WBA NewsroomHigh school students across the state will face off this weekend in the regional competitions of the inaugural Wisconsin Civics Games, presented by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation.
Regionals will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, at University of Wisconsin campuses in Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Platteville and Rice Lake. Two finalists from each of the five regions will advance to the Feb. 23 state competition at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison.
Participating students have been preparing for months — reviewing resources provided by the WNA Foundation and its partners, holding after-school team study sessions and even attending local government meetings in their hometown.
With $2,000 scholarships on the line for each member of the state championship winning team, the WNA Foundation Board of Directors hopes the Games will inspire a new generation of leaders to become engaged in the political process. The Games, launched to address a decline in civic education and engagement, were announced last year.
The WNA Foundation extends its thanks to all of the Civics Games sponsors, volunteers, judges, newspapers and participating schools for making this first year a reality.
The Games are done in partnership with WisconsinEye, Wisconsin Policy Forum, the Girl Scout Councils of Wisconsin, and the five UW campuses: UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Green Bay, UW-Platteville and UW-Eau Claire, Barron County.
Civics Games sponsors include the Evjue Foundation, Center for the Study of Institutions & Innovation, League of Wisconsin Municipalities, League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, Local Government Institute of Wisconsin, Polco.us, Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership, Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies, and the Wisconsin Counties Association.
For more information, go to wisconsincivicsgames.com.