Oakley Councilmember Randy Pope is sponsoring scholarships for two Oakley students for the 2012 Advocacy Workshop Day for Students. The all-day event will be held Tuesday, April 17 at the state Capitol in Sacramento. Attendees will be joined by students across California for the annual Day of Advocacy hosted by the California Federation of Republican Women.

The purpose of the event is to provide students – soon to be voters – with exposure to the inner workings of the state legislature, featuring insights on how public policy and legislation affects their daily lives and how they can exercise their rights as voting citizens.

Following an opening welcome session, students will break into workshops led by elected officials. A portion of the student’s day will be spent visiting the floor of one of the legislative houses and/or role-playing the parts of legislators attempting to pass a piece of legislation.

Students will then rejoin their host clubs for a joint luncheon and guest-speaker presentation. Following the close of the program, students will meet with local legislators and their aides to further discuss legislative issues.

“This is the only event of its kind that I’m aware of,” said Pope. “I’m excited to be able to help our students have the opportunity to participate and interact with representatives from our state government. These students are our future leaders.”

Tuition scholarships are available for the event, including lunch. Oakley residents in grades 11-12 are invited to submit applications for the scholarships. The application will consist of an essay entitled “My Rights and Responsibilities as a Voting Citizen.” The essay should be in APA format, typed double-spaced in 12-point font, and one to two pages long. Applications must e-mailed to randypope@ci.oakley.ca.us by noon on April 12.

For more information, e-mail randypope@ci.oakley.ca.us.