Photo by Weston Labar
The Greater Long Beach YMCA will be sending 26 high school students through the California Youth in Government program this year thanks to a generous donation of $20,000 from Tesoro Refinery and Marketing.
The six-month program gives students the opportunity to play a simulated role in California’s legislative system, learning civics and government beyond just its history by becoming entrenched in the legislative process. Programs like these, through organizations like the YMCA, are a great way to show students how to influence policy at a very young age and are paramount for creating informed citizens.
The students take part in the process in many forms. Some act as legislators, some as policy analysts and some in the role of the media. But all play important parts of the democratic process. Each local YMCA has its own delegation, which meets weekly to create bills to be sent to the model legislature. The group also attends three annual model legislature and court conferences that gather Youth in Government participants from YMCAs across the state.
At Long Beach’s Youth in Government dinner held at Recreation Park last Thursday, such dignitaries as former California Governor George Deukmejian, Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, City Prosecutor Doug Haubert and City Councilman Al Austin’s Chief of Staff, Johnathan Kraus, listened to the bright young minds present as they answered questions on, and debated two very different bills. The students were well versed, well spoken and very knowledgeable, serving as young policy wonks on Affirmative Action and Wildlife Preservation issues.
The Youth in Government program gives the bright future leaders of tomorrow a way to dedicate themselves to understanding these practices with the help of organizations like YMCA and Tesoro, which are helping prepare young minds by providing students with opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.
For more information about the Greater Long Beach YMCA’s Youth in Government program, click here.