going to the bathroom).

· Include the time, place and descriptionof any social event.

When the students arrive, they should behanded a registration packet that includes anagenda and any other materials they may findhelpful. Consider including a map of the localrestaurants, flyers for upcoming conferences, thebrochure for the next convention, a Summer

School/Symposia brochure, a biography of yourguest speaker of anything else you find appro-priate.

Debate BackgroundsA simple background of the debate giv-

ing facts and arguments pertinent to the debateis a nice touch. It is a good way to improve thequality of the debates.

Conference MaterialsBefore the conference you should have

the following:

· Name tags: surprisingly cheap at stores.These are a good way to identify who has paidand who’s who.

· Registration cards: these you give theJunior State office after the conference. Theylike to get the names and addresses of non-mem-bers who attend a Junior State event so that theycan recruit them into the Junior State. They arealso very useful when looking for new members.You can obtain registration cards free of chargefrom the office.

· Copies of debate backgrounds, agen-das, maps, flyers, brochures and anything elsethat will distributed to everyone attending theconference in the registration packets. Don’t getcaught the day of the conference withoutenough materials. See if your school will pho-tocopy some of your materials for free.

· Manilla folders: to hold the registrationpackets.

· Best Debater Ballots: if you will be giv-ing best debater awards, these are a must. Youcan obtain them in large quantities from theJunior State office or prepare your own. Remem-ber that you need enough for everyone attend-ing the conference to fill one out each block.

· Best Debater Awards: if you would liketrophies or gavels, you can obtain then from theJunior State office at a moderate cost. You maywant to try thinking of something more original(perhaps related to your conference theme) andlikely less expensive. Best debater awards are

Publicity, Fund Raising, Membership Drive & Chapter Conference

D-31

not essential, but they are a nice touch and area nice way to end the conference.

· Audio/Visual equipment: if you needmicrophones, projectors or anything else likethis, make sure to make arrangements in ad-vance so that the equipment will be there whenand where you need it.

· Food: you may want to sell somethingat your conference to make a little extra money.Either arrange for each chapter member to bringsomething to eat or drink, or buy some food.Bagels and cream cheese, donuts, cookies, cup-cakes and soft drinks are all very popular itemsthat attenders will likely be willing to buy at areasonable cost.

· Posters (JSA signs), tape, pens, cashbox (to collect registration): the posters are toshow people where the conference is once theyare in the neighborhood. You may also want tohave the traditional theme poster to hang be-hind the podium. The tape is to hang up signsand posters. If the different meeting rooms areat all difficult to find, have signs directing peoplefrom the opening session rooms to the otherrooms. Have some pens and markers handy tomake posters and fill in registration cards.

· Etc. If there is anything else you can thinkof that you will need the day of the conference,get it. Go through the entire agenda step bystep in your mind and think of what extra thingsyou may need that you have forgotten.

Phase Four: The Conference DayArrive Early

Arrive early with several others so that youcan open up, set up chairs and desks, put up post-ers and set up any audio/visual equipment. Setup the registration stand and food stand and finda safe place to keep the money (in the cash box).You will find many other things to do once youarrive there so try not to be late -- even the mostthoroughly planned conference will have lastminute items that need taking care of.

Open UpOpen up half and hour before registration

time. Posters should be up and people should behanging around so that people from out of the areawill find the conference easily. Be sure to put upsigns directing people to the conference frommany different directions -- finding your school mayseem easy to you, but difficult to someone new.

RegistrationRemember to hand out a registration folder

with an agenda, maps, a name tag and any othermaterials you think should be included. Take theirmoney and ask them to fill out a registration card.Be strict about their paying and filling out a regis-

tration card.

Opening SessionStart on time, and follow your agenda all

day. Make sure that all of your debaters have ar-rived by opening session. If they haven’t, find anexperienced debater to fill his/her place or be pre-pared to turn the debate into a thought talk or evento cancel it. It is important that opening sessionbe exciting and run smoothly -- it sets the tone forentire day. If your opening session seems disor-derly and unorganized, people will be disappointedand less enthusiastic about the activities. Anyguest speakers you have should be in tune withthe audience and exciting. Some of the bestspeakers have some engaging yet brief preparedremarks and leave ample time for questions fromthe audience. You may want to try having twoguest speakers debate each other in a cross-ex-amination debate in opening session. If you loseyour audience’s attention span during openingsession, it will be difficult to gain it back.

During the BlocksIf you have more than one debate each

block, a less popular debate can have very low

Section D

D-32

be able to notify you of simple things you can doto make the conference run more smoothly.

Closing SessionIn closing session you should save time

for giving the results of debates and handing outbest debater awards. If there are any non-JuniorStaters in the crowd, you may spend some timetelling them about the Junior State. Finally, if thereis going to be a post-conference activity, youshould announce what it is and where it is at thevery end of closing session.

attendance. If this takes place, you may want tocancel the debate instead of having a debate withno subsequent speakers. If one of the main speak-ers does not arrive and you cannot find a replace-ment, you may either cancel the debate or turn itinto a thought talk. Changes are very easy to makeat small conferences. Don’t be afraid to be spon-taneous when necessary.

BreaksStress returning on time from breaks.

People coming into a debate when it has alreadystarted can be very disruptive. See if you can usethe breaks in between activities to meet the peopleattending and touch base with the conference andactivity leaders. Try to get feedback from attend-ees on how the conference is going. They may

Phase Five: After the Conference

Clean UpA general guideline should be to leave the

place in better shape than you found it.

Thank You NotesThank all of the speakers and all of the

people who helped on the conference (teachers,moderators, the Junior State office, etc.) with apersonal note. This is very important. Do not putit off for later -- do it soon after the conference.

PublicityPublicize the success of your conference.

Tell your school paper and the regional and stateJunior State papers. Get some credit for yourchapter and for yourself. Tell the Junior State of-fice and your school administration how it went.Making the success of your conference wellknown will bring support and strength to your ownchapter and make it easier for your chapter to haveanother activity or conference in the future.

MoneyDeposit the money you made and pay off

any debts you incurred. Be careful not to over-look any people you may owe money to (e.g. yourpublicity director for photocopying flyers).

Recruit New MembersIf anyone from your school came who is

not a member of your chapter, try to recruit him/her to join. Use the publicized success of yourconference to help gain new membership.

RelaxTake some time to look back on what you

and your chapter have accomplished. Running aconference is a difficult task and even a moder-ately successful one is an accomplishment ofwhich you should be justifiably proud.

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D-33

Debate Nights and After School Conferences

Some chapters find that they do not havethe membership or time and energy to plan a full-scale weekend chapter conference, or that all theweekend conference dates are filled. For thesechapters, an after school conference or debatenight can be an excellent way to attain many ofthe benefits of a chapter conference without quiteas many demands.

Afterschool chapter conferences and de-bate nights usually feature two to three debates inclassrooms. Afterschool conferences are heldright after school while debate nights usually startin the evening. They are both usually held onweeknights. Plan one just as you would a regularchapter conference but take the following guide-lines into consideration.

1) Schedule your after school conference ordebate night on a weeknight. Thursdays frequentlywork best because students only have one day ofschool left before they can catch up over the week-end. Friday nights are discouraged because manypeople make plans and some people may havereligious obligations.

2) After school conferences should beginwithin an hour of school ending. Leave enoughtime for students to get to their lockers and grab abite to eat, but not so much that they go homeand need to come back. The conference shouldalso end no later than 5:30 p.m. unless you areplanning dinner. Debate nights should start around6:00 if you are including dinner, 7:00 if you are not.This gives students a chance to go home, restand get some homework done before attendingthe conference. They should end by 10:00 at thelatest. Many students may have to drive homeand parents frequently don’t like students out toolate on school nights.

3) Activities should be 45 to 60 minutes inlength. Take into consideration that the studentsattending have already been through a long day ofschool. They are likely to be somewhat tired fromthe engaging activities of the day. Long openingand closing sessions are also not a good idea.Say what must be said and move on to the activi-ties.

4) If the conference will not include many stu-dents from other schools, it is a good idea to sched-ule no more than two activities each block andhave no more than two blocks total.

5) Be especially sure not to have a lopsidedblock with one activity that will draw many morepeople than the other. With only a small numberof people at the conference, an unpopular activitymay have only one or two people show up andleave the debaters talking to themselves.

6) Promote the conference very heavily withinyour own school. Encourage other clubs to sendtheir members and encourage social studiesteachers to give extra-credit. Remember to pub-licize far enough in advance so people can avoidconflicting afterschool plans.

7) Decide early on if you want the conferenceto be mostly for your own members or for otherchapters as well. Usually debate nights work outbetter if other chapters are going to be includedsince it takes time to get over to the hosting schooland most students are more likely to attend if theycan have some sort of break before it starts.

8) If you are going to include dinner, you mayfind it easier to make the food yourself and serveit to everyone rather than have them leave cam-pus, as they frequently do during weekend con-ferences. Serving dinner on campus saves time,discourages students from leaving part waythrough, and can be safer than having studentswander around looking for restaurants at night.Consider cooking up several pots of spaghetti orordering pizzas. Be sure to offer a vegetarian op-tion for vegetarians and people following religiousdietary laws. Remember drinks, dessert, plates,plastic cutlery, cups and bags for garbage. Makesure to adequately cover the costs of food in theadmission price for simplicity if possible, or chargeseparately for dinner. Even with dinner, the con-ference should still end no later than 9:00 p.m.Students still will have homework to do and needto get some sleep.

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D-34

CHAPTER CONFERENCEPLANNING TIMETABLE

Fill in the date for you conference then fill in all of the deadlines. Check off each task as it is completed.

Date of your conference

Ten Weeks ahead (date)

INITIAL PREPARATION

° Make arrangements to use site° Hold conference planning meeting to:

° Select Theme.° Select Conference Coordinator.° Select Debate Topics.° Divide up assignments.

° Decide on Extras:° Guest Speakers° Social Events° Seminars° JSA Candidates’ Forum

° Inform the following of your plans:° Your teacher/advisor -- obtain his/her approval° Your school administration -- obtain their approval° Your State/Regional Chapter Conference Coordinator° The Junior State Office

Eight Weeks ahead (date)

° Make a flyer or brochure for your conference.° Send flyer/brochure to printer to be printed/photocopied.

Seven Weeks ahead (date)

° Invite Guest Speaker(s).

Six Weeks ahead (date)

BEGIN PUBLICITY

° Distribute flyer/brochure° Give copies to all of your chapter members. Have them give copies to friends who may be

interested.° Give copies to Social Studies, Government, and other teachers and administrators at your

Publicity, Fund Raising, Membership Drive & Chapter Conference

D-35

school. Ask them to give it to interested students.° Mail copies to nearby JSA Chapter Presidents, cabinet members, and other officers. Ask the

JSA office for mailing labels.° Arrange, if possible, to place an announcement for the conference in your school or local

newspaper for the two or three weeks before the conference.

Four Weeks ahead (date)

° Select and notify debaters, moderators, and other student participants. All conferenceparticipants MUST be selected, notified, and confirmed at least two weeks before theconference.

Three Weeks ahead (date) BEGIN FINAL PREPARATIONS

° Set final agenda.° Have debate backgrounds written.° Confirm Speaker(s).° Get conference materials:° Registration cards and best debater ballots can be provided to you free of charge by the

Junior State Office provided that all of the above steps have been completed. Call to requestthem. Purchase name tags and manilla folders.

° JSA Best Debater trophies and/or gavels can be purchased from The Junior State Office. Callto purchase them.

Two Weeks ahead (date)

REMINDERS/CONFIRMATIONS

° Call student participants to reconfirm and to make sure they are preparing.° Post flyers around your campus -- put announcements in the school bulletin.° Send flyer to chapter members, teachers and JSA leaders as a reminder. Distribute maps to

those people who need them.

One Week ahead (date)

° Notify media (see publicity section)° Have agenda, debate backgrounds and other materials copied and ready to distribute.

The night before (date)

° Hold a pre-conference meeting.

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The Junior State of America

DEBATE

HANDBOOK

400 S. El Camino Real, Ste 300 San Mateo, CA 94402

800-334-5353 800-317-9338 www.jsa.org jsa@jsa.org

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Debate Handbook In a world full of endless problems and conflicting opinions, the art of debate is a very valuable tool. The Junior State recognizes this and makes debate an integral part of its program. Many new Junior State members are inexperienced in the field of debate. This handbook was created as a learning tool. It will present to you the fundamentals of parliamentary procedure and JSA debate. After reading this handbook, you will feel confident enough to express yourself in the debate framework. Remember, all views and arguments on the subject at hand are valid if well thought out. In expressing your opinion, you have nothing to lose, so speak up!! TRADITIONAL JSA DEBATE PROCEDURE First, the moderator reads the debate resolution. A possible resolution might be: RESOLVED, that the private ownership of handguns be banned. The debate begins with six minute opening speeches from the main speaker in favor of the resolution (the proponent) and the main speaker against the resolution (the opponent). These two persons have been selected in advance and have prepared their speeches. It is their job to research the debate topic and summarize the key arguments in favor of their position as they see them. For example, the main proponent for the above resolution might expand on three main arguments: I. Handguns have no purpose other than to kill people. II. Crimes of passion will be fewer if handguns are not available. III. Only banning handguns will solve the problem; gun registration is not enough. If there is any time left after the main speaker has finished speaking, the speaker may: 1) yield the remaining time to questions (take questions from the floor); or 2) yield the time to the chair (time forfeited). After the proponent's time has lapsed, the opponent gives a six minute opening speech. The opponent might begin by offering new arguments to the debate: I. We need guns for the protection of our property. II. Owning a gun is a constitutional right. Then the opponent should respond to or “refute” the proponent's major points: III. Handguns can be used for hunting. IV. Knives and other weapons will still be available to kill with. V. Gun registration can help find the owner of a crime gun. When the opponent is finished expressing his point of view, he also may: 1) yield the remaining time to questions (take questions from the floor); or 2) yield the time to the chair (time forfeited).

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After the main speeches are finished, the moderator will ask for subsequent speeches from the audience. These speeches alternate between affirmative and negative, beginning with the affirmative. Unless otherwise stated, these may be a maximum of three minutes in length. Anyone, except the moderator, may speak. If no one else wishes to speak on a certain side, the main speaker on that side may be recognized. As an example (once again with the above resolution), the subsequent speaker might state: 1)A new argument: Gun control seems to work in the various cities in which it is being used. A

handgun ban should be expanded nationwide. 2)A new fact supporting an old argument: According to the FBI Uniform Crime Report of 2005,

some 68% of all murders with handguns are crimes of passion. 3)A new way of looking at an old argument: Gun registration is not enough; we need the strongest

possible gun control. 4)Rebutting an opponent’s argument: Knives are less likely to kill than handguns. 5)A combination of all of the above. At the end of the subsequent speech, the speakers may: a) yield their time to questions; b) yield their time to the chair; c) yield their time to another subsequent speaker (on the same side); or d) yield their time to the main speaker (on the same side). After the alternating speeches, an appropriate motion (the previous question) is passed, or when the time limitation set for the debate expires, subsequent speeches will be discontinued and the main speakers will each give a closing speech. Closing speeches begin with the opponent, followed by the proponent. These speeches should reemphasize and defend the most important arguments brought up by each side. The speakers should try to present the overall philosophy of their position, reiterate the best arguments on their side and refute the most damaging arguments brought up by their opponents. Keep in mind, the words spoken last have the greatest impact and are usually best remembered by the audience. If time remains after the conclusion of either closing speech, the speaker must yield his time to the chair. Following the closing speeches, the audience immediately votes on the resolution, and the results are announced. RESEARCH The first step to good preparation is being able to find sources of information on a particular issue. There are several ways of doing research. Here are a couple of places to start:

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1. The Web: The Web provides an incredible array of resources on every imaginable topic. However, since anyone can create a website, the most important thing is to establish the credibility of your sources. Most major newspaper websites, such as www.nytimes.com for the New York Times and http://online.wsj.com/public/us for the Wall Street Journal may be considered reliable and provide internal search engines. Other news organizations, such as www.cnn.com provide the same service. Sometimes, you may have to create an account but these are usually free. General search engines such as Google and Yahoo can also be useful. Both have News pages where you can search for news stories specifically associated with your topic. One guide to researching on-line can be found at http://www.webliminal.com/search/.

2. The Library: Every library contains the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature which

indexes magazine articles by subject. The Reader's Guide concentrates primarily on the most widely read publications (Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, etc.), but also some less read titles (America, Nation, etc.). It is usually the best source for researching a debate. However, if you wish to obtain a more in-depth survey of a subject, you may prefer periodical indexes such as Social Sciences and Humanities or Public Affairs Information Service (P.A.I.S.). These indexes will classify magazines of a more specified nature (i.e. New England Journal of Medicine and government publications). These helpful guides are highly recommended if the information you seek is not found in the Reader's Guide.

3. Your Own Ingenuity: Research organizations and politicians dedicated to your issue.

What are their main arguments and campaigns? Maybe you can get a quote in support of your argument directly from a politician supporting your argument!

ORGANIZING YOUR MAIN SPEECH Every speech should have some organizational structure. This helps the audience follow along with what you are saying. More importantly, it helps you arrange your arguments for maximum impact. One simple organizational structure looks like this:

I. Introduction and preview of arguments. In this simple structure, the speaker gives an attention getting introduction that: a. Lets the audience know why the issue at hand is important. b. Provides a definition for the audience of resolution so everyone understands the

issue. c. Gives a quick summary of three main arguments that the speaker will use to gain

support from the audience. II. Main point #1. Think of the main points as the answer to the question, “why?” For

example in our sample resolution, the answer to the question, “Why should handguns be banned?” helps us form our first main point: “Because the only use for handguns is to shoot other people.” Each main point should be supported by some type of evidence.

III. Main point #2 IV. Main point #3 V. Conclusion. Review your main points, refute your opponent’s best arguments and make

a final appeal for votes.

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In this simple structure, you should arrange your main points so that your best argument is either Main point #1 or Main point #3 – either first or last.

“Be aware that people will remember what you say first (the primary principle) and what you say last (the recency principle). In light of this, it is logical that arranging your arguments either from weakest to strongest (climax) or from strongest to weakest (anticlimax) would be more effective than placing your best points in the middle (pyramidal)” -- From The Speakers Handbook, Sprague and Stuart

Another organizational structure relies on a psychologically based format developed in the 1930’s by Alan Monroe. Known as Monroe’s Motivated Sequence, this organizational structure has been used widely in sales presentations and TV ads, but it is also very effective for persuasive speeches. This format as outlined on Answers.com (http://www.answers.com/topic/monroe-s-motivated-sequence):

I. Attention. Gets the attention of your audience using a detailed story, shocking example, dramatic statistic, quotations, etc.

II. Need. Show that the problem about which you are speaking exists, that it is significant, and that it won't go away by itself. Use statistics, examples, etc. Convince your audience that there is a need for action to be taken. [If you are opposed to a resolution, you may show that there is no need to pass the resolution.]

III. Satisfaction. Show that this need can be satisfied. Provide solutions for the problem that the government and community can implement as a whole. [If you are opposed to a resolution, you can show that passing the resolution does not solve the problem or you can propose a better solution.]

IV. Visualization. Tell the audience what will happen if the solution does not take place. Be visual and detailed.

V. Action. Tell the audience what action they can take personally to solve the problem. [In the case of a debate, the audience can vote for your side of the resolution.]

VI. Conclusion. Wrap up your speech, review points, restate your contention, motivate your audience, and conclude. This step is not always included.

More information on Monroe’s Motivated Sequence can be found at http://faculty.ncu.edu.jm/salazar/Monooes.pdf

SUPPORTING YOUR ARGUMENT In developing an argument, it is important to have supporting evidence. An argument may be supported by:

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Statistics: The 2004 National Traffic Report shows that 52% of all auto accidents involved someone who was talking on a cell phone. Expert Opinion/Quotes: Biologist Frank Hemminger says, “Carbon dating of fossils can be wildly inaccurate. It is an inexact science.” Historical Precedent: The Republican presidential candidate has won a majority of the states in the South in 6 of the last 7 elections. The “solid south” will vote Republican in the next election. Development of widely accepted moral principles: Equality is good; consequently, discrimination is bad. These four types of argumentation illustrate that a principle or fact that ultimately supports your hypothesis is valid evidence. You need not always go to a source to support your conclusions. Often, the development of a basic moral principle that you share with your audience is as effective as the use of statistics or opinions. However, statistics and opinions are highly persuasive, primarily because they lend authority or credibility to your arguments. The relating of personal experiences or anecdotes may also be effective. SUBSEQENT SPEECHES Remember, unless you are the main speaker, you will have just three minutes to present your arguments. Consequently, it is not necessary to have a large number of points. In fact, one well-developed idea often makes the most effective subsequent speech. A good subsequent speech has an organizational format even though it is shorter than the main speeches. The subsequent speeches introduce most of the CLASH into a debate. The philosophy behind all debates is that, with conflict, truth arises. But all too often speakers present their ideas without responding to the objections of the opposition. In other words, there is no confrontation. The end result of this type of debate is that the audience is never really presented with a clear conflict. As an example of a debate in which there is no clash, we once again turn to the gun control debate. Consider a debate where these arguments are made one right after another: Subsequent speaker for the opponent: “Handgun ownership is constitutionally protected.” Subsequent speaker for the proponent: “Gun control has been effective in many cities.” Opponent speaker: “If handguns are outlawed, only outlaws will have handguns.” Proponent speaker: “Handgun registration isn’t enough to stop the violence.” The debaters here are talking past each other and the arguments are not being countered.

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Would it not have been a better debate if the first proponent had confronted the opponent's charge of a constitutional right? The proponent should have said that the Supreme Court has ruled that there is no express constitutional right to own a handgun. In the interest of "clash"' keeping a "flow chart" of ideas is helpful. Write down in chronological order all the major points brought up by both sides and how each subsequent point answers or contradicts them. Thus, when a speaker says something contradicting a previous statement, you can ask him about it. Follow what each individual speaker has said; do not challenge one speaker with something another speaker has said. Remember, the most persuasive type of argumentation is presented when each side responds to all the arguments of the opposition. PRESENTATION Techniques of speaking are very important because no matter how substantive your argument is, if you lose your audience, your message will lose most of its impact. One of the most important aspects of a presentation is eye contact. Certainly, you may glance at your notes, but try to scan the room, focusing on different people from time to time. In giving your speech, be clear and confident. Place emphasis on those points most important to you. This can be done through voice intonation and volume fluctuation.

Most experienced JSA debaters do not write a full text script but instead create an outline from which they can present an organized and yet flexible speech. Outlines provide the most effective presentation as they:

• Avoid the hassle of trying to memorize a pre-written speech manuscript, and allow a Maximum amount of eye contact since you don’t have to read word-for-word.

• Provide a guideline that, if followed, will insure that you neither ramble on needlessly nor forget some of the points that you intended to cover.

• Give flexibility so if unforeseen arguments emerge to which you would like to respond, you can do so my adding appropriate notes and reminders right into your outline.

Think about these other tips as you consider how to present your speeches:

• Begin the speech with an arresting, thought-provoking introduction to gain the audience’s attention. Explain the significance of the topic and define any necessary terms in the resolution.

• Preview the main arguments and issues that lead to your ultimate conclusion in the

debate. Some debate coaches call this “road mapping” or “headlining” (what would a newspaper look like without the presence of the bold, concise headlines it contains?). This serves the same purpose as a book’s table of contents to preview the contents.

• In addition to headline value, each argument should have internal structure, with sub- headings being subordinate to main issues and should have sufficient proof or evidence to validate or prove the issue. Unproven assertions remain just that: assertions!

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• Arguments, then, must be supported by statistics, expert opinions, real life examples, historical precedent, or accepted moral principles. But remember: your evidence might be challenged by your opponents – just as you may challenge their supposed evidence.

• Depending on the placement of your speech within the entire debate, you may have to in-corporate direct clash into your speech. All too often, speakers present their ideas with-out acknowledging or responding to the points made by the opposition.

• When you have about 30 seconds left in your allotted time [you’ll know this because

each debate has a timekeeper], begin your intentional summary. Review the main points you attempted to make in your speech (both in favor of your side and against the opponent’s side) and the purpose for presenting those points in the overall scheme of the debate.

• A conclusion is the punch line that makes a memorable culmination to your speech. Frequently, a successful conclusion relates back to the introduction (repeating the striking fact, giving the denouement to the story or example or the answer to the rhetorical question). It should stand on its own and be an indelible ending to the speech as opposed to: “Uh, that’s all I have to say, so please vote for my side in the debate. Thank you . . . how much time do I have left for questions?” all of which are terrible ways to end a speech!

ANSWERING QUESTIONS Fielding questions is not really as bad as you may think. Do not be scared; just try to answer them to the best of your knowledge. When answering questions, stay calm, assert your ideas, and do not be intimidated. Answer questions that deal precisely with what you said; if you aren’t sure of the answer to the question, it is O.K. to acknowledge that you don’t know. Listen to the questions carefully and don’t assume that the person asking the question opposes your point of view. Sometimes an audience member will ask a question that will allow you to expand on something you’ve said or fill in points that you might have missed. These helpful questions give you a chance to hammer home your point of view. Your research before the debate should prepare you for most questions that the audience can come up with. You will come across facts and quotations that you will not be able to use in your main speech due to time limit considerations. Before the debate, think about possible questions that might arise and prepare for them. Answering questions confidently adds to your credibility as a speaker and the audience becomes more accepting of your whole presentation. Don’t let the questions divert the audience’s attention from your main points. A question that strays far away from the arguments that you have presented can obscure the impact you have made with your speech. In your answer, you can acknowledge a good question, yet reassert that your main points are the most important for the audience to consider when decided how to vote on the resolution.

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PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE Debates are to be run generally according to parliamentary procedure as stated in Robert's Rules of Order, Revised. Included with this handbook is a chart on popular parliamentary procedure and rules. After a general motion has been made, the rules are in effect. A motion is made by raising your hand, being recognized by the moderator (chair), and telling the chair under what point (or motion) you rise. For example, if a member of the audience wanted to suspend the rules of the debate so that speeches could be four minutes rather than the established three, he would: 1) Tell the moderator, "I move to suspend the rules"; 2) State his objective, "to make speeches four minutes in length"; 3) His motion would have to receive a second; 4) A vote would be taken and, if the motion received a two-thirds vote, it would pass. A common motion is the point of personal privilege. You should rise to a point of personal privilege if you are uncomfortable, unable to hear the speaker, need to leave the room, and so forth. If you simply want to exit (for personal reasons), or want to open the window, you may not interrupt the speaker. However, if something is seriously affecting the orderly progress of the debate, such as your being unable to hear the speaker, then you may interrupt the speaker and ask the moderator to rectify the situation. The procedure is the same as for extending time, but no second or vote is needed. A subsequent speaker may have his time extended if a motion stating the amount of additional time is made, seconded and passed with a vote of two-thirds or more. Another important motion is the previous question. The procedure is exactly the same as for extending time. If the motion passes, subsequent speeches are discontinued: the main speakers present their closing speeches, and the vote is taken. The specific requirements for passage of the motions along with all the pertinent details are contained on the chart on the next page.

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TABLE OF MOST FREQUENTLY USED MOTIONS

MAY MOTION NAME OF THE PURPOSE OF MOTION BE MADE IF A DOES MOTION IS MOTION VOTE NEEDED MOTION TO USE 1 SPEAKER IS NEED A SECOND? DEBATABLE? TO PASS THE

RECOGNIZED? MOTION?

RISE TO A POINT OF To correct an error in Yes No No Decision of ORDER 2 parliamentary procedure the moderator

RISE TO A POINT OF To make a personal request Yes No No Decision of PERSONAL PRIVILEGE 2 during the proceedings the moderator

RISE TO A POINT OF To ask a question about Yes No No Decision of PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY 2 the proceedings the moderator

TO ADJOURN 3 To dismiss the meeting No Yes No Majority

TO RECESS OR To pause the meeting for No Yes Only the Majority CAUCUS 3, 4 a specified length of time length of time

TO SUSPEND THE RULES 3 To take action contrary to No Yes No 2/3rds

any established rule

TO EXTEND SPEAKER’S To take action contrary to No Yes Only the 2/3rds TIME 3, 5, 7 the pre-set time limits length of time

TO CALL THE PREVIOUS To stop debating the reso- QUESTION ON RESOLU- lution (or amendment) and No Yes No 2/3rds TION (OR AMENDMENT) 3 go to the closing speeches

TO AMEND 3, 6 Modify or change resolution No Yes Yes Majority

MAIN MOTION OR To introduce business or No Yes Yes Majority RESOLUTION present a resolution

Notes: 1. The higher a motion appears on this chart, the higher is its priority or importance to be dealt with. Deal with the higher motions before the lower ones. 2. The top three motions are matters of procedure to keep the debate running smoothly. The moderator immediately decides on the needed action. 3. The remaining motions are matters of routine to help accomplish the group’s wishes during the debate. They require the assembly’s vote to adopt. 4. Calling for a caucus may be adopted only once per debate for a maximum of a 5-minute recess. 5. This motion may be adopted only once per speech for a maximum of a 1 minute extension.

6. Amending a resolution may be made only with prior notice to the assembly (to allow time to prepare) and requires approval by both main speakers. 7. In JSA debates, this motion may only be used for subsequent speakers. It may not be used solely to allow for more questioning time. It may only be recognized once the speakers’ time has expired.

Moderator Handbook

1

The Junior State of America

MODERATORHANDBOOK

400 S. El Camino Real, Ste 300San Mateo, CA 94402

800-334-5353 800-317-9338www.jsa.org jsa@jsa.org

Appendix A

2

THE JUNIOR STATE MODERATOR HANDBOOK

There is no doubt that moderating is oneof the most important jobs in a debate. You areresponsible for keeping a room full of high schoolstudents in order and involved in a serious de-bate. This responsibility comes with the opportu-nity to create an environment in which great thingscan happen. People can think. People can learn.People can speak. People may change theirviews. These opportunities are the essence of aJunior State Debate. It is your responsibility tomake sure that everyone has these opportunities.

Don’t let anything about moderating scareyou. Don’t worry if you don’t know every last de-tail of Robert’s Rules of Order. Remember: Youare in control. You are the chair.

So as you go through this handbook, don’tget too caught up in the details of parliamentaryprocedure. Know the basics, know your goal, andthe rest will fall right into place.

The Goal

A moderator's goal is to promote a fair androbust exchange of ideas in an atmosphere wherepeople feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.Keeping the goal in mind is a good way to see ifyour debate is on track and if you are doing a goodjob. If you find that you have spent the last fiveminutes arguing over some aspect of parliamen-tary procedure, you are not on track. If you findthat a great debate is progressing and both sidesof the issue are being thoroughly and vigorouslysupported, you are on track. Your purpose is be-ing fulfilled. Don’t let the debate get out of control,but don't let procedural issues take time away fromdiscussing the pros and cons of the resolution.

With this goal in mind, let us start our waythrough the steps of the common Junior StateDebate.

The Standard JSA Debate Procedure

1. Call the Debate to Order2. Read the resolution3. Introduce the Main Speakers4. Appoint a timekeeper5. Affirmative Opening Speech6. Negative Opening Speech7. Select Subsequent Speakers (Alternating

pro and con)8. Motion to call the previous question9. Negative closing speech10. Affirmative Closing Speech11. Read the resolution again12. Take a vote on the resolution13. Announce the result of the vote14. Select Best Speaker (pass our ballots)

Explanation of Steps Before the Debate...It is important that you are well prepared

for the debate. Know the exact wording of theresolution. Know the format and rules for the de-bate (particularly if they differ from the norm.) Evengo as far as making sure you know how to pro-nounce the main speakers names.

If you have a chance before the debate,introduce yourself to the main speakers. A de-bater will likely feel much more comfortable if theyknow the moderator. Make sure that you arrivefor the debate ten minutes before it is scheduledto start. This will help establish you as the personin control. Make sure that the room is set up right.Write the resolution on a chalkboard if possible. Ifyou want the subsequent speakers to write theirname down on the board, leave room. Make sureyou have enough best debater slips.

1. Call the Debate to OrderThere is always a question as when to

start the debate - some people may be late arriv-ing for the debate. You should start when youfeel most of the audience has had ample time toarrive. Ask students to sit near the front to leaveroom in the back for late comers. Make sure thatthe main speakers from both side are present.

Start by saying, “This debate is now called to or-der...” in a clear, firm voice. This will quiet the

Moderator Handbook

3

room just as quickly as excessive “shhhh’s” with-out the ‘teacher’ overtones. Don’t hesitate to tapyour gavel to get the audience's attention.

Moderators must explain the debate pro-cedure to the audience. It is particularly impor-tant to explain the procedure if there are manynew JSA’ers present. Spending just a couple min-utes reviewing the format and rules at the begin-ning of the debate avoids confusion later andsaves time.

2. Read the resolutionMake sure that you read the resolution in

a clear, loud voice. It is imperative that everyoneunderstands the exact wording of the resolution.If the wording is rather esoteric or it is an obscuretopic, take a moment to explain it so that every-one can understand what is being said. If DebateBriefs have been provided for the debate, encour-age people to look them over.

3. Introduce the Main SpeakersAs mentioned earlier, try to make sure you

have the pronunciation of their names down right.Simply state, " (name of proponent) is speak-ing for the affirmative and (name of opponent)is speaking for the negative." Remember to intro-duce yourself as well.

4. Appoint a timekeeperAsk someone at the front of the audience

with a watch (preferably digital, must have sec-onds) to be timekeeper. (S)he must know theamount of time to give each speaker and the spe-cific JSA hand signals:

Two fingers up = Two minutes remainingOne finger up = One minute remainingHalf Finger up = Half minute remaining10...9...8...Fingers = Last ten secondsForm a "T" with both hands = TIME IS UP

5. Affirmative Opening SpeechThe speaker in favor of the resolution will

speak for 6 minutes. (This may vary for chapterconferences or lunchtime debates, so check be-fore hand.) Introduce them again before they starttheir speech by saying “The proponent (name) isrecognized for six minutes”.

When the timekeeper indicates that time

is up, politely announce that their time has expired.If the speaker is in the middle of a sentence orthought, you, as the moderator, can grant thespeaker a few extra seconds to "sum up" theircurrent thought. You can interrupt and stop thespeaker if the speaker attempts to take too muchtime (more than 30 seconds) to "sum up."

If the speaker finishes before their time isup, the timekeeper should stop timing at that point.Ask the timekeeper how much time remains. Ifthere is less than 30 seconds, you can absorbthe remaining time.

If more than 30 seconds remain, thespeaker has two options. Announce that thespeaker may:

a) Yield the Time to Questions:This is the most common way to use one’s

remaining time. If the speaker chooses to do so,simply ask if there are any questions from theaudience. Usually, several hands will fly up. Youchoose who asks the questions. Remind the au-dience members that, if called on by you, theycan ask one question with no follow-ups. Try tobe impartial. Only call on the other main speakerif no one from the audience wants to ask.

Remind the timekeeper to time both thequestion and the answer.

If someone spends too long asking aquestion, remind them (nicely) that they need tobe brief. If people do not phrase their statementin a question form, remind them. Once the mainspeaker has answered a question, the questionermay not immediately ask another; this is called a‘follow-up’ and is not allowed. When there are 15or fewer seconds left, the time is automaticallyyielded to the chair.

b) Yield the Time to The Chair:This means that they choose to give up

their time. Simply continue on to the next step inrunning the debate.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If a main speaker does notuse the full time allotted, the remaining time mayonly be yielded to the chair or yielded to ques-tions. The main speakers' time may NOT beyielded to another speaker. Furthermore, the au-

Appendix A

4

dience may NOT extend the main speakers' time.If someone makes a motion to do either of thesethings, you, as the moderator, must remind themthat those motions can not be entertained.

6. Negative Opening SpeechThis is the exact same as the affirmative

speech. Make sure that you introduce the nega-tive speaker again before he or she begins.

7. Selecting Subsequent SpeakersThis part of the debate is crucial. It allows

direct audience participation and is one of the bestways of exchanging ideas. Simply ask the audi-ence who would like to give an affirmative subse-quent speech. YOU select them; be judicial. Ifsomeone holds up what looks like notes, pickthem first; they are likely to be the most preparedand offer the most to the audience. If someonehas been clearly disturbing the debate, don’tchoose them. Alternate between affirmative andnegative beginning with affirmative. Be sure toget the name down of each speaker. They have 3minutes to speak.

When each speaker is finished, again askthe timekeeper how much time remains. If it ismore than 20 seconds, the speaker may:

a) Yield the Time to another Speaker:This means that another speaker uses the

remaining time to speak on the same side. Makesure that this is clear to the audience. (i.e. If Joespeaks on the affirmative for 2 minutes, Robertmay speak on the affirmative after for the remain-ing time of 1 minute.) If the second speaker doesnot use up the remaining time (s)he may only yieldit to the chair or to questions.

b) Yield the Time to Questions:This is the exact same as in step 5a.

c) Yield the Time to The Chair:This is the exact same as in step 5b.

Once the time has either elapsed or aspeaker has yielded it to the chair, select a speakerfrom the other side. Repeat this process, alter-nating between the affirmative and negative speak-ers until someone moves to the previous ques-tion.

8. Ask for Previous QuestionAlthough the term “previous question”

seems to have little to do with ending the debate,when this motion passes, no more subsequentspeeches are allowed and the main speakers givetheir closing speeches. Usually, someone willmake the motion 6-8 minutes before the sched-uled end of the time allotted for the debate. If noone does, however, you can ask for the previousquestion about 15 minutes before the debate isscheduled to end. Simply say, “We are running abit short on time... Will someone move the previ-ous question?”

Audience members must raise their handsand be recognized or called on by you before theycan make any motion, including this one. "I movethe previous question" is the standard phrase thatis used.

As soon as the motion has been made, itmust be seconded. Usually someone will shoutout “Second," and that is sufficient. If not, simplyask if anyone seconds the motion.

Once a second has been made, youshould take a "voice vote" of the audience:

"All those in favor of moving the previousquestion and moving to the closingspeeches followed by a vote on the reso-lution, PLEASE SAY 'AYE'."

Allow audience members to respond.

"All those opposed who would like to con-tinue debating, PLEASE SAY 'NAY'."

Again, allow the audience to respond.

As the moderator, you get to determine if the mo-tion passes. The "previous question" motion re-quires a 2/3rds majority to pass. Since this isusually a routine procedural motion and since youjust took a voice vote, don't worry about trying todetermine precisely how many people voted infavor. If it sounded like a good majority of thepeople voted in favor, announce that the previousquestion passes and continue on to step 9.

Moderator Handbook

5

If it sounds like most people would like to continuedebating, explain that the previous question failedand then continue with step 7 until the motion ismade again.

Your skills as moderator are sometimestested during this vote. When you take a voicevote, don't let a small number of loud people inter-fere with the debate procedure and the wishes ofthe majority of the people. If a few people stillwant to give speeches, they will be very loud "nay"votes. But, if the vast majority of the audiencewishes to end the debate on time, as the modera-tor, your duty is to announce that the motionpassed.

If the previous question fails legitimatelybut the time allotted for the debate is just aboutup, you can overrule the vote of the audience andannounce that the previous question has beenmoved in the interest of time.

Sometimes, you will recognize someonein the audience who will move the previous ques-tion very early on in the debate. Once the previ-ous question is moved and seconded, a vote is inorder. As moderator, before you call for the vote,you can remind the audience that there is plentyof time remaining and suggest that it is too earlyto pass the previous question motion.

Moderators are in charge of the flow andtiming of the debate and audience members usu-ally pay attention to the advice given by modera-tors. Here are some helpful reminders you cantell the audience before you call for a voice voteon the previous question motion:

"Since only 8 minutes remain in the allot-ted time for this debate, I would recom-mend that the house move the previousquestion."

"The audience should be aware that manypeople still wish to give subsequentspeeches and we have time for at leasttwo more speeches."

"I would like to remind the audience thatthe time for this debate is almost up andwe still need to hear closing speeches from

the main speakers and take a vote on theresolution."

"We have only had a few subsequentspeeches and it seems like there aremany more issues that can be addressedin this debate. Time will allow for moresubsequent speeches."

9. Negative closing speechThe negative speaker will now have 3 min-

utes to summarize his/her main arguments and/or refute arguments made by the affirmativespeakers. When the speaker is done, any remain-ing time is automatically yielded to the chair. Noquestions are allowed after closing speeches andno additional time may be granted by the audi-ence. If the speaker has not finished talking at theend of 3 minutes, politely announce that their timehas expired. At your discretion, you may allow afew extra seconds for the speaker to "sum up" ifthey are in the middle of a sentence.

10. Affirmative Closing SpeechThis is the same as #9. Note that the Af-

firmative goes last.

11. Read the resolution againThis is important. Sometimes speakers

try to obscure the real resolution to suit their ownside of the debate. Reading the resolution remindsthe audience of exactly what the issue is. Theaudience must not be confused when they voteon the resolution.

12. Take a vote on the ResolutionAsk everyone in favor of the resolution to

raise their hand. For example:

"All those in favor of the resolution, 'Re-solved that handguns should be banned,'please raise your hand."

Both you and the timekeeper should in-dependently count and confirm your results.Record it. Ask all those against the resolution toraise their hands and count and record again.

"All those opposed to the resolution, pleaseraise your hand."

Appendix A

6

Next, ask for all those abstaining (not vot-ing for or against) to raise their hands and onceagain count and record the results.

"All those who are abstaining and do notwish to cast a vote, please raise yourhand."

If you have a large audience, you will wantto ask people to stand up to cast their vote - it iseasier to count that way.

Your count and the timekeepers countshould match. If the counts don't match and thedifference will not affect the final outcome of thedebate (if the resolution passes or fails), as mod-erator, you determine which count to use. If youand the timekeeper come up with wildly differentvote totals that will affect the outcome, ask theaudience to cast their vote again. If you and thetimekeeper are still off, it is better to stand by yourcount (you are the moderator), instead of puttingthe audience through yet another vote.

13. Announce the Result of the VoteAlthough it is often obvious which side won,

give the specific vote on each side including ab-stentions. To avoid confusion, always announcethe affirmative votes first.

"The resolution passes by a vote of 42 infavor, 13 opposed, with 2 abstentions."

"The resolution fails with a vote of 10 infavor, 18 opposed, and 1 abstention."

Please note: For Junior State debates, absten-tions do not count in determining if the resolutionpassed or failed. For example, if 10 people votein favor of the resolution, 9 people vote againstthe resolution and 5 people abstain from voting,for Junior State debates the resolution passes.

14. Select Best SpeakersSelecting the "Best Speaker" is done with

"Best Speaker Ballots." Best Speaker Ballotsshould not be distributed until both speakers havefinished their closing speeches. Briefly run throughthe names of everyone who spoke during the de-bate. Ask the speakers to stand. Don’t wastetime asking them to come to the front. Remindthe audience that the best speaker is not neces-sarily the person they agreed with, but rather theperson they felt gave the best speech. Collectthe ballots and tally them up.

15. Inform the Debate Coordinator/ Directorof Debate of all the results

Either by using the sheet attached to theback of this packet or some other paper, informthe person in charge of debates the exact vote, ifany amendments were made, and the bestspeaker. If you moderated a chapter debate, youand your Chapter President might want to get theresults published in the school newspaper.

PARLIAMENTARY MOTIONS

The debate style that we just outlined is aparliamentary style debate and is based on thepremise that every decision is initiated by a mo-tion. A motion is simply a request to take actionon something. It often requires a vote althoughmany motions can be dealt with by the chair (that’syou.) The ones that require a vote can usually bedealt with in a ‘aye’ & ‘nay’ vote. Whichever sideis louder has the majority. (Some motions, ofcourse, require a 2/3 vote.) If it is close enough

that someone calls ‘division’ (meaning that theythink the outcome is not clear), a hand vote shouldbe taken. Abstentions count as if the people didnot vote at all.

For a brief list of many common motionsin parliamentary debate turn to the Robert’s Rulesof Order Reference Chart in the back of this book.Here we will explain a few of the more commonmotions.

Moderator Handbook

7

Previous QuestionAs explained before, this motion means

that debate will end and the closing speeches willbegin leading to a vote. This requires a secondand a 2/3rds majority to pass.

Extending TimeTechnically, to extend a speaker’s time,

one must first make a motion to suspend the rules.Often someone will say, “I move to suspend therules to extend the speakers time for ___ min-utes.” This requires a second and a 2/3rds ma-jority. Of course, the speaker can decline to speaklonger if (s)he wishes to. Before a vote is taken,the amount that the speaker’s time will be ex-tended should be set (usually no more than 3 min-utes.) NOTE: Opening and Closing speakersmay not have their time extended.

Amending the Resolution (changing the word-ing)

This is rare in Junior State Debate, but isstill valuable to know. Someone should first sub-mit an amendment to the moderator in writingbefore rising to make the motion. Then, the chairmust recognize the person making the motion(give them permission to speak) This motion (theamendment) is then debated. The author of theamendment usually gives the first speech in fa-vor of amending the resolution (3 minutes.) Thena subsequent speaker speaks against amendingthe resolution (also for 3 minutes.) This contin-ues until someone makes a motion for previousquestion on the amendment. After the previousquestion passes, the moderator conducts a voteon whether or not to amend the resolution. Asimple majority is needed. If it passes, debatenow continues on the new resolution as amended.If the motion fails, debate continues on the oldresolution. To see a full version of this (where theamendment fails) ask to borrow the Junior StateDebate Video.

Point of OrderIf someone realizes that the moderator

made a mistake, they can rise to a point of orderand correct you. If this happens and they are cor-rect, politely thank them for and correct your mis-take. Arguing with them or feeling embarrassedwill not help, and people will gain a lot of respectfor someone brave enough to admit they werewrong.

You, as moderator, rule on every point oforder. If a member disagrees with the decision ofthe chair, they may appeal to that decision. Afterthis appeal (motion) is seconded, the chair (mod-erator) states his/her reason for the decision andputs the questions to a vote. “Shall the decisionof the chair stand?” Those who agree with thechair vote “aye”, those who oppose say “nay”. Ittakes a majority to sustain the chairs decision.

Point of Personal PrivilegeIf someone feels somewhat uncomfort-

able during the debate, they can rise to a point ofpersonal privilege. This can happen even duringsomeone’s speech. The complaints might includenot being able to hear the speaker or the tem-perature of the room.

Point of Parliamentary InquiryIf someone needs to ask a question about

the parliamentary procedure going on, they canrise to a point of parliamentary inquiry. The mod-erator then answers the person’s question.

VOTING ON MOTIONSA good moderator always has a sense of

what the audience is thinking and feeling. He orshe should be able to predict which motions willpass, which motions will fail, and which motionsthe audience is divided over.

In the interest of time, most proceduralmotions during the debate should be resolved witha voice vote. As moderator, you should quicklyand confidently announce the results of the voicevote. Take a hand count after the voice vote onlyif someone in the audience calls for “division”.Using voice votes in this method will keep the de-bate flowing - you will spend more time on debat-ing the issue and less time on procedural mo-tions.

Appendix A

8

SOME SITUATIONS & WHAT TO DO

1. Audience member seems to be mak-ing a statement instead of asking a question.

Remind the audience that the questionscannot be little speeches; they must bequestions.

Rule the audience member our of orderand move to the next question.

2. Main speaker goes overtime

Tell them nicely to “Sum Up”.

Politely ask them to end and sit.

3. The audience is too noisy

Tap your gavel on the table and ask theaudience to be quiet.

Ask the current speaker to stop and in-struct the timekeeper to stop timing. Getcontrol of the audience and wait until theyare quiet. Don't let the speaker resume(and the timekeeper as well) until the au-dience is silent.

Remind them that they need to have re-spect for the speaker as they would ex-pect if they were speaking.

4. Questioner is arguing with debater

Interrupt the exchange. Remind the audi-ence and the questioner that “follow-upquestions are not allowed. If the ques-tioner has a statement to make, the ques-tioner must give a subsequent speech.”Then call on a new questioner.

5. A speaker uses profanity, insults an-other speaker or member of the audience, oris generally out of line and/or offensive.

Interrupt the speaker. Tell the speaker thattheir language and/or comments are out

of order and not appropriate for a JSA de-bate.

You have the power to take away thespeaker's remaining time and ask thatperson to return to their seat OR you maygive the speaker a warning and let themcontinue speaking while telling them thatyou will stop their speech again if moreinappropriate comments are made.

6. Tie Vote

As moderator, you can vote and break thetie.

If you choose not to vote, a tied vote meansthe motion fails.

7. Certain audience members are beingdisruptive.

Between speakers, tell the distruptivepeople that their behavior is not accept-able. You can interrupt the speaker if theaudience member(s) cause a serious dis-ruption.

You have the power to tell disruptive peopleto leave the room OR you may give thema warning. Let them know that they arewelcome to stay and be positive contribu-tors to the debate, and remind them thatyou will ask them to leave the room if theirdisruptive behavior continues.

Don't let disruptive behavior go unad-dressed. The speaker and audience mem-bers who are trying to listen EXPECT YOUto keep control and are waiting for you todo something. Doing nothing will disap-point the majority of audience and doesn'tallow for speakers' opinions to be clearlyheard.

8. Speaker is not loud enough

Ask him/her to speak louder.

Moderator Handbook

9

If there is a microphone, make sure that itis close enough to the speaker.

9. There is lots of time remaining, but noone wants to give a subsequent speech.

Entertain a motion to caucus for 2 or 3minutes so that audience members cangather their thoughts and prepare aspeech. The main debaters can give au-dience members ideas for a speech.

After a caucus, if there are still no volun-teers for a subsequent speech, let themain speaker to give a subsequentspeech.

10. The speaker seems to be speaking onthe wrong side of the debate.

Politely interrupt the speaker. Let themknow which side of the resolution they aresupposed to be speaking on and ask if theirspeech supports the correct side of thedebate. (Listen carefully first to ensurethat the speaker isn't attempting to usesarcasm to make a point.)

If they confirm that their speech supportsthe correct side of the debate, let themcontinue.

If the speaker is indeed speaking on thewrong side of the debate, ask the speaker

to return to their seat and call on them forthe next speech on the appropriate side ofthe debate. Call another speaker on thecorrect side of the debate and give themthe full subsequent speech time.

Some Hints...

1. Remain seated during the debate as muchas possible. Try not to disturb the speaker. Set agood example by paying attention to him/her. Ifyou need to talk to the other speaker(s) try hand-ing them inconspicuous notes.

2. Know the basics of Parliamentary Proce-dure (The Robert’s Rules Table) Keep the tableon you for reference.

3. Practice hypothetical debate situationsbeforehand (motions, questions, etc.).

4. Watch other moderators in action. Try tolearn from their strengths and weaknesses andlearn from your own as well. No one is perfect,especially when they are new at it.

5. Try to relax and have fun. Moderating is abig job, but no one is going to be angry if yourdebate isn’t flawless. People will admire you forhaving the guts to try what they likely wouldn’t. Berational and calm and all will go fine.

SOME ALTERNATIVE STYLES OF DEBATE

While the most common format for a de-bate is the Parliamentary Style (the one previouslyoutlined) many people find that adding the occa-sional alternative style to a debate can spice totopics and offer a new perspective to many lis-teners. Here is only a brief outline of a few of themany alternative styles. If you are asked to mod-erate one of these, or are planning one yourself,ask an experienced debater all of the specifics.

Cross-Examination DebateThis is designed to make the Parliamen-

tary debate more interesting. This style offers thetwo sides a small amount of time to question eachother.

1. Affirmative Opening Speech; 6 minutes2. Negative Cross-Examines Affirmative; 2

minutes, questions included.3. Negative Opening Speech; 6 minutes.4. Affirmative Cross-examines Negative; 2

minutes, questions included.5. Subsequent Speeches; 3 minutes each6. Negative Closing; 3 minutes

Appendix A

10

7. Affirmative Closing; 3 minutes

This debate follows the same rules as the regularParliamentary debate with a few exceptions:

1. Follow-Up questions by one speakercross-examining the other are allowed.

2. The Speaker may yield (give up) his/hertime to ask questions but may not refuse to an-swer the opponent's questions.

3. There are no cross-examinations of sub-sequent speeches, but a subsequent speakermay yield his/her time to questions from the floor.

4. The Cross-Examination time includes thequestions and answers.

5. If the main speaker finishes his openingdebate before his/her 6 minutes is over, they maytake questions from the audience, but they stillare required to go through the cross-examination.

6. During the Cross-Examination period, thequestioner has control.

Cross-Fire DebateThis style of debate is both very hard and

very interesting. It requires a skilled experiencedmoderator who is knowledgeable regarding thesubject of the debate. The Cross-Fire format ba-sically changes the very structure of the parlia-mentary debate into a ‘problem-solving’ like for-mat. The time limits are loosely set and the mod-erator may choose to let them go here and there.Although it is important to maintain some amountof decorum at this sort of debate, often the morepeople involved and excited the better. This is thebasic format.

1. Moderator Introduction; 5 minutes2. Affirmative Introduction; 5 minutes3. Negative Introduction; 5 minutes4. Moderator Questions Debaters; 6

minutes5. Affirmative Rebuttal; 3 minutes6. Negative Rebuttal; 3 minutes7. Audience Participation; 1 minute8. Debater Response to Audience; 1 minute9. Audience responds to Debater; 2 minutes

Repeat steps 7-9 until Previous QuestionPasses...

10. Negative Closing Speech; 3 minutes11. Affirmative Closing Speech; 3 minutes

Three of the main differences between theparliamentary style of debate and the cross-ex-amination is the audience participation, themoderator’s participation, and the use of 2 debat-ers on each side of the resolution. (2 affirmativeand 2 negative) This means that a great deal ofplanning ahead of time is required.

Here are some tips for making a Cross-Fire Debate run smoothly:

1. The moderator introduction should involvesome background on the topic as well as a briefexplanation of the format that the cross-fire uses.

2. The opening speeches are the same asin a parliamentary debate.

3. During the 6 minute moderator question-ing Period:

a) The moderator asks 3 questions to eachteamb) They have approximately 30-45 secondsto answer each question.

4. Each team should use their 3 minute re-buttal to comment on their opponents argumentsand opinions.

5. Steps 9-11 (above) are repeated until theprevious question:

a) The moderator recognizes an audiencemember to make a statement or question a teamof debaters for 1 minute.b) The debaters who the comment was di-rected toward has 1 minute to react to the au-dience member’s comment.c) The same audience member has 2 min-utes to respond to the response.

6. Once previous question is passed the de-bate concludes with the Negative Closing then theAffirmative Closing (3 minutes each).

Moderator Handbook

11

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Appendix A

12

Moderator's Organization SheetResolved, ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Moderator's Name:______________________________ School:____________________________

For Use At Junior State Conventions Main Speakers:This debate was held:

Pro:_________________________________Block #______ (name)

____________________________________Room Name__________ (school)

Con:_________________________________(name)

____________________________________(school)

Voting Results: Pro________ Con__________ Abstentions____________ PASS FAIL (circle one)

Best Speaker: _______________________________ School:_______________________________

The Standard JSA Debate Procedure

1. Call the Debate to Order2. Read the resolution3. Introduce the Main Speakers4. Appoint a timekeeper5. Affirmative Opening Speech6. Negative Opening Speech7. Select Subsequent Speakers

(Alternating pro and con)8. Motion to call the previous question9. Negative closing speech10. Affirmative Closing Speech11. Read the resolution again12. Take a vote on the resolution13. Announce the result of the vote14. Pass out Best Speaker ballots15. Announce the names of all of the

main and subsequent speakers16. Collect and tally best speaker ballots

Subsequent Speakers:(Please list name and school)

Pro:

1.______________________________________2.______________________________________3.______________________________________4.______________________________________5.______________________________________6.______________________________________

Con:

1.______________________________________2.______________________________________3.______________________________________4.______________________________________5.______________________________________6.______________________________________

Around the nation, a group of highschool students is learning that youcan fight city hall. These studentsare working hard to make theirvoices heard over the apathetic,cynical grumbling so often heard inhigh school hallways. These stu-dents care about the direction ourcountry is headed and about dailyworldwide events that shape theirlives. Soon, these students will leadthe nation and they are getting ahead start in making their voicesheard. These students are mem-bers of The Junior State of America(JSA). Since The Junior State wasfounded in 1934, over 500,000students have gained an apprecia-tion of the American system of lawand democratic government andhave gained hands-on experienceby running their own organization.

JUNIOR STATE CHAPTERSStudents participate in the JuniorState by joining a chapter at theirhigh school. JSA chapters are thecenter of nonpartisan political ac-tivity and awareness on campus.Chapters are active on campusesacross the United States and in in-sular areas in the Pacific and Atlan-tic. Typical chapter activities in-clude student debates of contro-versial issues, guest speakers,mock trials, candidate debates, andvoter education and registrationdrives. Each chapter elects its ownleaders who handle every detail ofthe day-to-day running of the chap-ter. Each chapter also has aTeacher/Advisor who provides edu-cational guidance and administra-tive support.

JSA CONVENTIONSChapters can participate in day-longSaturday conferences and weekendconventions featuring student de-bates, informal discussions, simu-lations and keynote addresses byprominent public figures. JSA con-ventions give students a chance todebate the hottest topics of the daywith a diverse group of students.

Junior State chapters, conferencesand conventions are run by highschool students. JSA Chapter,Regional, and State officers run ev-ery aspect of these political aware-ness events. By running theirchapters, regional conferences andstate conventions, Junior Statemembers learn the art of self-gov-ernment. By facing the challengesof planning and putting on their ownprograms, students make decisionsand see the consequences of thosedecisions. The organization’s edu-cational philosophy is that democ-racy must be experienced to befully appreciated.

JUNIOR STATESMEN

SUMMER SCHOOL & SYMPOSIAOutstanding high school studentsare offered an advanced academicprogram at month-long JuniorStatesmen Summer School sessionsat Georgetown University in Wash-ington, DC, Stanford University inthe San Francisco Bay Area, YaleUniversity in Connecticut, PrincetonUniversity in New Jersey andNorthwestern University near Chi-cago. The rigorous curriculum,taught by outstanding universityprofessors, features AP and Honorscourses in American Government,Economics, Comparative Govern-ment, Constitutional Law, US For-eign Policy, Elections, the Presi-dency, Speech Communication, Po-litical Communication and PublicSpeaking and the Law. Congres-sional-style student debates helpstudents develop excellent leader-ship skills.

Each program features a high-levelspeakers program bringing studentstogether with prominent politicians,journalists and political thinkers.Students at the Georgetown sessionquiz speakers in the White Houseand on Capitol Hill.

Summer School admission is com-petitive based on academicachievement, leadership and activeinvolvement in the community.

Each summer, The Junior StatesmenFoundation also offers several Sym-posium Programs -- exciting explo-rations of leadership, politicsand local or state government last-ing from 3-6 days. Symposiumclassrooms are government build-ings like the state capitol. Sym-posium faculty are outstandingpolitical and governmental leaders.

* * * *Students who participate in JuniorState activities find themintellectually rewarding andchallenging. And, JSA programs arefun. By joining the Junior State, youwill be part of the largest studentrun political organization of highschool leaders in the world —today’s leaders and alsotomorrow’s.

THE JUNIOR STATE OF AMERICA

400 SOUTH EL CAMINO REAL, SUITE 300SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA 94402(800) 334-5353 TOLL-FREE

1725 K STREET NW, SUITE 1214WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006(800) 317-9338 TOLL-FREE

JSA@JSA.ORG WWW.JSA.ORG

WHATIS

THEJUNIORSTATE?

The Junior State of America 400 South El Camino Real Ste #300 San Mateo, CA 94402

1725 K Street NW, Ste #1214 Washington, D.C. 20006 www.jsa.org

CHAPTER LEADERSHIP FORM

PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM TO THE JUNIOR STATE OFFICE IMMEDIATELY

The Junior State relies on effective communication. In order to get your chapter the information you need to have a great year, we need have accurate information about the chapter leadership. If you have not elected chapter officers yet, return this form anyway, with the name and address of the best student contact at the school. School Name:_________________________________________________________________ CHAPTER PRESIDENT: Name_________________________________________________________________________ Address__________________________________________________Apt #________________ City__________________________________________State__________Zip_______________ Phone (_________)_________________________Graduation Year_____________________ E-Mail_____________________________Cell Phone (_________)_____________________ ____Official Chapter President ____Best Student Contact TEACHER ADVISOR: Name_________________________________________________________________________ School Address________________________________________________________________ City__________________________________________State__________Zip_______________ School Phone (______)______________________Home Phone (Optional)______________ E-Mail______________________________ Cell Phone (_________)______________________ OTHER CHAPTER OFFICERS: For Southern California, Northern California, and Texas, please elect an Assembly Representative or Member of the House of Representatives: Name_________________________________________________________________________ Address__________________________________________________Apt #________________ City__________________________________________State__________Zip_______________ Phone (_________)_________________________Graduation Year_____________________ E-Mail___________________________________ Cell Phone (_________)__________________ Office Held: ____ Assembly Representative ____ House of Representatives Name_________________________________________________________________________ Address__________________________________________________Apt #________________ City__________________________________________State__________Zip_______________ Phone (_________)_________________________Graduation Year_____________________ E-Mail________________________________ Cell Phone (_________)_____________________ Office Held____________________________ RETURN TO: The Junior State of America, 400 S El Camino Real, Ste 300, San Mateo CA 94402 OR : The Junior State of America, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW, Ste 801, Washington D.C. 20036

JUNIOR STATE OF AMERICA TAX FORM SCHOOL NAME: ____________________________ DATE:_________________________

To start a JSA chapter at your school you will need the following: * a minimum of 8 tax-paid student members listed on this form * a Teacher-Advisor from your school * school approval * a chapter constitution (see example in handbook) "Taxes" are the dues paid to join a chapter; $3.00 per member, per year. After the initial eight students have joined, you may send in any number of additional members throughout the year, by mailing the taxes and completed tax form to: For the West Coast and Texas For the East Coast and Midwest THE JUNIOR STATE OF AMERICA THE JUNIOR STATE OF AMERICA 400 S. EL CAMINO REAL, SUITE 300 1725 K St NW, Suite 1214 SAN MATEO, CA 94402 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006

CHAPTER PRESIDENT TEACHER/ADVISOR (Must pay taxes as a regular member) ____________________________________ ___________________________________________ NAME NAME

_________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

HOME ADDRESS SCHOOL ADDRESS

_________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

CITY STATE ZIP CITY STATE ZIP

(________)________________________ ______________ (________)________________________________________________

HOME PHONE NUMBER GRADUATION YEAR SCHOOL PHONE NUMBER

__________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

E-MAIL ADDRESS E-MAIL ADDRESS

(________)_________________________________________ (________)________________________________________________

CELL PHONE NUMBER CELL PHONE NUMBER

TAX-PAID STUDENT MEMBERS (Chapter President's information goes first): 1. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

2. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

3. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

4. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

5. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

TAX-PAID STUDENT MEMBERS FOR SCHOOL_______________________________________ 6. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

7. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

8. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

9. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

10._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

11._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

12._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

13.________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

14._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

15._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

16._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

17._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

18._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

19._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

20.________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

USE ADDITIONAL COPIES AS NECESSARY - PLEASE FILL OUT COMPLETE ADDRESSES AND PHONE NUMBERS!

TAX-PAID STUDENT MEMBERS FOR SCHOOL_______________________________________ 21._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

22._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

23._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

24._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

25._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

26._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

27._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

28._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

29._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

30._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

31._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

32._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

33._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

34._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

35._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

USE ADDITIONAL COPIES AS NECESSARY - PLEASE FILL OUT COMPLETE ADDRESSES AND PHONE NUMBERS!

TAX-PAID STUDENT MEMBERS FOR SCHOOL_______________________________________ 36._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

37._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

38._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

39._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

40._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

41._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

42._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

43._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

44._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

45._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

46._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

47._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

48.________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

49._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

50._________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name Address City State Zip

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Year of Graduation Email Address Phone Number

USE ADDITIONAL COPIES AS NECESSARY - PLEASE FILL OUT COMPLETE ADDRESSES AND PHONE NUMBERS!

The Junior State of America PARENTAL PERMISSION FORM WWW.JSA.ORG for more information

CALL (800) 334-5353 or (800) 317-9338 TO OBTAIN A CONVENTION BROCHURE

Parents: Please read this information carefully and review it with your child before signing. Your child should have a very exciting educational experience at the upcoming Junior State event. He or she will have an opportunity to debate current issues. We hope you have read the convention brochure, which lists the topics to be discussed. In advance of the event, your child should do some special reading to prepare for these debates and other educational activities. Once the event registration fee has been paid, we are not able to make any refunds. This policy is necessary because we have to make payments and guarantees many weeks in advance of the event. We encourage paid delegates who find themselves unable to attend to find another student from their school to go in their place and have the new delegate reimburse them for the registration fee. Please review the convention rules with your son or daughter. By sending your child to the convention, you agree to pick him or her up if these rules are violated. Rule violators are sent home and are reported to their school for appropriate disciplinary action. If you have any questions about the rules, travel arrangements, or the educational program, please call The Junior State office at 800/334-5353. CONVENTION RULES 1. All rules for school field trips prevail. Use of illegal drugs or alcohol is not permitted. Students also will be punished if they are in a room where drugs or alcohol are present. The use of tobacco products is not allowed. To ensure these rules are obeyed, the Teacher-Advisor and The Junior Statesmen Foundation must approve the attendance of each delegate. We reserve the right to deny any student the privilege of attending the event. 2. At 8 p.m., students will meet with their Teacher-Advisor for roll call and may not leave the hotel thereafter. At curfew, Teacher-Advisors will check delegates at their rooms. Delegates must remain quietly in their own rooms after curfew. Pizza deliveries and room service deliveries are not permitted after curfew. Delegates also are required to meet with the Teacher-Advisor at other designated times. 3. Delegates must attend all conference activities. 4. At no time may young men and women be in each others' rooms. 5. Delegates may not leave the convention hotel without the permission of their Teacher-Advisor. During meal times, with their Teacher-Advisor's permission, delegates may leave the hotel to eat in designated areas. Under no circumstances are delegates to leave the hotel after 8:00 p.m. 6. Delegates must wear their name tags above the waist in a visible location at all times. 7. All students assigned to a room are responsible for any charges made to the room. All students assigned to a room are also responsible for the condition of the room. No outside phone calls can be made from student hotel rooms. Room service and other items may not be charged to a students room. No delegate may change rooms without the permission of The Junior Statesmen staff members at the event. The hotel staff will house four students in each room with two large double beds. 8. No student may drive a car to the convention or ride in a student driven car during the convention. 9. Visitors are not allowed in the convention hotel. Delegates are not allowed to associate with any visitor who is not an official guest of the Junior Statesmen program. 10. Students are expected to dress appropriately. Delegates should respect the rights of other hotel guests and not do anything to damage the reputation of the Junior Statesmen program. Students must not open or throw anything out of windows. Students must stay off balconies. 11. Students should not bring expensive items to the convention. Valuable items must be stored in the hotel safe or with the bellmen. The Junior State/The Junior Statesmen Foundation are not responsible for items stored in a luggage storage area. No large radios or portable stereos are allowed. 12. Delegates or delegations that are sent home for conduct problems will not receive a refund. 13. Delegates and their parents agree that The Junior State may use any photographs taken during the convention for promotional purposes. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I agree to abide by all of the Junior State convention rules under the terms described on this permission form. I understand that in the event of a serious violation of the rules, my parents and my school will be notified, and I may be sent home at my own expense without a refund. X__________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ ________________________ Student Signature Print Name Date I agree to the terms described on this permission slip and give my child permission to attend the Junior State convention under those terms. The Junior Statesmen Foundation has my permission to obtain emergency medical treatment for my child at my expense. XX__________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _________________________ Signature of Parent or Guardian Print Name Date EVENT_________________________________________________________________________________ HIGH SCHOOL_______________________________ STUDENT NAME____________________________________________________________________ SEX: ____MALE ____FEMALE (check one) ADDRESS_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CITY_____________________________________________________________________________________ STATE_________________ ZIP_____________ YEAR OF GRADUATION_____________ HOME TELEPHONE ( )__________________________ CELLPHONE ( ) ________________________ EMAIL___________________________________________________________EMERGENCY PHONE # ( )_____________________________________

Sample letter to Convention Delegates from a JSA Chapter President.

Dear Chapter Member:

Veteran JSA’ers and JSA newbies, I would like to brief you on the Do’s and Don’ts of the JSAConvention

Packing: First of all our Chapter prides itself on being a group of professional and intellectualstudents, and we are well noted for that. The convention dress code requirements are that offormal/business attire.

For Guys, that means a suit. Dress shirt, tie, slacks, dress shoes, and a suit jacket preferred;(slacks and button down shirt are the minimum). Because this is a two day convention, Irecommend you bring one suit. If you have a spare and want to have a different one for thesecond day, then go ahead and bring two. However remember that the more you take the harderit is to fit and the more baggage you’ll have.

For the Ladies, business apparel is a requirement. Usually a women’s business suit worksperfectly. If you don’t have a business suit, then I recommend a black (or other color) kneelength skirt (make sure the slit on the side isn’t too deep), and a white or colored blouse. Irecommend women’s dress shoes, unless you want to be a trooper and walk around all day goingfrom block to block wearing heels.

Saturday evening is a social period, so you will want to bring a change of clothing, somethingyou’d wear every day to school, or to a school event. JSA does have a dance and other socialevents Saturday night, so dress appropriately. School dress code will be in effect for the socialportion of the JSA night events.

Also make sure you pack something to sleep in. Pajamas, comfortable sweats, baggy tee-shirt,or whatever you wear to sleep. Remember, that you should not wear tennis shoes or flip flopswhen we are in the business session of the JSA convention. It’s always a good idea however, topack a set of comfortable shoes for the social portion of the day.

Remember to pack toiletries as well. Deodorant, toothbrush and past, shampoo, soap, lotion,contact solution, brushes, combs, gel, hairspray, and feminine hygiene products. You need it;you bring it.

Expensive jewelry and electronics are to be brought at your own risk. If you loose it, or leave itbehind somewhere, JSA, and our chapter, nor the hotel will assume responsibility.

Money for Food and Memorabilia: are a must. All meals will be paid for by you theindividual. There will be a flux in price ranges for places to eat. There will be a fast foodrestaurants near by, and more expensive hotel restaurants or special JSA menu items from thehotel. All students will be allowed to choose where to eat, as long as they do not go bythemselves. All delegates must travel in pairs for their safety.

Spending differs on the bases of the individual’s spending habits. A delegate is stronglyrecommended to bring $35.00 - $50.00 for eating purposes.

Transportation: will be done though our Chapter. Saturday morning all delegates will be at theconvention hotel by 9:15 a.m. for registration/check in. Please be on time. If our chapterarranges transportation by bus or by carpool you will be notified of the time and place to meet onSaturday morning and a time and place to be picked up on Sunday. Remember no students areallowed to drive to the convention or they will be sent home. Conferences are known to endearly and sometimes late. Please be flexible for the Sunday pick up.

Rooms: will be assigned before the convention. There will be no member of the oppositegender allowed at any given time in any of the delegate’s rooms. Violation of this school andJSA rule will result in a report filed to the school administration and being sent homeimmediately from the JSA program. The rooms will have two queen size beds, and fourdelegates will share a room.

Supervision: will be handled by Mr. Jones, our Teacher/Advisor who will be accompanying ourdelegation and chaperoning us over the weekend. Because our delegation is so large, otherteachers from the school, Ms. Smith, Mr. Johnson, and Ms. White, will also be with us the entiretime. During the weekend, we’ll meet as a group and check in with our advisor at lunch anddinner on Saturday, after dinner at the Chapter Caucus on Saturday evening where JSA requiresthat a roll call be taken, Sunday morning before the first activity block when we have to turn inour room keys, and right after closing session. Yes, there is a curfew and bed checks at 12:15a.m. after the dance on Saturday night – we all need to in our rooms and stay in our rooms untilmorning. JSA and our school are very serious about the rules listed on the permission slip, soREAD them and DON’T BREAK them!

During the day: the debates, thought talks and other activities are the best part of JSA. Whileyou aren’t forced to make a speech, give it a try! It makes the convention more fun for you andall the JSA’ers are really supportive. Make sure to pick one activity in each “activity block” toattend – we can’t just hang out in the lobby all day.

Hopefully this letter will have addressed all questions and concerns. If there was something notaddressed by this letter, please contact me or our Teacher/Advisor

Chapter President Information Teacher/Advisor Contact InformationHome # School Phone #Cell # Email AddressE-mail address

Sincerely,

Your JSA Chapter President