Key Points:
- Colorado students gain hands-on experience at the YMCA Youth in Government Conference, acting as legislators, judges, and journalists.
- They build leadership, public speaking, and teamwork skills.
- Students learn democracy and legislative processes through hands-on experience.
Middle and high school students from across Colorado gathered for the YMCA Youth in Government Conference, a three-day event designed to provide hands-on experience in parliamentary procedure and lawmaking. The program allows students to act as legislators, lobbyists, judges, and journalists, giving them the opportunity to debate, amend, and vote on bills that address issues they care about.
Learning Democracy Through Practice
Participants spend months preparing their bills in their home schools, then bring their ideas to the YMCA Youth in Government Conference to practice respectful debate, negotiation, and compromise. Lilliana Henderson, a senator at the event, introduced a bill to make driver’s education a mandatory half-credit course in Colorado high schools, explaining that personal experiences with car accidents motivated her proposal.
Collaboration, Debate, and Leadership Skills
During the YMCA Youth in Government Conference, students engaged in floor testimony, committee hearings, and amendment proposals. Evan Simmons, serving as a committee chair and member of the Youth Governor’s Cabinet, described the challenge of presenting a negation speech, balancing the need to argue a position while maintaining respect among peers. “You have to really be okay with a group of people liking you and a group of people opposing you and find the middle ground as best as possible,” he said.
Youth Governor Maelin Rennemeyer highlighted improvements to the YMCA Youth in Government Conference, such as creating a Secretary of State role to oversee election committees and campaign procedures. She emphasized the importance of providing students with opportunities to practice leadership, debate, and decision-making in a safe and structured environment.
The Youth in Government Conference encourages students to explore civic engagement, understand legislative processes, and develop skills that will prepare them for future leadership roles. By acting out real-world government procedures, students learn negotiation, public speaking, and teamwork, all while discussing issues relevant to their communities.
Over the three-day program, bills introduced at the conference are debated and voted on, offering participants insight into how ideas are transformed into policy. While these student bills do not change state law, they reflect genuine concerns and solutions from young people eager to engage in civic life.
Through experiences like these, students gain a practical understanding of democracy, develop confidence in presenting ideas, and strengthen their ability to collaborate effectively. The YMCA Youth in Government Conference remains a key platform for fostering civic knowledge, leadership, and respect for democratic processes among Colorado’s youth.