This is a good idea. (Especially after Disney Princess Camp!) We could use more women in the process:
WASHINGTON — Where does a 17-year-old girl who wants to be president learn how to do it? At a politics boot camp for middle school and high school girls.
Running Start, a nonprofit group that encourages women to get involved in politics at an early age, hosted about 50 girls recently in Washington, introducing them to female role models and instructors and teaching them the basics of networking, fundraising, public speaking and other skills essential to political success.
“It’s really important for young women to be involved in politics,” said Sophie D’Anieri, a 17-year-old high school senior from Troy, N.Y. “I think there is some discrimination against women that makes it difficult to run.”
“I’m sort of weird for my age to be this interested in politics,” said 17-year-old Rachel Hansen, of Philadelphia, who aspires to run for president. “I think girls my age aren’t thinking about the future that much. They’re just thinking about what’s going on Friday night.”
The camp was about more than just the mechanics of politics. It was meant to inspire girls to get into public life. Recruiting girls for elected office when they’re in high school helps ensure that there will be more women making policy decisions, said Jessica Grounds, the executive director of the group.
