By: Julia Hartlep
Each year, the state of Wisconsin’s Youth in Government program gets together to meet and prepare. The conference, held in central Wisconsin, is called PreGov.
And as we all know, the PreGov conference is fast approaching. In fact, it’s as soon as January 26th. This is a mere few weeks away for us and, as a result, preparations are in order. By being prepared, delegates can ensure an efficient, enjoyable Sunday.
According to Jen Zwicky, a state-level Youth in Government coordinator, these preparations include having all of your assignments done on time- especially your bills, articles and briefs. Although it “sounds simple… it really helps us in the state office get things prepared for committee work without having to run around at the last second trying to track things down.” In addition to this, parli pro is always a good thing to have under your belt, especially if you’re a legislative delegate. “It won’t be super intense at PreGov, but it’s good to know what you’re getting into.” Somewhere it will be more intense is the Model Gov conference.
One of the purposes of this conference is to help delegates from around the state prepare for Model Gov, which takes place March. This includes ranking bills within the legislature. (In fact, this is one of the main reasons PreGov was added to the Youth in Government season). “However, it also serves as an opportunity for delegates across the state to meet each other before the big Model Gov conference in March… a time for new delegates to meet new people, and veteran delegates to catch up with those from last year who they may not have seen for a while.”
Something that will be a huge help for Model Gov that is also happening at the conference is the election of leadership positions for all branches- and this may be something that you’re interested in. Even if you’re just a first-year delegate, you’re eligible for the majority of these positions. So get informed! “Put yourself out there and take that chance!”