First Delegation Out of a School

By Luckson Ballard, Fond du Lac

Fond du Lac High School is the first high school to run a delegation through their school. This all started with the delegation director receiving an email from the public outreach coordinator for YIG after her principal recommended it to her. Coming into this she expected only a few delegates and a lot of work since most students are scared off by extra work and commitment. Especially true with students who feel overwhelmed with school work, have an after school job that they work at daily, or those in a sport. Unsure if she wanted to do it she did some investigating like she normally does to get her info. After a few zoom calls and talking with LJ, who is now the delegation president, she decided to run the club. Those few delegates and a lot of work she was worried about, wasn’t a problem. She was happily shocked she was wrong!

She states “our delegation is full of wonderful kids who are passionate and hardworking. The meetings and general logistics are completely in the hands of the students and they have done very impressive things so far this year. Students are in charge of meeting agendas, fundraisers, and reaching out to local companies for sponsorship. I am incredibly proud of what my students have accomplished this year and I can not wait to watch them shine in Madison.”

As their first time running a delegation through their school they have noticed a few things. YIG works well through a school because of the easier opportunities for recruitment. It is much easier to recruit from a school versus an entire community. Those are the thoughts the YIG team believes in.

What is challenging is that there are different processes the delegation director has to go through when compared to a delegation director through the YMCA. For example, schools have different expectations for forms and meetings. This just normally ends up with asking more questions and filling out more forms. Even with all that, YIG is not a huge part of the delegation director schedule. Her schedule for YIG is to meet once every other week and leadership meets on the alternating Wednesdays. Along with fundraisers, emails, and marketing techniques integrated into her schedule. Like she says though, the students are the ones doing the majority of the work.

Even though there are challenges that come with running a delegation through a school, many think it is easier in terms of recruitment. What makes YIG work so well through the school is the fact you can run fundraiser at the school’s community during the day. Another thing that makes YIG work well through a school is announcements for recruitment and having meetings after school so transportation is only needed one way. Fond du Lac High School Delegation seems to be a solid size for YIG because of the many students which gives bigger numbers to pull from for delegates. What this means for other schools is they could and should do YIG! One of the biggest requirements is a passionate group of students and the desire to do it. The Y does a fabulous job supporting anyone who needs it from there. So could this mean YIG through schools is the future of Youth in Government? Who knows. What we do know is these are the thoughts of the people in Fond du Lac High School YIG.