At the end of February 2025, my junior year, I was brought into a class advisory meeting for a summer program: Badger State. What I was told at that presentation felt vague, dodging the actual details of the event. I remember hearing “leadership opportunity” and “a week to change a lifetime,” but little of what happened there. Still, I decided to apply.
The context I missed was that Badger State—in my case, Badger Boys State, since the camp was divided by gender—was a week-long camp in early June simulating the United States legislative and election process. Campers, called “citizens,” campaign for office positions between the ‘City,’ ‘County,’ and ‘State’ levels of government, and subsequently act out those positions in the setting of a college campus. Outside of mock government, this was also a way to build communication skills with complete strangers across the state.
Another focus of Badger State as a program was teaching Americanism, or a strong attachment to the ideals and traditions of the United States, and respect to veterans. This is largely due to the primary sponsor and organizer of the event: the American Legion, a major American veteran service organization. However, learning about how the government works was still the main priority of the camp.
Of course, I didn’t know any of that as I submitted my application. I waited a few weeks for a response before getting the news: I was added as an alternate delegate, meaning I could only get in if a spot somehow opened up. That could have been the end of my Badger Boys adventures, but by a stroke of luck a different school gave their nominations to Middleton High School, and I was allowed to go.
So there I was in the spring, a socially awkward teenager skipping the last few days of finals week to ride a bus all the way to UW- Eau Claire just to enter a summer camp where I had little clue on what I would be doing. It was on that bus I decided to log every day at Badger Boys State and share my experience with other prospective campers. In this log, every night, I wrote down everything I could remember from the day before, as well as added any other information I thought was needed after the fact.
Without further ado, let us begin my recounting of Badger Boys State.
Day 1, Sunday: Arrival
The day started with a bus ride, supplied with plentiful snacks for the long trip.
When we arrived at Eau Claire, we were quickly rushed through the initiation process, shown to our dorm rooms and given a Badger Boys State Shirt to wear. We were also given a drawstring bag with a handbook outlining the week, called the Citizens’ Manual, all of which we were allowed to keep after Badger Boys ended.
We then headed down to one of the outdoor social spots of Eau Claire, where we became acquainted with how Badger Boys operates and what to expect in the coming week. Due to a delay in one of the buses, this initiation had to be cut short as we waited for those kids to make a reappearance.
Most of the activities today were icebreakers, but we did do some governmental activities.
Each Badger Boy is assigned to a City, County, and Party, with the two parties being the Nationalists and the Federalists, designated with blue and red lanyards, respectively. The parties’ values are created by the party members, rather than starting with values in mind. We spent most of the day nominating candidates for city-level leadership positions. There would later be an election for which party actually gets the roles.
At the end of each day, we entered a specific classroom in one of the buildings that we designated as our city hall. We discussed goals we wanted to accomplish within Badger Boys, and talked a bit about conquering fears, presumably fears about getting out there and doing things. We also learned that, in addition to government activities, the program also offers classes, referred to in the manual as Badger Boys State University (BBSU). Topics ranged from the history of corruption, to advice on using AI for productivity and even law school. I chose to do law school and begrudgingly picked the AI one for lack of interest in other classes.. Law school primarily consisted of explaining how court operates. Those who passed the classes were then able to be lawyers for any cases a citizen may make against another. The AI class was a complete trainwreck, largely because the instructor used AI to make the lesson. This did reassure me that teachers will probably keep their jobs for a while.
We filled out a Google Form for what classes we wanted to take during the week, and went to bed. Dorm rooms were separated by county and city, with each city taking up half of the rooms on a floor. This was my first time having a roommate and living away from home, the first of many challenges I would tackle in these first few days.
Day 2, Monday: City Elections
Campers are woken to the sound of counselors yelling “good morning” and blasting Katy Perry at 7:00 a.m. We had until 7:40 a.m. to get ready for the day, after which we stood outside in line waiting to be let in for breakfast. We always stood in line, even when it was raining; we just did it inside.
That morning, I was introduced to the many activities of Badger Boys. There are several sports available, as well as a band, orchestra, and color guard. I was a part of the Press Corps, Badger Boy State’s newspaper group, so I got to skip the lines and eat some meals early to make time for Press Corp meetings. Otherwise, you would wait in line and do a variety of chants—which I can only assume have a history in military mess halls—while the cafeteria tries to work through the previous city’s lunch line.
This also happened to be the day my gluten allergy finally came in use, as it let me skip the line and occasionally obtain better food than the main line. Instead of the main line, I used Eau Clare’s very generous allergen-free section of its cafeteria. The foods were probably more plain and repetitive than the main line, largely consisting of sliced meat and cooked vegetables, but were also a lot heartier and healthier.
The actual day was highlighted by setting up our council government and voting between parties for city government positions (i.e. the general election.) I was nominated for the city council, so I did a bit of campaigning prior to this point. Unfortunately, it didn’t end in success.
The last thing we did was deciding party nominees for our county elections and discussing city procedure. This involved inauguration ceremonies for all positions, discussions on how to budget our money and drafting ideas for new laws.
The budget stood to be a challenge, as the cities aren’t given enough money to fund all the government programs. We would soon find out that councilors would impact parts of our real city hall depending on what we choose to underfund, like bugs along the walls if we failed to fund public cleanliness, or flipped furniture in the common area of our dorms for underfunding health & safety.
The ordinances for your city can be as serious or as goofy as you want, and people would actually have to follow them. An example from my city was requiring citizens to fist-bump the mayor every morning and to yell “goodnight” through the walls during lights out.
For this first night, everyone but me did this. I was seriously beginning to feel like a fraud at my time here. I could barely have a chance in any position I tried for, everyone was far more sociable and charismatic than me and I technically wasn’t even supposed to be there considering I was an alternate. I feel some shame in saying this, but I lost my cool that night, and spent a significant portion of our last meeting in the bathroom crying.
However, I was able to mellow out a little by talking to one of the counselors, and returned to the dorms to a generally supportive reunion with my peers. It would take me a few more days to fully realize how I wasn’t as isolated as I made it out to be.
Day 3, Tuesday: County Elections
Tuesday was mostly a rerun of Monday, only the election and legislative meeting were both on a county level. This mostly served to make the entire bill discussion process much less organized. I’ve never heard someone call decorum, a term used to tell everyone in a meeting to settle down, so many times. It was so bad that some kids weren’t even using government terminology and yelling court terms like ‘objection.’
This is also the first day with recreation time, a two-hour period where students were allowed to wander the campus and participate in activities. Recreation time also served as prime time for campaigning. Students could participate in both organized sports with games organized between counties and recreational sports for those less interested in competition. At the end of the week, the city with the most wins would have a plaque with their name on it cemented in Badger Boys State history.
The nominations for state positions also opened that day, and students had to get signatures before they could be cast on a ballot. This, along with the upcoming primary and general elections on Wednesday and Thursday respectively is a similar experience to that of Middleton High School (MHS)’s own mock government class, “US Government and Politics: The Legislative Semester,” just on a much larger scale.
I continued campaigning for positions. After failing to win county supervisor and circuit public defender seats, I attempted to go for attorney general as a state-level position, but couldn’t make it off of the first step: I got a total of three signatures. I needed thirty.
Day 4, Wednesday: State Primaries
Once again, the day began mirroring the other days of voting but at a much larger scale, taking up a whole theater. Here, we would hear the Nationalist party speeches. The Federalists held their own rally and speeches elsewhere.
After the speeches, we once more returned to lunch and voted for our party nominees.
We also had a general assembly on this day. These were meetings of every citizen in Badger Boys to discuss government events, as well as hearing announcements or stories the staff wanted the kids to hear. Many of these earlier assemblies were about making the most of Badger Boys. The assembly also doubles as the place for the bands and color guard to show their abilities, and allows people of different faiths to both open and close their meetings.
The final event on Wednesday night, while it is likely not as applicable to Badger Girls State, was still very impactful. It consisted of a city meeting regarding some of the staff’s feelings on masculine social norms and the “man box,” as they put it: the tendency for men to feel “trapped” and unable to show their true feelings.
Many peers in my city shared stories of their worst moments, and several of them had neglected to share them with anyone before. Tears were shed, and the sense of community grew exponentially. I also began to understand my own strengths and weaknesses as a person, and came to realize why I felt so isolated. I saw my peers as the “popular kid” archetype that had haunted me in my middle school years, and never got close enough to see them as their own complex individuals who were never against me. This moment let me drop my guard and truly start forming bonds with the kids at Badger Boys. In a way, I feel like this night alone made the entire experience worth it.
After a heartfelt discussion with our city, we went to bed.
Day 5, Thursday: General Election.
The day began busily for the press corp, as we held question panels with different nominees for the final state election. These were a way for citizens to know more about candidates they weren’t sure of yet. After that, the parties went out to hold their rallies. There was a lot of partisanship. We then headed over to the stadium, this time having candidates advocate for themselves and holding press interviews with the hopeful governors. The electronic ballot opened soon after, referring to a google form sent through email; the only in-person ballot the entire week was the city-scale election.
After that was lunch and, to my surprise, a visit from sitting governor of Wisconsin Tony Evers. He was mostly there to greet the leading state candidates, but also sat down for a short interview with the press corp.
Then came the election results, and the subsequent celebrations from those in favor of the winning candidates.
The last major event of note was the inauguration of the newly elected candidates, which also served as a veterans’ memorial. We saw a speech from the UW-Eau Claire Vice Chancellor William Felz, as well as a video from the newly-retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and a speech from a state representative. Unfortunately, I couldn’t catch either of their names during the assembly.
We also had a section about the history of Badger Boys and Badger Girls State,during which I learned some concerning information. The camp was made during World War II during a wave of what they claimed as Communist indoctrination carried out in other summer camps. Badger Boys State was made as a combat to the perceived threat, with Americanism as a staple of its agenda. This teaching, as mentioned before, was prevalent throughout the entire week there. This means that Badger State could have relations to the “Red Scare” of the Cold War, a massive hysteria event over fear of communists in the United States which happened only a decade after Badger Boys’ foundation. As a reasonable concern for the history of the program, this should be considered if you intend to attend Badger State.
Day 6, Friday: Government in Session.
The day began simply, with time to work with your appointed group, and then take your final BBSU class of the week.
Notably, we were able to see part of an unsuccessful court trial, in which a sore loser of the governor race tried to sue the newly-elected governor, congratulate finishers of a 5k race during rec time and finally, hear the state of the State address. An announcement made by the governor about all the accomplishments we made throughout the week.
It began with awards being passed out. Scholarships were awarded to those with particular stories to tell at Badger Boys State, and then came the announcement of the two students who were lucky enough to attend the joint event with Badger Boys State: Boys Nation. From my knowledge, It’s similar to Boys State, just with more depth and from people across the entire country.
Afterwards, the address included the newly-elected state office, who gave us their thanks on being elected and gave updates on certain things. For example, the Chief Justice came on stage to tell us about the cases that happened, and their verdicts. Others noted the permanent changes to Badger Boys State.
The changes that future students should note are the allowance of Doordash to the campus, and a rework of the BBSU system to create more involved, week-long courses rather than one-off classes.
When the address was adjourned, we broke off in counties one last time to perform some comedy skits we hastily rehearsed that morning. They mostly consisted of us satirizing things that went wrong the days before.
Instead of the nightly meeting being full of tears, it was filled with laughter, appreciation for each other and way too many fart jokes.
We went to bed happy and grateful for each other.
Day 7, Saturday: Farewell.
We woke up an hour later than usual, immediately getting to work on packing our bags. Those leaving on the bus were instructed to leave suitcases in the lobby for later, while those leaving by car left their items in their rooms. We turned in our keycards, and headed off to breakfast.
My city finally got around to making our group chat, so we could stay connected after we leave.
We did one last round of campus cleanup, time which we spent to conduct a criminal trial against our city counselor: not guilty.
Finally, we arrived at the farewell assembly. As usual, It was opened with the Badger Boys Song, the national anthem, the pledge of allegiance, the advancement of the colors and an induction.
A bulk of the meeting was staff appreciation, as all the staff of Badger Boys State are volunteers who spent the week ensuring everything ran smoothly.
There were also mentions of students. Namely, an award was given to the county that scored the most points in the sports played during recreation time, mail was given out to those who received it and the elected governor was given a $1000 college scholarship for achieving his position.
We were then given one final send off, told the stories of the “ace of aces”—an Air Force pilot with an exceptional record in war—and other war heroes and, finally, we were sent home.
The bus ride home was much like the one to the program. It was gloomy out with a chance of rain. We were all given boxes of food to serve as our lunches. It was quiet.
And thus concludes the 82nd session of Badger Boys State.
In Retrospect
All in all, Badger Boys State was by far the best way I could have spent the first week of June. I met some amazing people and impressed myself with how sociable I could be. Learning how more of the government outside the legislative branch operates was also valuable, and made me appreciate the mess that our government can feel like sometimes.
My city mates also held a similar appreciation for the camp. One of them, Gabe Bestul, managed to find himself as Speaker of the State Assembly.
“I remember when I first arrived at Badger Boys State, I was three hours late because my car broke down. Regardless, my city, Barstow, welcomed me with open arms,” Bestul said, “I was able to successfully set a record for most amount of bills passed.”
Bestul still looks back on these moments fondly: “I made lasting connections, and was even able to work closely with my local American Legion chapter. The friends I made at Badger Boys State are still close [friends],” Bestul recounted. “The speeches I gave are still in the back of my head. […] I highly recommend any junior to attend this great program, as it will truly equip you to be a better citizen, and leader in your life.”
One of the head city council members, Matthew Exarhos, had a similar story of loving the experience, and of the other boys he was able to bond with.
“On the way to Badger Boys State, I was extremely nervous and anxious because I knew I was going to be living with people that I didn’t know for a whole week. Just like everyone else, I was walking in this program blindly, and I had no clue what to expect,” Exarhos said. “On the first day with my group/city, I was too nervous and was unable to speak in front of the group comfortably. However, on the second day, a switch had been flipped for me, and I began to talk about myself, from strong connections, and create amazing friendships.”
Exarhos also spoke to Badger Boys’ strength as a teaching experience. “I’ve taken up a huge step in my school and sports team to be a better, caring individual for others. I have also taken a big step in leadership roles and have focused on becoming a great and mature role model for younger students. I’m forever grateful for Badger Boys State, and I will continue to use what I learned for the rest of my life.” He said.
I reciprocate many of the feelings that Bestul and Exarhos had for the program. However, I still believe that Badger Boys wasn’t without issue. Some of these problems were amusing. For example, I was given the opportunity to witness the proceedings of the State Assembly. As Bestul said, the assembly was committed to trying their hardest to pass as many bills as physically possible, even when useless or completely nonsensical. The Senate struggled to keep up with the sheer number of bills being thrown at them, and the slow processes got so bad that the Assembly enacted a protest against the Senate.
Other comedic dysfunctions of the political system followed suit, especially in the earlier days when nobody knew what they were doing.
Some problems were not as pleasant. There were several inappropriate incidents, likely as a consequence for letting nearly 700 teenage boys run havoc in a college campus for a week. There was an attempt to implement third parties into Badger Boys, one of them being the so-called “Gooner Party,” which prided itself on the slang term for excessive and unhealthy levels of sexual pleasure. It was quickly shut down as rumors spread of the presence of suggestive images of underage girls in the party’s Snapchat group chats. In a similarly untasteful but thankfully less blatantly illegal fashion, the losing candidate of the general governor election ran on the promise of “bringing back badger baddies.” His plan was to bring the delegates of Badger Girls State to Eau Claire early, presumably for romantic and/or sexual purposes.
Most people agreed that the actions of the Gooner Party were unacceptable, but the support for the near governor-elect was unpleasant and felt disrespectful to the very idea of a mock government. I suppose it would be a good idea to not take everything at Badger Boys too seriously. We are still teens after all.
Political beliefs should also be taken into consideration when attending Badger Boys. The opposition to communist camps paints a darker picture for the intentions of the program and its messaging. Americanism is the core belief being taught, especially in the general assembly. This is even visible in the Badger Boys song, which was chanted at the beginning of each assembly:
The BBS Song
We’ve come here from miles around. Badger Boys Staters.
Nowhere can there be found, nowhere on Earth.
A group of good citizens who love our state
We’re proud of our heritage
BADGER BOYS ARE GREAT!
Where there isn’t anything wrong with a sense of patriotism, those who may be more critical of the United States should brace themselves for plenty of messaging they disagree with, or be willing to hear different opinions on the status of our nation.
Despite all of the program’s flaws, I am still forever grateful for the people I met and the experiences I had at Badger Boys, and would encourage anyone interested to apply during their junior year. The program is free to apply and attend, so there is really no harm done by giving yourself the opportunity of going.
Both in the introductory slideshow last year, and throughout the entire event, Badger Boys was consistently referred to as “a week to change a lifetime.” I hate speaking in absolutes and certainty, but I am confident that Badger state truly has the ability to change a life, as it has done for so many people before.
