The Veterans of Foreign Wars offer opportunities for grades 9-12 called Voice of Democracy. The theme this year is “Where do we go from here?” The National scholarship winner receives $30,000, with opportunities at local post, district, state, and national levels. The students not only write the essay, but also record on a DVD or zip drive. For grades 6-8, there is another opportunity called Patriot’s Pen. This year’s theme is “How can I be a good American?” The grand prize is $5,000. The deadline for both of these programs is October 31, 2021. Information for these programs and applications can be found at https://www.vfw.org/community/youth-and-education/youth-scholarships programs.
The American Legion has an Oratorical contest for grades 9-12. The students have a opportunity to speak from 8-10 minutes on any part of the United States constitution they choose. They prepare and deliver this speech at each level they achieve. The 2nd part of the contest has four constitutional amendments chosen by headquarters. The moderator chooses one of these, then informs the students and gives each five minutes to prepare. Grand prize for this contest is $25,000. The American legion also has Boys and Girls State that is a camp of selected students from grades 11. This camp develops the skills for leadership, oration and debate. They learn local, county and state government. The American legion covers the cost for this and awards for the exceptional students. These programs can be found at https://www.legion.org/oratorical.
