Yearly Archives: 2019

Have a question about this year’s Judicial case? Don’t fear, the State Office is here to answer all of them!

Please submit all questions that you have about the case by October 21st. At that time, the State Office will review and post the answers under the Judicial section of our website. Some questions have already been submitted, you can review them here or in the Judicial section. Please email any additional questions to Breanna Tuck at [email protected]. We can’t wait to hear about how everyone handles the case next month at District!

Today is the last day of our Constitution Day Fundraiser and this is your last chance to go here to donate. We also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read about our fundraiser and to donate. To wrap things up, we have two more officer profiles we would like to share with you. See below to learn about Texas Youth Governor Tadiwa Mujokoto ’20 and Secretary of State Divyam Bansal ’20.

Happy Friday! Hopefully everyone enjoyed their week and are excited about the weekend ahead! We have extended our Constitution Day Fundraiser until October 4th, and you can learn about the fundraiser and donate here. See below for an introduction to our Photojournalism Editor Riley Wheaton ’20 and Lieutenant Governor Alexander Searles ’20.

As we said in the beginning of the week, we talked to our officers and asked them about what the U.S. Constitution means to them. We received some thoughtful and incredible responses and we will continue to share them with you throughout our Constitution Day Fundraiser. Read about our Chief Justice Sebastiane Caballes ’20 and our State Affairs Form Chair Nikash Harapanahalli ’20. And be sure to check out our donate page here to see how you contribute to our program!

Happy Constitution Day everyone! The U.S. Constitution turns 232 years today and what better way to celebrate than donating to our Constitution Day fundraiser? You can donate anytime at this link here.

On May 25, 1787, delegates from all thirteen states gathered to form the Constitutional Convention and to discuss creating a new form of government. James Madison, known as the Father of the Constitution, wrote a draft that he proposed at the beginning of the convention. The men of the convention would then spend the next four months debating over the document and making edits to it. And then, on September 15, 1787, a final version was agreed upon and Jacob Shallus wrote out the final product.

Then on this day in 1787, thirty nine delegates from the Constitutional Convention gathered at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA. Starting with George Washington, they gathered in a line and signed a new and revolutionary document that would determine the structure of the American government. The U.S. Constitution was then submitted to the states for ratification. It wasn’t until nearly a year later, on June 21, 1788, that New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, making the document official and valid.

Some people thought the U.S. Constitution may only last 100 or 150 years. However, 232 years later it is still the backbone of our democracy. We asked our students what they thought about the U.S. Constitution and have been posting some of their responses which you can see in our recent blog posts. Below, you can see a fun fact about the U.S. Constitution that was given to us by a student. Be sure to contribute to our fundraiser and enjoy your Constitution Day!

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“Jacob Shallus, the man that was paid to write the official copy of the U.S. Constitution, was paid $30.00 for his services. Today, that translates to $810.81.” – Charis Maxwell ’20, Fort Worth District

We asked our new officers for the 2019-2020 program year what they thought of the U.S. Constitution. Over the next couple of weeks, we will share those answers with you, as well as some other fun information about our officers! Below you can read about Attorney General London Jones ’21 and Broadcast Producer Amy Ekechukwu ’20. And don’t forget to go here to donate to our fundraiser!

As we said in our previous post, the U.S. Constitution is important to Texas Youth and Government for a wide variety of reasons. It lays out the framework for the program’s government and allows our media students to execerise their First Amendment rights.

We asked some of our student leaders to reflect on what the U.S. Constitution means to them. See below for their responses and don’t forget to donate here to our fundraiser!

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“God give, hand written, and people driven.”

I believe this saying encompasses the essence of the Constitution. At it’s core, the constituting document of our great nation is a series of God granted rights that every human should have. Secondly, it was conceived and written by great leaders who used their knowledge of history to solve future issues. Lastly, the Constitution is not a tool of government to control the people, but a tool ordained by the people to protect the people from the government. – Griffin ’21, Fort Worth District

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Our Founding Fathers put a lot on the line for our freedom. The fact that Americans have a historical document that holds true to modern day culture is priceless. The Bill of Rights is something I believe every citizen should hold dear. Other countries fight for the democracy and freedoms that Americans often take for granted. Our undeniable rights are those that our Funding Fathers fought for at a hefty cost.

To me, the Constitution has been an inspiration for my time with the YMCA Texas Youth and Government program. It is a document that helps Americans hold their own in a world where originality is sometimes limited. It allows us to live unchained from the bonds that held us in history, and stands as a reminder for our nation’s ideals. It gives us the rights to voice our opinions and the privilege to make a difference in our nation through our right to vote. – Mikayla Pastrano ’21, Austin District

The U.S. Constitution is the foundation of our Texas Youth and Government Program, as we strive to teach our students the inter working aspects of our legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Our Texas YG students not only study our governmental process outlined by the Constitution, they also serve as elected officials, judges, attorneys, lobbyists, and legislators. Additionally, our media students are able to exercise their First Amendment freedoms, granted in the Bill of Rights, with coverage of other delegates’ activities.

On behalf of the Texas YG state office, we ask you to join us in supporting our students in the spirit of Constitution Day through our fundraising campaign. This year the fundraiser takes place from September 11th to September 27th. Please visit our donate page here to select your level of contribution to our valuable Texas YG program. Our festive donation levels will leave you feeling as official as our Constitutional Delegates.

The 2019 Conference on National Affairs Texas delegation wishes all of you a belated happy Independence Day!  An outstanding group of 24 students from the Houston, Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth Districts represented Texas (and its signature fast food restaurant!) with skill and grace at this annual YMCA national youth event.  Clad in Whataburger-themed t-shirts, Texas delegates came to CONA to present their proposals describing social problems and outlining related solutions.  This year, students addressed everything from trade unions to mental healthcare in juvenile detention to firearm policy to cybersecurity.  They initially shared their proposals with and received feedback from other delegates from other states during Proposal Sharing Groups Saturday night.

On Sunday, delegates participated in the CONA Opening Ceremony and began First Committee Hearings.  During each round of Committee Hearings, delegates debate and consider the pros and cons of their own and other delegates’ proposals, offering amendments to proposals in line with parliamentary procedure.  After delegates score each other’s proposals, a specified number of the highest scoring proposals from each Committee Hearing advance to the next round.  All delegates gather on the final day of CONA, the Fourth of July this year, to discuss the 12 highest-ranked proposals in a Plenary Session.  20 other very highly ranked proposals move on to the similarly prestigious General Assemblies.  This year, Aayush Dave’s proposal “to increase employment opportunities for ex-convict re-integration into society” was among them!

Texas YG is also celebrating all our delegates whose proposals advanced throughout the week of CONA.  Nine students had proposals move to Second Committee Hearings after First Committee Hearings concluded Monday!  Congratulations to Aayush, Chase Patterson, Nikash Harapanahalli, Alysha Orbach, Alyssa Mills, Kate Schulle, Amaris-Lynn Joubert, Peyton Childs, and Vivienne Garner.  Vivienne, Aayush, and Nikash all presented during Third Committee Hearings Tuesday as well.  The delegation ended that night at the annual CONA dance!

Our delegates had some free time Wednesday afternoon after watching Aayush present at General Assembly.  They could swim, hike in the mountains surrounding Blue Ridge, or tour the historic Biltmore Estate built for George Washington Vanderbilt II.  After Plenary Session Thursday morning, the Texas delegation ended CONA on an incredible high as Sharif Long, 2019 CONA Presiding Officer and 2017-2018 Texas Youth Governor, was on hand at the Awards Ceremony to witness Aayush Dave receive the same honor for CONA 2020.  Whata conference!  We’re so proud of all our students.

Outgoing Presiding Officer Sharif Long and incoming Presiding Officer Aayush Dave celebrate with Legislative Section Leader Sue Six, State Director Angie Castilleja, and former State Director Suzanne Mabie.

CONA Opening Ceremony!  Notice the Whataburger shirts.

Delegation group photo!

Texas YG seniors receive their CONA rocking chairs from the Blue Ridge craft shop.

Thank you, delegates, for a fantastic national conference!