A New Mayor at the Boys and Girls Republic
By Allison Rowe
Though mayor-elect of New York City Bill de Blasio won’t step into his new role until Inauguration Day on January 1st, the mayor of Henry Street’s Boys and Girls Republic, 12-year-old Brianna Rodriguez has been in office for two weeks.
The Boys and Girls Republic (BGR), a Henry Street community center on Avenue D and East, is an after-school site that operates on a unique self-government model. The students are “citizens” who elect not only a mayor, but city council members, city clerk, judge, prosecuting attorney and comptroller. The BGR government votes on legislation and prosecutes rule-breakers in mock trials, judged by a jury of their peers. Using this democratic process, they also determine how extracurricular funds are raised and spent.
BGR is one of five after-school programs offered by Henry Street.
