A local elected official introduces young people to the statehouse and the art of governing.

By Kaya Williams

“In my heart of hearts,” Grandview Councilmember Joan Souders says, “I always followed politics.”

As a high schooler in Vancouver, Washington, in the mid-1960s, Souders and students from across the region met to practice government and diplomacy firsthand by participating in a regional international studies and exchange program. After being ordained in 1969, she served as an officer in the Salvation Army for 34 years, earning a National Award for Excellence in Social Work from the organization in 2001. Two years later, for her next act in life, Souders entered public service when she was elected to the Grandview City Council.

Now she’s sharing that enthusiasm with students and lifelong learners in her community. A Rotary Club fundraiser sparked the idea more than five years ago, as local leaders offered unique experiences to the highest bidder.

By then, Souders was well acquainted with the state Legislature from her role on the Grandview City Council. She figured an all-expenses-paid trip to Olympia could be a unique opportunity for teens to explore the intersection of local and state government. So she auctioned herself off, as she likes to joke, and brought a group of four local high schoolers on the inaugural trip in February 2020.

The students toured the Senate and House galleries and met their local representatives. They interviewed lobbyists, too, and connected with AWC government relations staff to learn how an idea becomes a bill—and how a bill becomes a law.

But it was a visit to a live hearing that turned this one-time event into a tradition. By luck, the legislators were talking about Running Start, the college preparation program that all the visiting students happened to be participating in. The students were thrilled to discover that their experiences were part of legislative conversation.

“All those boys talked about on the way home was, ‘Hey, they were talking about us in that last meeting,’” Souders recalls.

It was also an ‘aha’ moment for Souders, who asked herself, “Why am I just doing one trip?”

Except for during the pandemic, Souders has led these tours to Olympia at least once a year—and usually more often, with as many as four visits last year. Again and again, students happen upon meetings that show them the value of their experiences in government decisions. Some have picked up an interest in politics and public service themselves.

What started as an effort to educate young students has expanded to the greater community to also include inquisitive adults. Her most recent trip included two constituents—a local business owner and a nonprofit staffer—who told Souders, “You’re always taking the kids, but we’ve never been over there.”

These tours are expanding in scope, too: After Gov. Bob Ferguson was sworn in, Souders says her groups have been welcomed into the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor, and state treasurer, in addition to representative meet-and-greets.

“The Capitol building is the people’s house,” Souders says. “These tours are exposing young people to something that they never would experience otherwise.”

What they’re learning is that the people’s house belongs to young people, too.

For more information: grandview.wa.us