A Celebration of Life for The Organization That Got Me Into Politics
By: Rhys Hedges
Junior State of America, an organization that I was heavily involved with in high school, recently announced its closure after 90 years of fostering civic engagement and activism in youth. This is a marked loss for civic education in America.
On August 1st, 2024, the Junior State of America (JSA) organization announced it was shutting down after 90 years of promoting engagement in activism and politics among high school students. I hold this organization very near and dear to my heart: I joined during my sophomore year in 2016, right after the November election. The 2016 election was the catalyst for me to get involved in politics, and my friend who was the president of my school’s JSA chapter strongly encouraged me to join her club.
JSA was far different from a normal high school club. It was part of a larger national network of students who were engaged in politics. Outside of weekly club meetings, there were one and two day conventions that attracted students from all over Southern California. It was also mostly student run, with a statewide executive board with positions such as Governor, Chief of Staff, and Speaker of the Assembly.
My experience in JSA was nothing short of magical. I had always been passionate about social justice issues, but JSA gave me a place to meet people who also cared about politics in a way different from most of my peers who dreaded their AP Gov classes. It gave me a community I was desperately wanting in high school, and it put me on a path to studying politics in college and getting involved in local organizing and activism. I applied for a state position where I helped other schools set up their own JSA chapters, and was eventually elected president of my school’s chapter.
Despite what a wonderful experience this was for me and so many peers whose lives were also changed by JSA, my experience from 2016-2019 made it clear there were funding problems within the organization. According to the announcement of its closure, student participation in JSA had been declining since 2015 while costs to host conventions and run the organization skyrocketed. This was only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting in-person programming in 2020.
It is not an exaggeration to say I wouldn’t be who I am today without JSA. I mourn for the absence of this organization and its dedication to engaging youth in politics. However, students are resilient. I have heard that students involved in JSA are currently working to create a more sustainable organization to continue fostering youth civic engagement, and I know that even without it, dedicated students will still be able to find ways to get involved in their communities and become powerful activists. I hope to see a future where every student can find a community that fosters a desire to fight for their beliefs and the confidence to follow through.