YMCA Youth and Government

YMCA Youth and Government (YAG), also known as Youth In Government, or Model Legislature and Court, is a program of the YMCA of the USA that allows middle and high school students to serve in model governments at the local, state, national, and international levels.

Each state may participate in the national programs, which include: the YMCA Youth Conference on National Affairs (CONA), YMCA National Judicial Competition, YMCA Youth Governors Conference (YGC), YMCA Youth Advocate Program, and YMCA Changemakers Summit.

History

The YMCA Youth and Government program was established in 1936 in New York by Clement A. Duran, then the Boys Work Secretary for the Albany YMCA. The program motto, “Democracy must be learned by each generation,” was taken from a quote by Earle T. Hawkins, the founder of the Maryland Youth and Government program.

Overview

The organization's mission is to "help create the next generation of thoughtful, committed and active citizens" by teaching them the "principles of a democratic society." They also intend to create leaders through their roles in the models of local, state and national government. The premise is that "leaders are developed by doing."

The model government programs include the judicial, legislative and executive branches of government, including press corps in certain states, which are guided by teachers, volunteers or Youth Government staff. legislators, business people and other organizations, such as the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation.

The programs are generally for high school students, but some states also have collegiate models. Middle school students may be pages. Certain states have a program specifically tailored for middle schoolers who want to learn how the United States government functions, and wish to continue onto the high school program. This section is similar to Youth & Government, but on a smaller scale, and is called Junior Youth & Government.

;Judicial

Students specific to their role—such as attorney, witness, or judge—and try a case or present a case to an appellate court.

Other programs

;Model United Nations programs

Many states have a Model United Nations program. For instance, the Northeast Region (NJ, DE, MD, and PA) have a joint Model UN Program that serves more than 2,000 students annually, one of the largest Model UN Programs in the country. Their program has four central values: (1) helping students find their voices, (2) promoting global understanding, (3) creating a sense of community and exchange of ideas, and (4) serving others through projects that reinforce topics (e.g., in 2016, students work with Develop Africa, a non-profit, to provide more than 17,000 pencils to students in Africa).

Additionally, the state of California's MUN program brings together over 1,000 middle school students from the state to represent countries from around the world and debate issues of international importance. Their program consists of: the United Nations General Assembly, the International Court of Justice, ECOSOC or the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the United Nations Security Council, the Office of the Secretary-General, the International Press Corps/Department of Global Communications, and United Nations Secretariat. Each Organ elects its leadership for the year, and the conference as whole elects its Secretary General for the following year.

;National conferences

Each state may participate in the national programs. Delegates are selected to attend the Conference on National Affairs or the National Judicial Competition. The elected governors from each state attend the Youth Governor's Conference.

The National YMCA holds the Youth Conference on National Affairs (CONA) at the Blue Ridge Assembly in North Carolina, the YMCA Changemakers Summit, YMCA Youth Advocate Program, and the Youth Governors Conference