Learn by

doing

Major Elements

program schedule

The full schedule for the 2024 session can be found at
–2024 Schedule (all days)
Each day’s schedule can be found by clicking on any day below:
Saturday, June 8th
Sunday, June 9th
Monday, June 10th
Tuesday, June 11th
Wednesday, June 12th
Thursday, June 13th
Friday, June 14th

citizenship manual

The 2024 Citizenship Manual can be found by clicking here!

cafeteria menu

The cafeteria menu can be found – here. For those with special dietary needs, contact Chris Wojtysiak by – clicking here.

campus map

To view an interactive map of Eastern Illinois University – click here. For ease of use on some devices, a non-interactive map is available – here.

Photo Journal

At some point throughout the week, you’ll see someone taking pictures of various events. That’s Gabe Grant, the staff photographer. He keeps a visual record of what happens during the session. Sometimes he’s at scheduled events, sometimes it’s some people tossing a frisbee on the quad. At various times throughout the week, the Experience page will be updated in the rolling feed below with a few highlight pictures, however the entire repository can be viewed – here.

Recreation & Intramurals

The recreation and intramural information can be found by clicking here.

Health Services

Boys State staff will help students access any necessary medical care at the Sarah Bush Lincoln Charleston walk-in clinic or the Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital ER. More information may be found by – clicking here.

Boys State Store

The Boys State Store has many items available during meal times to help remember your time spent in Charleston. The list of items available can be found by clicking here.

Samsung Scholarship

Each Boys State and Girls State selects one delegate as a national finalist, who is awarded a $1,250 scholarship. Each state winner is submitted for judging as part of the national competition for a $10,000 scholarship. Scholarships are made possible by an endowment established by the Samsung Corporation in 1996. Click here for the application.

THE SAMSUNG SCHOLARSHIP ONLINE APPLICATION (INCLUDING SCHOOL RECORDS) MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE YOU ARRIVE AT BOYS STATE.

Essay Contest

The Hayes Kennedy Scholarship is a $2,000 award given annually to the citizen who presents the best original essay on a selected topic related to the Constitution of the United States or the Illinois Constitution. All contestants are required to submit their essay electronically. They can be worked on before the session, but that is not required. Click here for more information.

Speech Contest

The Commander’s Scholarship is a $2,000 scholarship awarded annually to the citizen who prepared the best original four to six-minute oration on a selected topic about Abraham Lincoln. The final decision will be based on the customary oratorical contest points of content, organization, and delivery. Click here for more information.

Details of the Program

Hover or tap on the boxes to learn more

Patriotism

As with all programs of the American Legion, patriotism is an important aspect at Boys State. Activities include the Pledge of Allegiance, formal flag retreat ceremonies at the South Quad flag pole, paying respect to the brave men and women of our military and veterans, and singing the Star-Spangled Banner as a group. These important elements, and more, are integrated throughout the week.

Political Action Committee

Each county puts a team together to form a mock Political Action Committee (PAC). The PACs will use their lobbyists and other methods to try and get Boys State elected officials to side with them, and pledge to support their issues.

State Police

Just like Illinois, Boys State has a State Police Force. Some citizens will be chosen as State Police Officers and have the opportunity to attend law enforcement seminars that provide a combination of classroom lecture and hands-on demonstrations by local law enforcement personnel. Topics vary each year, but have included the basics of police work, collecting evidence, and the use of K-9 units.

Media

Original media productions at Boys State are created by a dedicated media team looking to bring the citizens of Boys State "all the news that matters and some that doesn't" each day. The Boys State News Network delivers a nightly news broadcast before the general assemblies to showcase that day's efforts and recap important news on topics like campaign coverage, election results, and featured interest stories.

Elections

At the core of our week's activities is learning the basics of the electoral process. There are three levels of government that are formed through elections during the week: city, county, and state. From being candidates for office, to being election officials, to actually voting in the elections, the citizens engage in every aspect of the election process.

Scholastic Bowl

Each county selects a scholastic bowl team to play in a tournament bracket-style competition throughout the week. The questions and game structure are very similar to high school level Scholastic Bowl competitions. Winning these matches throughout the week are always a morale booster for the counties. A scholastic bowl state champion is decided on Thursday afternoon.

Sports

Participating in team sports and friendly competition is a great way to work on leadership skills. Each of the counties selects their team on Sunday to play in a bracket tournament-style competition played each afternoon throughout the week. On Thursday afternoon the state championships for each sport are played. These spirited contests are a point of pride for the citizens during the week.

Recreation

Throughout the week there is time for some unstructured recreation. Citizens appreciate the short breaks from the busy week. Informal activities like frisbee, playing pick-up games at EIU's student rec center and just chatting with new found friends are all popular during recreation.

Leadership Discussions

Citizens will have the opportunity to attend a number of topical discussions in a breakout format. Topics are repeated a couple of times during the week so citizens have a good choice of discussions to attend. Example topics include being a leader, college preparedness, law school and the profession, meet the American Legion, and social media.

Seminars

Throughout the week a series of topics are presented on major themes of government. Citizens attend these seminars and participate as county groups. Topics covered include how to conduct an effective meeting, and details on the electoral, judicial, executive, and legislative processes.

Band

Providing important musical accompaniment throughout the week, the band has an important role to play during our general assemblies, the Sunday memorial service, and flag retreat ceremonies. Most nights they play a pre-assembly concert to entertain the citizens. Anyone currently in a high school marching band, pep band, or similar group should consider joining the Boys State band. Questions: band@illinoisboysstate.org

Legionnaire Connection

Many of the men on our staff are members of the American Legion, or Legionnaires. These men serve on various levels of the staff in a variety of roles. Legionnaires on the Board of Directors and in key leadership positions provide overall direction for our program. But some of the most treasured interactions come through informal conversations with the citizens where they can share stories and insights from their experiences.

arrival

Students are expected to arrive from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Check-in will take place in Taylor Hall, located at 2121 4th Street, Charleston, IL 61920. To request a late check-in, please email our registrar at info@illinoisboysstate.org.

departure

Students attend the final general assembly on Friday morning. The session ends at approximately 11:30 AM and students are free to leave at this time. While parents are welcome to watch the final assembly from the back rows of the Dvorak Concert Hall in Doudna Fine Arts Center, students will need to return to their residence halls following the assembly to collect their belongings. If students arrived by bus they should plan to return by bus, being picked up in the same location as drop off immediately following the final assembly. A free sack lunch is available for the trip home.

questions?

After browsing our website if you have any additional questions please feel free to contact us.

support

Click on the PayPal Donate button below to support our program. To sponsor a full registration fee for one citizen donate $400 on the next screen.