Within the Commonwealth of Virginia, for one week in June of each year, a new State is formed. Since 1946, the American Legion Auxiliary, in cooperation with many civic clubs and school groups, has sponsored the Virginia Girls State. The executive, legislative, and judicial branches function to govern the cities, and the municipal governments regulate the activities of the citizens during this brief period. The physical boundaries of this "state within a state" are the limits of the Longwood  University campus, but there are no limits to its usefulness in promoting real-life citizenship in Virginia.

The purpose of Virginia Girls State is to provide functional citizenship training for young women who are rising high school seniors. To afford them an opportunity to live together as self-governing citizens and to inform them about the duties, privileges, rights, and responsibilities of American citizenship, in order that they may understand and participate in the functioning of their government. Participants at Girls State are made aware of the civic responsibilities they must assume when they become adults.