The "Government In Action Program" was started in 1989 with the intial intent of giving students an inside look at government and helping them to learn about the "human face" of public service. Over the past 11 years as this program has matured and developed, and many wonderful experiences and innovative teaching tools have unexpectedly emerged. We are happy to have the chance to share this year's adventure with you.

This year as in past years we have discovered another exciting new potential for this process. As a result we are now opening our experience to you through the Internet. This creats an interesting fusion between the authentic traditional teaching methods and modern technology. After all, what is more traditional than young people learning by listening to the experiences of the elders of the community, and what could be more modern that researching on the Internet, and streaming digital photos and sound back to our "Government In Action" web site?

The Mount Madonna students spend almost two years preparing to embark on this ten-day journey. The study of cultural Values and learning language and process of those who generously give their time to our program. The students have to learn to work as a group and to share the many tasks that must be done to successfully conduct up to a dozen quality interviews in a span of ten days. The student must learn to cooperate fully and to sacrifice personal comfort for the sake of achieving a group goal.

In many ways the very process of preparation is the most important part of the trip. The students have to be mentally prepared to deal with hurried meals, shared quarters, tight schedules, and being constantly ready to do their best under whatever circumstances arise. The net result is that a great deal of learning takes place in a very short time. In effect, on this journey the students go through a kind of 'rite of passage' that allows them responsibilities as citizens in the modern world. In the end they gain the confidence of knowing they have achieved something special through their own efforts.

At this point we will allow the students and the results speak for themselves. We hope you will enjoy sharing our journey. We invite your observations and questions at any point.