2019 Mock Congress

Sophia De La Cruz, Harrison School for the Arts

Mock Congress

The purpose of the Randy Roberts Foundation is to cultivate future leaders of Florida and increase civic engagement in local communities. Throughout our trip, welearned a great deal about the U.S. governmental system in visits to senators, congressmen, tours and speakers, but we also learned by playing the roles of leaders in daily Mock Congress. After 4 days of research, discussion and debate, we did not pass any of our bills. Although we had researched and lobbied each other all week, we learned that passing bills (and even just fully understanding them!) is much more complicated than it seems. Not only that, but passing, funding and implementing bills are all separate, distinct processes. The media usually presents information in a biased way and attempts to grab attention, which is why it is important for citizens to dig deeper than TV news for the facts. Educating ourselves about multifaceted current issues and discovering their complexities and complications is the only way to truly become civically engaged. It is the most reliable way to understand and properly participate in U.S. government. By participating in Congressional Classroom and Mock Congress, we have developed experienced connections and deepened our knowledge, allowing us to become much more civically engaged. The value of this experience is unquantifiable, and I cannot wait to share my new knowledge and implement it in my own life!