Inside Government (Junior badge)

The Inside Government badge is part of the “Legacy” badge set introduced in 2011.

Activity #1: Decide what being an active citizen means to you
This is an easy first step as girls love to talk! As them what being an active citizen means. If you like. you can also open with this free printable about local government sheet for the girls to fill out. See how much they do or do not know!

Activity #2: Go inside government
See if you can arrange for an elected official to come to your meeting or talk to your girls via Skype. If that is not possible, then ask a PTA Board member to come and talk to your girls about how the school is governed and why it has by-laws.

Activity #3: Look into laws
Ask the girls what the difference is between a rule and a law. Find some silly laws to talk about and why the girls think this law was created.

Have the girls think about a law they would want to create and have put into place. Would someone be upset with his law? How would the government deal with people who opposed it?

Activity #4: Report on the issues
Of the three choices, the one that seems to be the most interesting is to have someone come and talk to the girls about the town’s history. Most towns have a Historical Society and you can either visit the place or have someone come and speak to the girls about the different issues the town has had and if there was one that was around a long time before it was settled.

Activity #5: Get involved in government
If your school is like the one my daughter attended, fifth graders get to run for Student Body. This would fulfill the requirement even if a girl is not running for office but is working on her friend’s campaign.

If this is not something your school does, then have each girl create a campaign poster with three things she would like to make into law.

Additional Resources
https://www.leaderconnectingleaders.com/the-junior-inside-government-badge/