On this day exactly one month ago, I traveled to Washington DC with 34 other students and 3 chaperones from Oliver Ames for the Close Up civic education program. The program describes our week there as us students getting involved in “site-based study activities, student workshops on current issues, and meeting with government officials.” While we may have done all that, we also did so much more.
There are so, so many things I could mention to preach that everyone should attend this program in the future. It’s one of the most eye-opening and informative experiences I have ever had, it teaches you more than you could ever expect, and you meet so many incredible people you would have never known otherwise. Basically, if you have ever considered going on this trip, or even if you haven’t, I strongly recommend you go.
One of the best things about the trip was the people I got to meet during it. From the moment you arrive at your hotel until the moment you depart for home, you must associate with other students from all across the country. Even two of your roommates are from another state. I’m not gonna lie, I was slightly nervous about this part at first; I’m not against meeting new people, but I didn’t know if I was ready to share a room with complete strangers. However, I now understand why the program sets it up this way: you have no choice but to talk with people who are different from you, and it’s great. My two roommates were from Louisiana, and they were some of the best people I have ever met – I still talk to both of them a month later and plan on hopefully seeing them again one day.
Moreover, not only are your roommates from different areas, but the kids from your school hardly stay together. You’re put into a workshop on your first day, and they try to get at least a couple kids from each state that attends the program into each worksh
op. Mine contained students from Ohio, Florida, Texas, other areas in Massachusetts, Louisiana, Kentucky, California, and Alabama. I got to talk to kids who had some of the strongest Southern accents I’ve ever heard, and kids who had never seen snow before. Some kids were shocked by the orange and red leaves on all the trees, and some were wearing shorts and t-shirts because they were accustomed to the year-round warmth where they were from and didn’t realize how cold it would really be.
Talking to kids from all over enlightened me. I learned so many new perspectives that I had never even considered before – especially with my trip taking place during Election Week. I have never seen a room so divided as the breakfast room was the morning after Trump was elected, but we were all able to get past our strikingly different views – both politically and generally – because we all learned to care about each other as people despite our differences.
Another incredible aspect of this trip was the skills that were either created or enhanced during it. The program’s main goal is to develop political efficacy in its participants, which is essentially one’s confidence in their own understanding of and capability to influence others in the political process. Through debates on issues such as raising the minimum wage to making college more affordable to police having body cameras, everyone was encouraged to speak up and share their personal opinions: none were judged, none were considered wrong, and all were appreciated.
The skills I learned and strengthened are endless, but here are a few examples: the ability to publicly speak without fear, the ability to respectfully offer an opposing viewpoint, the ability to play “Devil’s Advocate,” the ability to elaborate on a perspective with legitimate real-life evidence, the ability to look at both sides of an argument and make my own educated opinion on it, the ability to analyze why an issue exists, the ability to offer possible solutions for an issue, and many, many more.
During this trip, I al
so grew much more appreciative of the government system overall. Not that I was not appreciative before, but the trips to countless monuments and buildings – Jefferson, Lincoln, WWII, FDR, the White House, the Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress to name a few – the ability to meet with government official representatives, the chance to go inside the actual House of Representatives chamber, the opportunity to explore Capitol Hill, and the various museum visits all gave me a better understanding and a stronger sense of gratitude for all the hard work our government puts into keeping our country at its best. I learned about both the history of our government and the history of our culture overall, and its amazing to see how far the United States has come and what it is we have done to come this far.
Thanks to this trip, I met some lifelong friends, developed a heavier appreciation for our government system, and brought out a sense of curiosity about both civics and the world around me in general that I never knew was so strong. I know I will never forget the people I grew so close to, the issues I became so informed about, or the skills I so strongly developed throughout this week. I thank every single person who made this opportunity available to me, and I hope that anyone else who has it takes advantage of it as well.