family matters
I
ELECTION 2008
voter registration drives vary by
state, so your teen should consult
with her Secretary of State’s office
for rules. An even easier way to get
out the vote: direct of-age friends to
VoteSmart.org,
which compiles
information on how to register in
each state.
LEARN AS YOU GO
A trip to Washington, D.C., offers a
perfect civics lesson for teens and
tweens. Arrange a free guided tour
of the U.S. C.apitol by callingyour
representative or senator’s office at
least a month in advance. He or she
can also arrange for White House
tours, but tickets are scarce so call up
to six months before your trip. If you
miss out, drop by the new Madame
Tussaud’s wax museum in down-
town D.C., where you can sit behind
the desk in the city’s only replica of
the Oval Office and rub elbows with
a lifelike Ronald Reagan or Bill
Clinton (go to
MadameTussaudsDC
.com
for visitor information). If a
Capitol trip isn’t in the cards, tour
your state capitol building instead.
A front-seat look at where laws get
made will make government more
real for your kids.
VOLUNTEER TOGETHER
Whether you serve on the library
board or at a local soup kitchen,
parents who volunteer arc more
likely to raise kids who do too.
Besides feeling more empowered
about their ability to solve problems
in their community, young volun-
teers also vote at higher rates than
non-volunteers. You can find great
volunteer opportunities in your area
at the Web site
1-800-Volunteer.org.
PLAY PRESIDENT
Activities that give teens a crack at
running a pseudo-government, like
Model UN, are even more effective
than student body leadership
positions at priming future voters
for active political participation.
One prestigious program open to
teens is Boys and Girls State
(BoysAndGirlsState.org),
sponsored
by the American Legion. Participants
attend week-long camps in their
home state, where they campaign for
offices and create local governments
that they operate according to their
state’s real laws. Two elected
“officials” from each state also attend
the national version of the program
in Washington, D.C.
WORK THE POLLS
Thirty-eight states have provisions
that allow students as young as 15
to serve as poll workers on election
day. In California, for instance, San
Mateo County recruits 16- and 17-
year-old poll workers through its
Democracy Live program. Not only
does participation earn each teen
worker $125 and 20 hours of service-
learning credit, but it demystifies the
voting process for students who are
on the cusp of voting themselves.
Tara Galvez, a 17-ycar-old senior at
Menlo-Atherton High School in
Menlo Park, California, worked a
14-hour shift at a local polling place
for the February 2008 primary
election. Despite the long hours, her
work gave her a healthy respect for
the presidential election this fall.
LINK POLITICS TO LIFE
“Politics is really about problem
solving,” says Sara Urquhart, of
St. George, Utah, whose husband,
Steve, is a state representative. At the
dinner table, the Urquharts ask their
four kids to suggest solutions to both
small-scale challenges and big issues.
The next time you’re tempted to
fight your children’s battles, ask
questions to help them solve their
own dilemmas, like, “Is there any
way to change this situation?”
LET THEM RUN FOR OFFICE
Campaigning for freshman class
president gives your teen a valuable
taste of politics—and if she wins, a
shot at real leadership. But many
communities welcome teen input
beyond the schools. In Olathe,
Kansas, for instance, the 25 members
of the Teen Council work to tackle
problems like adolescent obesity. In
Seattle, students on the Mayor’s
Youth Council get an in-depth
education in city operations. Search
for a youth council in your town at
the Web site of the National League
of Cities
(nlc.org),
or call your city
hall to ask about commissions that
might welcome teen input.tib
SHARE YOUR PASSION—
TO A POINT
You m ay naturally w an t your kids to
em brace your political beliefs. But
when you bash opposing view points
or insult politicians from the other
side o f the aisle, you risk turning o ff
your teen from politics altogether.
“ W hen w e interview ed students,
som e o f them talked about a dislike
fo r politics in part because their
parents fought about politics all the
tim e,” sa y s Katy Harriger, a professor
o f politics at W ake Forest University
in W inston-Salem , North Carolina,
w ho has studied im proving voter
turnout by engaging young people in
the process. W hen you talk with your
teen s about issues, ask questions
that explore both sides, like, “ W hat
do you see as the strong and w eak
points o f this argum ent? Do the
different sides have any com m on
ground?” Go ahead and get fired up
w hen you debate the issues, but no
scream ing allowed.
258 OCTOBER 2008 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
