Citizenship Washington Focus

Tuesday, June 21

We departed the 4-H Center at about 8:00 AM and wen to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. It was very beautiful architecture very similar to the Roman Pantheon. There were symbols on his back that represent different important aspects of his presidency. From the front of the Memorial, you can see the White House and the Martin Luther King Memorial. From there we went to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. This particular memorial is very interesting because it is separated into four parts,each representing one of his four terms in office as president. It was very interesting to see all of the history and symbolism in the architecture. When we finished the tour, we went to Arlington National Cemetary. We took a special trolly with a tour guide who told us about different things on the way up to see the Changing of the Guards. While we were there we got to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, JFK's eternal flame, and the Changing of the Guard. It was very beautiful and moving to see the cemetery and learn about some of the people buried there. After observing the Changing of the Guard, we witnessed a Navy funeral procession, it was very moving. after finishing up our tour we left to go back to the 4-H Center for lunch, talent show auditions, committee meetings, and the CWF Derby. At the CWF Derby we had to play games in doors because it rained. we played capture the flag, musical chairs, freeze tag, toilet tag, and hide and seek in the dark. It was tons of fun! After dinner, we went over to the Town Hall Meeting. This is where we discussed different topics that are affecting us today and what we might be able to do about it. we had some very good discussions that helped us to share ideas and find resolutions. From there we split into color groups for a strategy workshop where we discussed the three C's of congressional voting which are: Commitment, Conscience, and Constituents. We talked about what these mean and what we think about how we would vote in different situations. We talked about how we are going to convince people to vote for our side. After talking and having  a good time, we broke into our delegations and were briefed on what we will do tomorrow. We reflected on what we did today and learned about leadership and citizenship. Finally after a long day, we got our polos and headed off to bed to rest up for Capitol Hill Day tomorrow!

-Rachel F.


**Chaperone Commentary**

There are a lot of great things happening here at CWF. Delegates are definitely coming out of their shells and making a lot of new friends. Tomorrow is a big day and they all seem enthusiastic to meet and discuss congressional topics with their appropriate representative. All is well here in D.C. and good times are being had.