GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Fifty middle and high school students from across Michigan gathered Saturday at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum for a civics camp focused on the foundations of American government as the country approaches its 250th anniversary.
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The camp was sponsored by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, Scouting America Michigan Crossroads Council, and Grand Rapids America 250.
Students participated in small classes and heard from current and past leaders, including Michigan State Senator Mark Huizenga.
Simon Crowe, a freshman at City Middle High School, said he attended because of his interest in politics and public speaking.
"I've just been really interested in politics and like public speaking, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to like get to know some of my community's leaders and just understand like how to get more involved," Crowe said.
Anika Pai from Big Rapids Middle School emphasized the importance of civic education for young people.
"It's so important for young people to learn about civics, just because we're the future of our nation. We're going to be the ones making these policies, voting on them, and picking our next leaders and being our next leaders," Pai said.
The camp aimed to teach students about government while inspiring them to get involved in their communities.
Don Cooper, CEO of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, said he hopes future leaders are among the participants.
"Hopefully, in this audience, we have Michigan's second president here at some point in time too. So, it's just so exciting to be here with so many young people who bring a lot of energy, and I know the future is in good hands with them," Cooper said.
Carson Hall, a junior at Wyoming High School who aspires to be governor of Michigan, stressed the importance of civic participation.
"As young people turn into adults, there's less and less people going out and voting, and voting is very important to actually get change done, and if you want change in the system, you actively have to participate," Hall said.
Matt Ray, program manager for Grand Rapids America 250, said the timing was ideal with the country's 250th anniversary approaching on July 4.
"Today is just a really special day to remember kind of the foundations of what makes America's, you know, civic framework work as well as it does, but then also let's find opportunities here to say, hey, this is really accessible, you guys can come in, and you guys can get involved today," Ray said.
After completing the camp, students earned a commemorative patch in honor of Grand Rapids America 250.
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