By: Bella Bauman
Leadership Corps. is the branch of Youth In Government that is meant for those who are in seventh grade and are thinking about joining Youth In Government. It is a wonderful opportunity to observe the other branches at Model Government, Media, Assembly, Supreme Court, and Senate. By observing the other branches they get a feel for how they function. By watching the other branches perform their duties, they can decide what looks the most interesting to them and new delegates do not have to blindly choose to join a branch they have only ever heard people talk about.
The leaders of Leadership Corps. are volunteers Molly Diaz and Alexa Stirn. They are the ones in charge of directing Leadership Corps. at Model Government and oversee the projects and activities that these delegates participate in. Volunteers Diaz and Stirn spent the weekend informing Leadership Corps. about the different processes in each branch such as “Parly Pro”, the procedure for talking in the branches, or how the different branches work. Without these volunteers, Youth In Government would have to sacrifice delegates to perform these duties and they would not get the incredible experience of Madison.
Fox Cities delegate Evan Hall stated what projects Leadership Corps. worked on leading up to the weekend at Model Government. Each delegate wrote a bill on a topic of their choice and debated amongst themselves which served as an introduction to the Legislative branch and gave them an idea of what those delegates do on a larger scale. These delegates also listened in on Media meetings and wrote an article on their own. The articles ranged from asking their fellow delegation members what their favorite colors are to why they decided to join Youth In Government. By writing these articles, Leadership Corps. were able to get a taste of the happenings of Media and decide if this branch is a possible future for their Youth In Government careers.
When the time came for the Leadership Corps. to venture to Madison, they all had a good idea of what happens in the different branches and a first-hand experience of these branches. Delegate Zara Rumao revealed that Leadership Corps. spent the first day going over Model Government procedures, starting debating their bills in their meeting room, and at the end of the work day, they explored Friday Fun Night, a night for talking with fellow delegates and playing games. Saturday was a day for finishing their bill debates, sitting in on the Supreme Court, and having a practice Court cases. Many planned on attending the State Dinner and hanging out with friends at Saturday Fun Night, which was filled with karaoke and games. On Sunday, Leadership Corps. visited the Media meeting room and created a type of media, such as writing an article, filming a video, taking pictures, or recording a podcast.
Leadership Cors. is truly an informative and interactive way for younger delegates to experience the amazing life experience of Youth In Government. Many of these delegates express that they love being able to be in Youth In Government at such a young age, seventh grade, and that it is a great way for them to experience the jobs of each branch. This branch is highly recommended by many for those who wish to have an introduction to Youth In Government.