By Luckson Ballard, Fond du Lac
A few alumni of YIG (Youth In Government) were interviewed. They are Kayley Bell and Maggie Buss. They are now known as Resource Advisors. These Resource Advisors in Madison, the capital of Wisconsin, were interviewed about their YIG experiences, along with how they came to be where they are now and are going to be in the future. Advertisements are essential for getting information out to a wide group of people. Then people share the information of the advertisements, and it spreads. This is how things like clubs get noticed. Once the people notice it, they may join the club because of a few reasons. The reason these advisors joined YIG in their high school years is because they wanted to get involved and are hungry for knowledge. YIG fits their needs perfectly, and that is why they are still with us today. Many people have a general idea on what the government looks like and how it works, but not many actually know everything that goes into it. These knowledge-hungry Resource Advisors wanted to learn more about the government since it has a big impact on how we live. They found out so much. For example, they learned about all the different branches, some of which they soon became a part of.
The Media is the branch that produces information and interviews. They are responsible for photos, videos, interviews, posts, and so much more. When the Media Resource Advisor, Kayley Bell, was asked why she joined the media instead of the other branches she replied, “it’s not as well known.” She also said that media allows for a lot of creative freedom. Then if you have all those creative people in a room they will produce some great ideas which makes YIG even better. With all the creativity and freedom the media is able to spread awareness to the lesser known topics and share the knowledge.
According to the Fond Du Lac YMCA YIG website, in the Supreme Court branch, “Judicial delegates play the dual role of lawyer and justice. Court members prepare for hearings and make arguments before Youth Justices.” Now that sounds like fun debates, and it is, but there is more to it. Resource Advisor, Maggie Buss, described it as logical, citing the law, a fun puzzle, and a challenge that she loved. This gave her great skills that she claims to use to this day, for instance, confidence. All those laws and debates can seem “scary,” but if you go in with a mind ready to learn and improve she won’t be as “scary” as you may think. That is what she did and that is where she got her confidence from.
When first joining a new group or club, people can be unsure of themselves and if they belong. Even the Resource Advisors were unsure of themselves, but once they found the branch that interested them they stayed with it the entire time. Currently, they are still in the branches they started in. Why? They responded that YIG was a good experience that shaped them to be the people they are today. YIG is only getting better as the Resource Advisors make changes and even team up with the Leadership Corps.YIG has always been getting better and improving. As an illustration, the Resource Advisors Program had a bit of a tough time when Covid-19 struck. Since YIG can only get better they managed to get over that hurdle known as Covid-19. The current Resource Advisors were a big help to get YIG to start up again. The Resource Advisors reached out for some assistance and made some changes. With that YIG was back on track. That is what the Resource Advisors are about.