As the presidential candidates make their closing arguments to the country, some junior politicos are making their pitches through a nearly century-old civics program on the Lower East Side.
“Boys and Girls Republic,” part of the nonprofit Henry Street Settlement’s afterschool program, allows elementary and middle school students to run for mayor, councilmember, judge and prosecutor. The students help make the rules for the program — and enforce them. Mock trials are held in a wooden courtroom with a judge’s bench and witness stand. There’s also a recreation of the City Council chambers, including a smaller dais for the students.
The initiative started in the 1930s, with the goal of keeping the children of Italian, Irish and Jewish immigrant families off the streets while instilling civic pride. Henry Street Settlement took over in the 1990s. Now the students are mostly Black and Latino residents of nearby public housing.
Brian Williams, 10, is running for treasurer on a platform of fiscal responsibility.
“I want to make sure BGR money gets used properly,” he said.
Brian Williams, 10, is running for treasurer, pledging to be an attentive steward of the Boys and Girls Republic's finances.
Jasmine Marks, 10, wants to be a judge who helps maintain law and order.
“I wanna stop bullying because last year kids were fighting, not listening to the staff and also they were disrespecting and roasting each other,” she said, adding that it had been helpful to resolve those issues in their pseudo-court.
“The kids learned their lesson not to fight or anything, because there were consequences to everybody's actions,” Marks said.
As they campaign, the students have developed theories about what makes a successful presidential candidate.
Rosalie Rivera, 10, said she’s looking for a president who has the people’s interests at heart. “Not the stuff that would be best for them, but for the community,” she said.
“They should care about the people,” Rivera added. “But also they should care about the environment … because trees help us breathe. And if the environment starts to fail slowly, then it would be very hard for us to live.”
A student at the Boys and Girls Republic afterschool program casts her ballot.
Zariyah White, 10, said she hopes the next president will focus on keeping guns off the streets.
“I want the presidents to say no weapons allowed anymore, because there's a lot of weapons used when they're not supposed to be used, in a way that they're not supposed to,” she said.
Marks said she’d like to see more investment in education. “Schools need more money for kids to go on trips, and [buy more] school supplies and new whiteboards and smartboards,” she said.
But even these civic-minded students seemed a bit apprehensive about the general election just a week away. White had a concise answer to how she felt about the election. “I feel mid,” she said.
