The statement on the conference web page declares that Harvard Model Congress is, "the Premier Government Simulation for High School Students." Established in 1986, the simulation/competition has provided thousands of high school students with a superb understanding of how the US Congress works.
Participants gain proficiency in all aspects of government and the experience is noteworthy enough to command special mention on transcripts and resumes, enabling students to further differentiate themselves when seeking admission to colleges and universities. The Model Congress affords aspiring political leaders a brief but composite experience of how government works.
Elite Nature of Model Congresses
Unlike Model United Nations competitions or speaking venues associated with the National Forensics League (NFL), the Model Congress is a rare event usually hosted by top tier and ivy league universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Rutgers. The Harvard conference is one of the oldest and attracts over 1300 participants from the US. Additionally, Harvard University hosts yearly Model Congresses in Paris, San Francisco, and Asia. The Early College at Guilford, in Greensboro, NC, is the only high school to have attended all four Harvard conferences. High schools attending the conference are public, private, and parochial.
Student preparation for the conference is intense. Harvard recognizes the strongest students with certificates of excellence, highly coveted distinctions that drive students to become experts on key issues discussed and debated in mock congressional committees such as Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, Judiciary, and Ways and Means. Both houses of Congress are represented by several dozen different committees, each charged with two or three focus issues. Examples of past issues included revising the Patriot Act, Campaign Finance Reform, alternative fuels, and relations with the EU.
Congressional Assignments and Special Programs
Participants are assigned real-life members of the House and Senate and are given specific committee issues to master three months before the February competition in Boston. Students are challenged to diligently follow the political ideologies of their assigned roles, but the actual conference encourages a high degree of bipartisanship in the crafting of legislation to avoid gridlock. Students are expected to cross political lines during caucus sessions and reach out to the other side in achieving compromise legislation appealing to both Democrats and Republicans. The lessons in bipartisan approaches are some of the most important goals of conference chairs and vice-chairs.
Special programs include a Student Cabinet, a National Security Council, a Conference Committee, and a lobbyist program. A Press Corps published two daily newspapers while students in the Press-TV program produce nightly news programs aired through the hotel's media channels. History comes alive through a Historical Committee and a Constitutional Convention.
The third branch of government is recognized by a District Court not unlike the Mock Trial competitions held in most states and sponsored by trial lawyer associations. Duplicating the Bar Association's "Moot Court" competitions, the Harvard competition features a Supreme Court in which student teams are required to master three cases involving Constitutional issues.
The Model Congress Impact on Students
Through mastery of Parliamentary Procedure, participants gain experience in orderly government while learning to write relevant legislation that is then debated and amended. Faculty advisers compare the experience to a "crash course" in civics. During the 2006 conference, former Florida Senator Bob Graham was impressed enough to interview participants and include these impressions in a future book on the teaching of civics in America that he was preparing as a Senior Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government.
The Harvard experience has inspired student participants to pursue careers in law and politics. Will Heaton received a Harvard award of excellence as a high school sophomore and eventually became the youngest congressional Chief of Staff in 2001. In 2005 Matthew Cohen, another recipient of a Harvard award as a high school senior, ran for mayor of Greenville, NC while a senior at Eastern Carolina University majoring in Political Science.
For high school students, the Model Congress is a microcosm of United States government. The broad nature of the conference maximizes student experiences in several ways. Sponsored by Harvard University and facilitated by Harvard students, the conference allows participants to sit in on actual Harvard classes during the morning of the second conference day. Keynote speakers are usually members of Congress but have included luminaries like Al Franken. The "hands-on" experience may be unparalleled when contrasted with lower tier venues promoting civics education and debate.
As college admissions criteria becomes increasingly competitive, the Model Congress enables students to highlight an activity seen on few college applications. Every high school has drama productions, sports, and various clubs, but few participate in Model Congresses.
Harvard Model Congress is held in Boston the third week of February. Costs include a student and school registration fee ($65), four nights lodging in the Boston Sheraton, and transportation to Boston. Meals are not included.
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