September 11, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi Senators Thad Cochran and Roger F. Wicker announced that the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) has begun its annual statewide selection process. The two Mississippi students will join 102 other delegates March 5-12, 2016 for the program’s 54th annual Washington Week.
The USSYP was created by in 1962 to increase young Americans’ understanding of the interrelationship of the three branches of government, the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials, and the vital importance of democratic decision making for America and people around the world.
Each year, two students from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity experience an intensive week-long educational program about the workings of the Senate and the federal government. USSYP is sponsored by the Senate and fully funded by The Hearst Foundations.
Each of the 104 student delegates will receive a $5,000 undergraduate college scholarship, in addition to the all-expenses paid trip to the nation’s capital.
The student delegates will visit Capitol Hill, the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the Supreme Court and other historic sites in Washington. The agenda routinely includes meetings with Senators, the President, Cabinet Secretaries, a Justice of the Supreme Court, senior members of the national media and other policymakers.
The delegate selection is administered by each state’s chief school officer in cooperation with high school principals. Delegates must be juniors or seniors and elected student officers for the 2015-2016 academic year, and they must reside in the state where they attend school.
To apply, download an application from: http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/OTC/USSYP. Applications must be delivered or postmarked by 5 p.m. September 30, 2015. Names of students selected will be formally announced mid-December.
The 2016 program brochure with detailed rules, selection process and the annual yearbook may be accessed on the USSYP website www.ussenateyouth.org.
Media Contact:
Patrice Guilfoyle, APR
Director of Communications
601-359-3706
Jean Cook, APR
Communications Specialist
601-359-3519