Program Connects Collier Students to Their Local Government

By Mike Kiniry,

Published June 22, 2022 at 12:28 PM EDT

For nearly 40 years high school students in Collier County have been given the opportunity to learn about their county’s government through a program called Know Your County Government. They get a first-hand look at the work being done behind the scenes in their community.

Almost 40 years ago, a former University of Florida/USDA extension agent in Collier County named Linda Denning created a program to give high school students a first hand look at their local county government.

The Know Your County Government program is still going strong. It seeks to connect students to those working behind the scenes in their community and to become more informed voters, but also to show them that there are a variety of career pathways in local government.

In its 39th year, the program was the brainchild of Linda Denning, a former University of Florida/USDA extension agent, who describes the program objectives as two-fold: to show students that there are a variety of career pathways for high school graduates, and to develop a cadre of informed young voters, an objective that is closely aligned with the League’s mission of encouraging informed and active participation in government.

Students in the 4-day program, which is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Collier County, the 4-H Club, and Collier County Public Schools, visit 16 county departments and spend some time with county commissioners.

Learn more about this decades-long effort to show young people in Collier County first-hand the work being done behind the scenes in their community.

GUESTS

Paul Sezhue, teacher and track coach at Golden Gate High School
Amaya Oroso Hamilton, a student from Golden Gate High School
Tish Roland, 4-H Youth Development Agent at UF/IFAS in Collier County