When most teens join an organization, they are handed rules and told to follow them. In BBG, we are trusted to write them. That distinction matters more today than it ever has before.

We are living in a moment where democracy feels fragile: where institutions that once promised fairness and representation feel distant, broken, or inaccessible. As an American teen, it’s unsettling to watch a country that is supposed to champion democratic ideals repeatedly fail to live up to them. The disconnect between what we are taught democracy should be and what we see in practice is real, and it leaves many young people feeling disillusioned, unheard, and powerless. That’s exactly why BBG’s commitment to democracy isn’t just meaningful, it’s essential.

BBG was built on the belief that democracy is not inherited, it is learned. And more importantly, it is practiced. From the moment a BBG joins this movement, she is not treated as a passive participant, but as a stakeholder. Someone whose voice matters, whose vote carries weight, and is capable of leading. That matters especially because politics and governance have historically been male dominated spaces. For centuries, democracy has been shaped, defined, and controlled largely by men—often excluding women entirely from the conversation. Even today, young girls are rarely encouraged to see themselves as political figures, decision makers, or leaders within democratic systems. BBG challenges that reality head on.

I have always been drawn to the governance side of BBYO. There is something incredibly powerful about sitting in a room full of teens debating ideas that actually matter. There’s just something about raising your hand during a business meeting knowing your words can shape policy, programming, and the future of the movement itself. It’s exciting, thrilling even. Watching peers wrestle with compromise, responsibility, and vision not because an adult told them to, but because they care so deeply about this organization.

Those moments are a huge part of why I aspire to study political science and one day work in politics. BBG was one of the first places where governance felt accessible to me. It taught me how rules are built, how power is structured, and how change actually happens. More importantly, it taught me that my voice belongs in these spaces. In a field that has so often told girls they are observers rather than changemakers, BBG taught me to make change.

In BBG, democracy is not symbolic, it’s operational. We elect our leaders. We write constitutions. We debate legislation, amend it, challenge it, and vote on it. We run business meetings that are sometimes messy, often emotional, but always meaningful. BBGs are not placed into leadership for show; we earn it, and we are held accountable for it. Experiences like these teach you how to listen when you disagree, how to advocate without overpowering, how to accept loss with grace and win with humility. They teach you that leadership is not about control, but about trust. And in a world where teens are so often told they are “too young” or “not ready” to understand politics or governance, BBG sends a radically different message: we trust you, and that trust is what makes our movement strong.

At a time when democracy in the United States feels strained, BBG offers something rare—a place where democratic values are not just discussed, but lived. Where girls learn how democratic systems work from the inside. Where leadership is peer driven. Where governance is not abstract, but personal. Training teens in democracy isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. Because we are the next voters, the next organizers, the next lawmakers, the next advocates. And if we don’t learn how to govern with integrity, empathy, and courage now, we risk inheriting a future we don’t know how to fix.

BBG gives us that training. It reminds us that democracy doesn’t start at 18, and it doesn’t live only in government buildings. It starts in chapter programs, business meetings, uncomfortable conversations, and in the bravery it takes to speak up, for we are the future.