Joseph Bridgman, a 17-year-old who lives between Maysville and Union Star, realized he was interested in our government when he was 12 or 13. However, he has only recently become actively involved in politics.

“This spring was the first time I actually took action,” Joseph says. “I went to a TeenPact class at our capitol.”

The TeenPact program is a non-profit organization whose aim is to turn students into statesmen. Joseph found out about the conference through friends with the Generation Joshua club. The TeenPact conference took place in Jefferson City and was organized by teens and young adults.

“I went to a couple of other camps this summer, but what set it apart most was the professional atmosphere which surprised me because the guy that led the class was 18 years old,” Joseph recalls. “And all the counselors, one of them was 22, the rest were younger than 18. It was amazing how well they set everything up for that age.”

The teens participating in the program were ages 12 to 18. The participants had to write bills to work through mock legislation. They also spent the week learning about the legislative processes of state and national governments, interviewing lobbyists, listening to speeches and having Q&A sessions with representatives, senators, supreme court judges and Gov. Matt Blunt.

One of the stipulations at these sessions was that each student had to raise his or her hand to ask a question. If that student didn’t have a question in mind, he or she would have to ask a default question like “what is your definition of justice?”

“They asked a senator that question one time and he was like ‘Boy, I don’t know.’ Even the governor had to think for like 30 seconds before he gave an answer,” Joseph laughs.

After having such a great time at the conference, Joseph decided to bring a little slice of teen government back to the St. Joseph area. He created the Contenders for Justice Civics Club which meets once a month at New Life Bible Church in St. Joseph. The club has met twice and prepares teens for the TeenPact conference if they are interested. The conservative club has approximately 15 members and is run by parliamentary procedure. Committees were appointed and members have also debated over issues for a statement of beliefs.

“It’s mostly just a means of getting people involved in civic activities around St. Joe,” Joseph explains.

Joseph wants to get teens involved in politics because he believes what happens in our government today will directly affect high school students when they are adults. Seeing Joseph inspire other teens has made his parents very proud.

“He’s selfless and self-motivated,” says his father, Jeff Bridgman. “The good thing is seeing his positive influence on other people spread.”

For more information on the Contenders for Justice Civics Club, send Joseph an e-mail at im4jcru91@yahoo.com.

Lifestyles reporter Shea Conner can be reached at

sheaconner@npgco.com.