At State Conferences last January and February, YMCA Texas Youth and Government students elected a new slate of officers to serve them during the 2018-2019 program year. We’ll be featuring an interview with each officer on our blog in upcoming weeks. This week: Secretary of State Jonathan Forseth!
What are some of your primary goals (personal and related to the program as a whole) for your time as Secretary of State?
As elected Youth Secretary of State, I have a few important goals I would like to accomplish this year. First, organization. As a whole, Texas YG can get pretty hectic around conference time, especially considering the large number of members/delegates throughout the state. As SoS, I believe it is part of my duty to ensure that I contribute to the organization of our District and State Conferences. In order to simplify the organization/order of these events, I will be pushing for the release of conference schedules in advance of the actual conference. By doing this, we will be able to cut down on some of the confusion surrounding these conferences. Second, I will be working with the other officers to ensure that we are properly educating new delegates prior to the school year. I will work locally in my District of Fort Worth to get more students involved in this revolutionary program. Finally, I want to help foster more collaboration between the Districts in order to help prepare for the State Conference. I hope to do this by sending ambassadors into different Districts throughout the state to help recruit and train new delegates.
You’ll be returning to CONA this summer. What would you say about the CONA experience to new YG delegates?
When you hear people say that CONA is life-changing, you may think that sounds a bit cliche, but trust me when I tell you that CONA is an opportunity unlike any other. The people you meet there truly become lifelong friends. If you don’t know much about CONA, or maybe you feel that you aren’t cut out for it, please consider applying next year. Step out of your comfort zone, and step into the fresh air of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
You’ve also got six years as a Leg delegate under your belt. What bill/advocacy topics are you most passionate about?
Having been in Youth and Government since sixth grade, I have seen thousands of bills. Out of all of those bills, the ones that stick out to me the most are ones that make me question our way of life. There is a saying that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” However, just because something isn’t broken, doesn’t mean it can’t be improved upon. I love bills that promote revolutionary change/ideas in the State of Texas. I also appreciate bills that improve outdated systems and create better regulations and rules in our society.
What are some of your summer plans?
If you follow me on any of my social media accounts, you can tell right off the bat that I love adventures. I love to travel as much as I can as well as venture out with my friends. My main goal for this summer is not to spend an entire day at home. I plan on going out every single day with my friends, traveling with my family, and attending as many camps/opportunities as I can. I also plan on collaborating with my fellow YG officers in order to improve this amazing program.