Many of the students here may not realize it, but Iowa State is home to much more than the student body.

Every summer numerous conferences, camps, and workshops come to the heart of our state and stay on Iowa State’s campus to share our facilities. One of the larger and more well-known groups that makes an annual pilgrimage is Iowa Girls State, which brought more than 300 girls and staff to our campus just this summer.

Iowa Girls State is the Iowa-specific portion of a national Girls State program, funded and run by the American Legion Auxiliary. The overall goal of Girls State is to teach high school girls to become strong leaders and active citizens. This is achieved through a weeklong mock government session that includes campaigns, elections, passing legislation and other government-related activities. It is well understood that improving citizens means an improving country, so the goal of Girls State is actually one that benefits us all.

Now before some of you start wondering why girls get to have all of the fun, there is a partner organization called Boys State run by the American Legion proper, which does much of the same work with high school boys. The two genders are separated not because they are fundamentally different but because, for reasons most of us can probably guess, high school students seem to work and learn more effectively when removed from the opposite gender.

This may all sound like just another summer camp, but stop and think about what these girls are actually being taught right here at Iowa State. In our country, we have literally millions of different ways to identify ourselves. The only thing that we all share is our country, and through it, our government.

No matter how you feel about our country or government, if you are a citizen, you are a part of it. Most of us, then, would like for our government and country to be composed of people who understand their role and involvement. This is exactly the purpose of Iowa Girls State. More than 60 years ago, it was founded upon the idea that girls will one day become women who can make a difference — if they only realize their own potential.

Wendy Riggle, director of Iowa Girls State for the past 17 years, has noted that in the history of Girls State, it has been found that “many of the staff and counselors return each year to get their batteries recharged and perhaps renew their faith in the younger generation who must someday shoulder the responsibilities of American citizenship.” These words reinforce the idea that while Girls State is directly influencing the lives of high school girls, our country itself is the intended beneficiary.

Many of us can think about the world we live in and understand how it could be said that people are becoming, or perhaps already are, generally apathetic about the world surrounding them. Millions of people check Facebook hundreds of times a day but scoff at wasting time checking up on even local political developments. This is understandable. Most of us were never taught effectively that there is a world of public action and participation. It is just out of our realm of experience.

This is where Girls State makes such an impact. Girls State brings girls into a proactive atmosphere that supports the notions of public action, service and involvement. Such notions are about becoming active in the world around oneself so that a positive impact can be made, and so one can prove to everyone they aren’t just a name and number — they are an actual person. This kind of person, who tries to change the world into a better place and who tries to define themselves as an individual, makes not only a better citizen but a better country.

To many this education is seen as especially important for girls, as there are still people out there clinging to the belief that girls somehow are less creative or intelligent than boys and should not be given the same encouragement to pursue public office or even public action. This belief may even be one reason for the minority role women play in government, despite being half of our population. At Girls State, this myth is seriously challenged. By the end of the week, the participants can look back on all they have accomplished and be confident that they can partake fully in our country and its governance.

For making such an impact in our state, and for teaching so many high school girls how to stand up and participate in our world, Iowa Girls State does not just deserve a round of applause. It deserves a standing ovation.