Last weekend served as the culmination of the YMCA’s 48th anniversary of the Youth in Government program, when more than 400 teenagers from Wisconsin gathered together in the Capitol to experience a simulation of real-life state government.
Students from grades seven to 12 gathered in Madison to present bills they had written over the course of the past year concerning topics relevant to state government. Some proposed bills include instituting a living wage throughout the state of Wisconsin, ending the state’s reliance on fossil fuels and legalizing marijuana.
“Some students are interested in government, and some are just here for the experience or company of friends,” YIG Director of Communications Sara Luke said.
The YMCA starts preparing students for YIG in late September when the process of writing bills and briefs is initiated. This experience teaches students about parliamentary procedure and also gives them confidence in public speaking, YMCA adviser for YIG Matt Wiednieyer said.
The author of the bill is required to give a presentation, which is followed by a series of pros and cons. The bill is then passed with a two-thirds vote, mirroring the actual governmental procedure, Wiednieyer said.
Despite YIG’s focus on the youth, there is a definite realism to the proceedings.
Loren Balhorn, youth governor from the Stevens Point branch, became involved in the program his freshman year of high school.
As governor, Balhorn participated in two different conferences, one in Washington, D.C., and one in North Carolina. Balhorn spent much of his time this weekend running errands and coaching the Senate in an attempt to win votes for bills he supported.
Every state has a YIG program, and many other states allow for political party alignments within the YIG.
“I wanted to establish political parties within the program, but I was told there would be too many legal wranglings,” Balhorn said.
These teenagers are also involved in the promotion of the YMCA’s YIG program in the form of a press core. Volunteers recite facts and statistics that are researched by students on camera, according to video editor-in-chief Heather Herrmann.
In addition to the video, four newspapers are released throughout the course of the weekend. Print editor-in-chief Andy Balliet, from the Fox Cities YMCA delegation, supplied the reporters with story ideas, such as following different bills through committees.
“This is a forum for youths to express what we feel and show opinions that aren’t always heard or respected,” Balliet said.
The weekend’s events concluded with a public gubernatorial debate that was held Saturday evening and an awards ceremony Sunday. Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton presided over the last meeting and students will elect a new governor for the coming year.
The YIG program does not just stop its influence after high school graduation, either. Research has shown youth interest in state government is considerably greater than in the general population because of participation in the YIG program. While only 54 percent of the general population voted in the 2000 presidential election, 86 percent of YIG alums voted.
