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Monthly Archives: June 2018

2018-2019 Officer Profiles: Meet Your Secretary of State!

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.

2018-06-18T15:00:09-05:00June 18th, 2018|Uncategorized|0 Comments

2018-2019 Officer Profiles: Meet Your Attorney General!

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.  Next up: Attorney General JaDarius Jones!

What inspired you to pursue the Attorney General position?  What goals do you have for the Trial Court? 

I ran for the position to engage my leadership skills for the program and to make a brightening change to the Trial Court branch.

My goals for Trial Court are:

  1. To help new and transitioning delegates from other sections get adjusted to the Trial Court setting and to render help to people who search for trusts lawyer’s help .
  2. Clarify any confusion related to roles and assets included in the section
  3. Ensure that all members receive their scores from both District and State level

What would be your dream topic for this year’s case and why?

My dream topic for this year’s case might be murder. The tension between all characters of the case would bring you to the edge of your seat. There are many hidden conspiracies and motives that once revealed would cause utter shock among the audience. That is the type of feeling that I enjoy experiencing and that could never go stale.

Share a favorite YG memory.

My favorite YG memory was the experience of running for my current position. I got the opportunity to meet, interact, and make friends with a multitude of people. The amount of stress I dealt with when running caused a catastrophic amount of pimples to grow on my face, but in the end, it was all worth it regardless of me winning or not.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?

To bond with my fellow officers and to implement my platform as promised.

That sounds like true commitment!  Thank you, JaDarius.

2022-08-05T05:29:27-05:00June 12th, 2018|Uncategorized|0 Comments

2018-2019 Officer Profiles: Meet Your Chief Justice!

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.  Next up: Chief Justice Amena Tep!  Look out for more on Amena later this summer.  She and six other classmates will represent Creekview High School in the YG National Judicial Competition in Chicago in early August.

What would you like other delegates to know about Appeals Court?

One thing I want everyone to know about Appeals is that it’s very different from Mock Trial. When people think of the judicial section they automatically assume, HEY Mock Trial. But in reality it’s more complex than that. The Appeals Courts are the ones that review cases that have been heard in lower courts. It mainly has to do with constitutional violations. And we construct an argument using case law and statutes.

What is your favorite thing about acting as a justice?

My favorite thing about acting as a justice is how much control you have. I do about seven competitions a year at my school, and I’m attorney for all of them. Switching over to being a justice for YG really gives me exposure to not only power but also to understanding the case on a deeper level.   The judges already know the case much better, we have to in order to ask complex questions during the round. And it makes me happy.

Share a favorite YG memory.

My favorite memory is running for Chief Justice and getting to know all the candidates.

What are your plans for the summer?

To study, and prepare for college. Also to meet with the other officers to plan for next year!

2018-06-06T12:24:53-05:00June 6th, 2018|Uncategorized|0 Comments
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