MICHELLE DYNES Wyoming Tribune-Eagle | Posted: Monday, February 19, 2007 12:00 am
CHEYENNE - Eighteen-year-old Jessica Cockrell said Wyoming's government used to seem "lofty and far away."
But she gained a better understanding of the process after participating in TeenPact this week.
"It's more approachable," she said. "It's just people who do it."
The Cheyenne teen was one of 44 Wyoming students to join the program, visit the Capitol, draft legislation and debate bills during a mock legislative session.
"I have an opportunity to be one of the representatives or senators," Cockrell said. "Within our group, we're making our own laws and holding our own elections."
Exercises like these show teens that they can make a difference, said Kelly Schmit, coordinator for TeenPact Wyoming.
"It's important to know what's going on," she said. "Otherwise, somebody else will decide for you."
The students were a little intimidated by the Capitol's size and the legislative vocabulary at first, but they quickly became more comfortable, Schmit added.
Past participants have gone on to legislative internships and political campaigns. But the goal isn't to produce future politicians, just a generation that is more aware, she said.
James Sanderlin, 15, of Laramie said he never really thought about the origins of liberty. But this week he learned how a bill becomes a law and interviewed people at the Capitol about their definition of freedom.
"I wouldn't want to run for office," he said. "But I'd be more involved with my representatives and senators. I'd take a stand on what I believed in."
This doesn't mean the participants didn't have a little fun in their new roles. Sanderlin said he drafted a bill eliminating lengthy legislation with large words.
GraceAnn Westfahl of Laramie said she'd definitely recommend the program to others.
"I can tell (legislators) my opinion even though I'm only 13," she said.
Jordan Zmudzinski, 18, of Gillette said he enjoyed the program so much he came back for a second year. And another go around allowed him to go beyond the basics to explore the foundations of democracy.
"This definitely makes me look at the government process differently," he added.
Cockrell said she'd like to participate in future legislative sessions. And now that she understands the terminology and a bill's progression, she says she's more likely to visit the Capitol again.
"I know I'll be in contact with my senator more frequently," she said. "I know how to relate to them, how to lobby. And I think I'll send more letters to the editor now. Once you find that you have a voice, it's hard not to use it."