The ALA Girls State Program and Operations Guide has undergone a major revamp since its last update in 2012.

If you have the 2012 version and the additional updates that have been sent since then, please discard all; the guide has been significantly updated since that time.

American Legion Auxiliary Girls State is a privately funded, nonpartisan participatory program that teaches young women responsible citizenship grounded in ethics, the principles of our nation’s founders, and respect for God and Country.

ALA Girls State is among the nation’s most respected leadership programs of government instruction and leadership development for U.S. high school students.

The guide is a resource of practical advice and best practices to help ALA Girls State programs succeed by providing general information about planning and conducting a program. The guide is intended to help program volunteers and staff be mindful of pertinent issues.

It’s divided into eight chapters to cover several topics:

Chapter 1: Critical Foundations — American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Program

Chapter 2: ALA Girls State Committee/Staff Members — Selection, Responsibilities, and Liabilities

Chapter 3: ALA Girls State participants — eligibility, screening, and selection

Chapter 4: Protecting participants and the ALA — risk aversion, liability, health, and safety

Chapter 5: Conducting American Legion Auxiliary Girls State programs on campus

Chapter 6: How to incorporate mission-related projects into the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State program

Chapter 7: Evaluating and follow-up

Chapter 8: Appendix

The guide is intended to help the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State program remain an outstanding experience for our country’s most promising young women, and that programs adhere to branding requirements and minimize the Auxiliary’s exposure to risk and liability. This ensures that the Auxiliary can continue this premier immersive learning experience for the many future generations of young women who will become America’s leaders.

The ALA Girls State program has been around since 1937, with nearly 1 million young women who’ve had the opportunity to learn how state and local government work. The program focuses on preparing female high school students for civic leadership by teaching them the fundamentals about the legislative process, the three branches of government, and parliamentary procedure.

To download the guide, visit the ALA members only national website, click "Guides", log in, and scroll down, you will find ALA Girls State Program and Operations Guide.

Or, you can reach out to your department president and/or your ALA Girls State director who have each received an electronic copy of the guide.

We wish all the best for your ALA Girls State program this year!