Boys State and Girls State are summer leadership and citizenship programs sponsored by The American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary for high school students between their junior and senior years. Boys and Girls State programs are held in each of the U.S. states (excluding Hawaii), usually on a college campus within that state. In general male and female programs are held separately, but at least four states � Georgia, Nebraska, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania � host Boys' and Girls' State on the same campus on the same week.

Program participants are first divided up into subgroups that are given city names. The citizens of each of these cities then elect mock municipal officials and representatives to the mock State Legislature. If enough citizens are present, then a county level is added to the program between city and state. The participants also elect state officials, such as Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and other state-level officials that their real state has. The legislature then meets to organize, elect leaders, and to pass bills, in a way that is similar to how their actual legislature operates. Some states hold mock trials, the participants volunteering as lawyers, accused, and juries, and others are able to form bands and choirs from the talent pools that they have assembled.

Boys/Girls State is staffed by members and community leaders who volunteer their time and effort to this enterprise. Its administrative costs are defrayed by their Department (state) organizations. Delegates to Boys/Girls State are selected with the help of their high school principals on the basis of potential leadership qualities and must be between their Junior and Senior years in high school to qualify. Through these programs, it is estimated that each summer the American Legion Auxiliary alone is adding 19,000 girls trained in the processes of government to a group that by the end of 2006 will total about 1,103,000.