June 15^th – 21^st, 2025

at the University of Nevada, Reno

What is Nevada Girls State?

American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) Girls State programs offer training in the processes of good citizenship as practiced in a democratic society. Each summer, approximately 20,000 enthusiastic young women participate in ALA Girls State sessions across the nation. At ALA Girls State, the “citizens” study City, County, and State government processes. They do this by setting up their own miniature City, County and State governments. Then, they administer them according to the laws of their particular State.

After arriving at ALA Nevada Girls State, delegates (now our citizens) are divided into two faux political parties to gain knowledge about the operation of a two-party system. Within these parties, the citizens form committees to revise and write legislation to be debated by the State Senators and Assemblywomen that they have elected to represent them.

ALA Nevada Girls State citizens participate in these instructional political parties, and elections are held to fill City, County, and State positions. Activities include legislative sessions, campaigning, party meetings, debating, and voting. The citizens also receive special instruction in parliamentary procedure and have the opportunity to hear from a number of guest speakers.

As a ALA Unit, we’re asking for your help in selecting qualified and enthusiastic delegates for this year’s session.

In order to attend Nevada Girls State, a student must:

• Identify as female (if you know male students seeking a similar opportunity, please visit the Nevada Boys State website)
• Currently be a Junior (entering their Senior year after their attendance)
• Have at least one (1) semester of high school remaining
• Submit all required fees and forms
• Be able to attend the entire session (we don’t allow students to arrive late or depart early)

What type of student makes a good Nevada Girls State delegate?

Delegates to Nevada Girls State must be prepared to participate in a fast-paced week filled with information, training, and tools to help them become more active and educated citizens. Delegates are required to remain with the program for the entire week and participate in all activities, such as running for office, writing legislation, and being active in the mock legislative session on Friday. We know that some selection processes rely heavily on GPA in order to choose delegates, but we know from experience that students who are excellent in an all-around sort of way make the best delegates. They don’t have to be extremely outgoing, they don’t have to be honor students, and they don’t even have to know much about government or writing legislation. While these characteristics may certainly be helpful, we’re ultimately looking for individuals who are eager to learn and participate and who are willing to trust in the process they’ll go through during their week with our program.

What happens after a student registers?

How many students can attend from a single school?

There is no limit on the number of students who can attend from a single school, as long as all fees for all students are paid. We would love to have as many students as possible, regardless of what school they attend.

Supporting Schools

As a program of the American Legion Auxiliary, we ask that Nevada American Legion Auxiliary Units help us get information to schools and act as points of contact. A Unit may sponsor as many (or as few) students as they would like; no Unit is required to sponsor any students. Please follow the appropriate link below to see which schools your Unit has been assigned. Additionally, you may act as the point of contact for any school that reaches out to you.

Please click on your unit to view contact information for the schools assigned to you.

Thank you for your continued support!