The purpose of Tar Heel Girls State is to provide citizenship training for rising senior high school girls; to afford them an opportunity to live together as self-governing citizens; and to inform them about the duties, privileges, rights and responsibilities of American citizenship in order that they may better understand and participate in the functioning of their government.

Tar Heel Girls State was begun in 1940 and is the nation's longest continuous-running Girls State program, not having suspended sessions during World War II. The Girls State Program is a practical application of Americanism and good citizenship. The entire program is a non-partisan, non-political attempt to teach and inculcate in the youth of America a love of God and country and to foster an understanding of the responsibilities of living in a free society.

The Girls State Program was organized as a national Americanism activity by the 1937 National Convention of the American Legion Auxiliary. A national committee to direct the program was created by the 1946 National Convention. Girls Nation with representatives from each state's Girls State program was authorized by the Auxiliary at their 1947 national convention.

Every state in the nation has a Girls State Program and each state's program is administered by that state's American Legion Auxiliary department. The auxiliary units within the states cooperate with local high school faculty and guidance counselor staffs to select candidates for the programs. Selection criteria for citizens in the Tar Heel Girls State Program include:

• participants must be a high school junior at the time of selection as girls attend the program during the summer between their junior and senior year;
• participants must be between the ages of 16 and 18 years old and be in the top third of their junior class academically;
• participants must be residents of North Carolina for a minimum of one year (twelve months) prior to their selection to the program;
• participants must be attending school in North Carolina;
• participants must be mature individuals capable of setting priorities and be in good physical condition to withstand the long hours and intense activities of the week;
• preference will be given to children of veterans of the United States military.

If you would like more information on how you can become a participant in this year's session, please contact us via e-mail or US Mail.

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