Programs Department

What is the AMVETS Amer­i­can­ism Pro­gram?
It is a patri­otic pro­gram the orga­ni­za­tion offers schools and youth orga­ni­za­tions as a resource for teach­ing chil­dren in kinder­garten through 12th grade about their Amer­i­can her­itage, civics and citizenship. The pro­gram includes flag draw­ing, poster and essay con­tests that are grade spe­cific and age appro­pri­ate. AMVETS and AMVETS Ladies Aux­il­iary spon­sor a series of con­tests at the local and state level wherein chil­dren design flags or posters and write essays. The win­ners at the local level progress to the state con­tests and the state win­ners are then entered into the National competition.

Who is eli­gi­ble?
All school age chil­dren, K-12. They may attend pub­lic, pri­vate, parochial schools or may be home schooled. Par­tic­i­pants may also come through any youth group such as Scout­ing or from Church Sun­day schools.
Stu­dents in kindergarten–1st grade can enter the Flag Draw­ing con­test
Stu­dents in 2nd–5th grades can enter the Poster con­test
Stu­dents in 6th–12th grades can enter the Essay Writ­ing contest

How does a child or young adult par­tic­i­pate?
Teach­ers or youth group lead­ers hope­fully will take the ini­tia­tive to involve their stu­dents. The pro­gram addresses learn­ing stan­dards in civics and presents excel­lent top­ics for writ­ing and art assign­ments, which teach­ers can incor­po­rate into their classes.Teachers may also con­tact a local AMVETS post or depart­ment to invite vet­er­ans to visit their classes. Stu­dents whose teach­ers or schools are not par­tic­i­pat­ing in the pro­gram can still enter the con­test spe­cific to their grade as a take-home or after-school project. Par­ents may con­tact a local AMVETS post or depart­ment, on behalf of their chil­dren, to sub­mit entries or con­tact the AMVETS National Pro­grams Depart­ment at 301–683-4031.

How do I enter?
Entry forms (PDF files) with con­test rules, includ­ing the “themes” can be down­loaded by click­ing on the appro­pri­ate link below.
Flag Col­or­ing (For stu­dents in kinder­garten and 1st grade)
Poster (for stu­dents in 2nd through 5th grades)
Essay (for stu­dents in 6th through 12th grades)
Con­test Packet (All three)

Click here to see a list of the 2011 win­ners.
Read REDORBIT.com‘s story on AMVETS Amer­i­can­ism winners

Addi­tional Resources:

National Flag Foun­da­tion
“America’s Flag Authority”

http://www.americanflags.org/index.flash.html

Tes­ti­mo­ni­als from our Clients…
29 Decem­ber 2010

Dear AMVETS,
I am grate­ful that I had the oppor­tu­nity to par­tic­i­pate in the 2010 Spirit of Amer­ica Youth Lead­er­ship Con­fer­ence at Val­ley Forge. The week­end was filled with many learn­ing expe­ri­ences that should be part of every American’s edu­ca­tion. Upon my return to North Car­olina, I was able to share the infor­ma­tion I had learned with teach­ers, peers and oth­ers through the avenues of speech and writing.

Thank you to all of those who took the time to invest in the lives of America’s youth and for real­iz­ing that America’s future depends on the ideals and knowl­edge instilled in today’s ado­les­cents. Per­haps now more than ever, Amer­ica needs strong lead­ers who are dri­ven by tra­di­tional Amer­i­can val­ues. It is my prayer that America’s youth be pre­pared to serve and to guide the Amer­i­can peo­ple respon­si­bly.
Please con­tinue to be a dynamic orga­ni­za­tion that voices the rights of vet­er­ans and the fun­da­men­tals of America.

With much grat­i­tude,
Amelia Rod­den­berry
(2010 Par­tic­i­pant in the AMVETS Spirit of Amer­ica Youth Lead­er­ship Conference)