Politicians In Training

The political scene in Washington, D.C. can appear as this distant land where our lives are governed by people we either hate, love, or don't even know exist. We hear about senatorial scandals or corrupt congressmen along with partial bits of current events in the news, but "over 70 percent of Americans believe that there is either a great deal or a fair amount of media bias in news coverage", according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. We could instead spend hours listening to Speaker of the House reports or sift through pages of Supreme Court transcripts really understand an issue. But are you going to dedicate that much time, hours upon hours, per issue to understand our representatives? I wouldn't. How can we possibly understand the intricacies of Washington, including the backgrounds of the numerous officials that determine who we can marry, what we can own or how we travel? Do you know who your congressional representative is, what congressional district you live in, or who the new supreme court judges are? As a student, it seems rather impossible to figure out what is true and what isn't in our political circus. If understanding politics is important to you, check out some of the options below.

If you're in high school and don't have a clue how political institutions and their players work, the simplest option would be to join your Associate Student Body. However, that is really the most obvious thing to do; you don't need to read an article to figure that one out. Another option is to volunteer at your local City Council, especially during election time. Many City Council's supply a variety of volunteer positions, from clerical work in the office to coaching city sponsored sports teams to working in public libraries.

Many campaign runners, local or federal, have internship and volunteer offers for high school and college students alike. During election time activities may include phone banking, putting up signs, or street corner rallies. Congressman Capuano from Massachusetts offers internships in his D.C. and District office, where interns answer constituent mail, guiding capital tours, or helping run district events.

The next step, though perhaps a giant one, could be to join or petition your school to set a Model UN Club. "Model UN participants learn how the international community acts on its concerns about topics including peace and security, human rights, the environment, food and hunger, economic development and globalization," (unausa.org FAQ). Student participants play the role of ambassadors from many countries, and at the Model UN Conference deliver speeches, partake in debates, and learn how to solve worldwide issues all within the confines of the UN.

If you are looking at colleges and know that politics is something you want to be involved in, here are some of the top notch colleges international relations undergraduate programs in the U.S. Princeton University features Anne-Marie Slaughter (Former Director of Policy Planning) as the professor of Emerita of Politics and International Affairs. Stanford University hosts the leading conservative think tank The Hoover Institution. Columbia University stakes its claim, as in 2007 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "address[ed] the university in free intellectual debate". Georgetown, American, Harvard and Dartmouth are also some of the best schools for international relations programs. To see the a list of the top ten university's in the U.S. visit foreignpolicy.com.

If you know of any other fantastic oppertunities, leave me a comment below and I'll revise the article to include them. 

Xo, M