A history of Youth in Government
By: Gabriella Beauprey
Youth In Government is a program that teaches about government and how it works and why it is important to be involved.
The program was created by the YMCA in 1963 in New York as a way to help the youth to learn leadership skills and understand how laws are made. The program was made for students to be hands-on instead of students learning about the government in a classroom. When, Youth in Government started it was just a small group of students that participated, but over time, it became more popular and spread to many states across the country. Each State has its own Youth and government program now, and students can join though their schools or though their local YMCA groups, and thousands of middle schoolers and high schoolers join each year.
In Youth in Government students get to take the role of real government leaders, and some students become representatives who write bills and debate them in the Legislative branch, others become judges and lawyers in Judicial, and some become members Media who report what is happening both within YIG and in the world as a whole. One of the most exciting things about Youth in Government is when they get to go to their state capital building for their annual conference, it makes it more real for them because it’s where the real law makers work. During this time students debate their bills, listen to speeches, and weigh in on court cases and work together just like real governments would.
Students get to learn skills like they learn how to speak out loud in front of a large group of their peers, share their ideas, opinions and listen to the voices of others. They also learn leadership, teamwork and critical thinking. These skills can help them in school, college and many areas of their life. Over the years youth and government have a big impact on many students. Some former students have gone to work in government or public services, and some just simply use these skills they learned to be active and informed citizens.