Meeting Activities:
Excursion to Denver City Council Chambers hosted by Jolon Clark, Denver City Council District 7
Primary badge: Democracy for Brownies 1
Comments:
We met inside the Denver City Council Central Administrative Office on Bannock Street to learn about local city government and conduct a mock city council meeting. After going through the security scanner, our troop, Councilmember Clark, and a security guard were the only people in the entire building! Well except for the ghosts…
Activities:
In a previous career, Councilmember Clark was the Program Director for South Platte Environmental Education. His experience leading educational programs for 5,000 K-5 kids each year showed. He was a fantastically enthusiastic and patient educator of a well-constructed program on how local and state government in Colorado works.
He asked the girls how many city council members there are. Eliza was close, guessing 12. He pointed out that 12 votes would result in too many ties, so the city actually has 13. Of the 13 city council members, 11 represent districts and two are “at-large” members, which means they represent the whole city.
The girls learned that in order for a bill to pass, seven people must vote ‘Yes’ on it. If only 11, 10, or nine council members are present, at least seven must still vote ‘Yes,’ not a simple majority.
Councilmember Clark asked the girls how many branches of government there are. Many of them remembered what they had learned at our previous meeting and raised their hand to answer three: the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. These three branches are the same across local, state, and federal levels of government.
Girls learned that the Denver City Council is the legislative branch of city government and the mayor is the executive. Many of the girls volunteered that the governor is the executive of the state government and the president is the executive of the federal government.
In discussing what the federal, state and city governments do, the girls learned that jurisdiction means the official power to make decisions in a certain territory.
The girls watched a video of a real council meeting and learned the etiquette of how to run a meeting.
Many of the seeming formalities and strict procedures are there so that all members treat each other with respect and there is an orderly flow of work.
Mila asked if there are translation services so everyone can understand the meetings. Councilmember Clark shared that by default Spanish is always available, but that any language can be requested in advance.
Councilmember Clark said there is no end time for discussing proposed legislation. Meetings go as late as needed to make sure business is completed. Monday legislative sessions have gone to 2:00 am!
Becoming Council Members
Councilmember Clark invited all the girls to close their eyes and when they opened them, they were all transformed into city council members tasked with making important decisions that would affect their community!
The mock meeting followed official procedures with the banging of the gavel to call the meeting to order. To lead their council the girls elected a council president and president pro-tem. Many scouts were very brave to announce their candidacy, stand up in front of their peers, and speak as to why they should earn their vote.
Eliza asked if they can vote for themselves. Councilmember Clark answered enthusiastically “Yes!”
The council elected Allie as president and Josephine as president pro-tem.
The girls broke into two working groups to discuss proposed bills on gun safety and climate change. The working groups approached the issues with effective questions like:
What is the problem we are trying to solve?
What system can we put into place to solve this problem?
What laws or rules can we put into place to make this system work?
The working groups discussed many options and then voted among themselves on the specific details of their proposed bill. One scout from each working group was elected to sponsor the bill, which meant that she would explain it at the full council meeting.
To fortify themselves after their hard work, the girls snacked on delicious creamed fruit sandwiches made by Michelle. They were such a hit, the recipe is included here: Milk Bread Fruit Sandwiches
Mock Council Meeting in Chambers
Finally, with much excitement, our troop entered city council chambers and each girl picked an actual council member’s desk at which to sit.
Councilmember Clark distributed each girl this mock city council agenda and script to follow as we started official procedures:
Call Meeting to Order
Pledge of Allegiance
Land Acknowledgement
Roll Call
Announcements
Bills for Introduction
Adjourn
Council president Allie did a roll call and reminded all members that they must acknowledge their speaking time by starting and ending with “thank you, Council president” so that everyone would know who has the floor to speak and when they were finished.
Anabel sponsored Gun Safety bill #1122 and explained to the council that this bill proposes that no one can buy a gun unless it is used for hunting, they cannot lie about the use, they must take a class on gun safety, they must apply and pay for a license, and they must be at least 21 years old.
Parents and Councilmember Clark pretended to be members of the public. They stood at the comment podium to make statements about why they do or do not support the bill.
An interesting policy-making learning moment was when “community member” Meredith suggested an amendment to the bill to change the owning age from 21 to 18. This showed the girls that sometimes compromises can be made to help disagreeing parties come together.
After hearing from the “public” and then other council members for and against the bill, President Allie called for a vote. Gun safety bill #1122 passed 11-1.
Next Mila sponsored a bill called Climate Change bill #1123. The bill would put into place a rule that no trees can be cut down in Denver without a permit. Since our mock council spent so much time discussing the previous bill, we abbreviated the public comments and council discussions to one round.
Councilmember Clark pretended to be a frustrated member of the public named “Jimmy John,” who argued that this bill would prevent his family from cutting down their own Christmas tree, a treasured tradition.
Public comments enabled girls to appreciate that it’s not easy to pass laws without unintended consequences and on which everyone agrees, even when made with the best of intentions to protect the community.
The girls reacted to “Jimmy John” by proposing purchasing plastic Christmas trees, which last longer, instead of cutting down real trees. In the end, they voted unanimously to pass bill #1123.
After a formal adjournment of the mock city council meeting and a quick group photo, we followed Councilmember Clark to a super-secret part of the building with a balcony where visitors can climb out to see the state capital building across the plaza. So cool!
We went overtime with this excursion, but the experience of the official legislative session protocols and working together to craft policy was eye-opening for girls and guardians alike.
The troop is deeply appreciative of Mona for putting this fantastic excursion together and enthusiastically thank Councilmember Clark and the building security staff for dedicating three hours on a Sunday afternoon to provide an invaluable educational experience to our future leaders!
Meredith sent an email to Councilmember Amanda Sawyer requesting she acknowledge Councilmember Clark at the next day’s legislative session for his generous time and amazing work. Denver Language School and Crestmoor Park where we meet are in District 5, which is Councilmember Sawyer’s jurisdiction.
She did! See here the Council Announcements at 15:32 of the Monday, November 7 legislative meeting. 🫶
Family Follow-Up:
Personalized thank-you notes may be sent to 1437 Bannock St, Room 451, Denver, CO 80202
Discuss:
Why should you vote and why does it matter?
How important it is to respect everyone, even if they disagree with you.
Why it is necessary to be flexible so that two disagreeing parties can come together on a solution that mutually benefits both sides.
Badge Requirements:
Democracy for Brownies
Find out about local government - Girls had an amazing experience learning about the different branches of government and specifically how the Denver City Council manages legislative meetings and proposes new bills.
Announcements:
Upcoming Troop Meetings:
SAT 11/19: Optional Excursion to Dumb Friends League - Pets
Please register and pay for your girl individually for the 11/19 Pawsititve Service Day 12:00-2:00 pm - $30
SUN 12/4: Excursion to Denver Zoo - Pets + Think Like a Citizen Scientist
Need final RSVPs by THU 11/17. The zoo only accepts ONE payment, so we can’t accommodate any registrations after this date.
Please note in the comments on your RSVP if you wish to have siblings or non-volunteer adults attend. Scout and Troop Support Volunteer costs will be paid from troop funds. $12 per attendee.
SUN 12/18: Family Meeting - Take Action Reflection & Celebration
All family and friends are welcome to reflect on the fall session’s badge work, see girls demonstrate some learned skills, and celebrate with photos, food, and fun!
Will need volunteers to help put together a slide show, do decorations, set up skill stations, organize food/beverages, and create/buy a gift/prize for girls, etc. See Assignments.
SAT 12/3: Victorian Holiday Party at the Molly Brown House Museum - Need to purchase timed entry tickets. Perhaps any interested do 4:00 pm? - ($18/scout or sibling, $11/adult)
GSCO Future Me patch resources: Inspiring Futures YouTube Channel
GSCO Media Stars - Girls will gain hands-on experience pitching a story to local media, creating content for social media to boost our brand awareness, and sharpening their communication skills by sharing their Girl Scout story through girl or troop takeovers, video blogs, podcasts, and more. This program is open to all Colorado Girl Scouts in first grade and older. Read more and apply by November 25 to be included in the in-person training.
Thanks!
Lynn (Josephine’s Mom) and Meredith (Mila’s Mom)