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By Gabrielle Jensen – Hays High school Delegation

“Democracy must be learned by each generation.” – Dr. Earle T. Hawkins

(Adopted to be the Youth and Government motto by, Clement “Pete” Duran)

Youth and Government foundation

The Program, now known as YAG, YMCA Youth and Government was originally established in 1936 in New York. However the Texas Youth and Government program did not follow far behind, being implemented in 1946.  Since then this program, run by the YMCAs across america has spread to 37 states. The goal of this program was originally simply to educate but to many it has become a home, a place of expression where you feel truly heard. Despite tight elections for many categories and a wide variety of differentiating ideas, the Core values established by the YMCA, “Inspire, Serve, Lead”, remain constant through most. The people within this program have been taught to respect democracy as well as others, which creates the kind, understanding atmosphere many saw today in our 2019 annual district conference.

Road to discovery

Kate Schuller, 11, cedar park delegation is currently in the running to become the 2019/2020 Texas Youth and Government Governor. When asked if she could come up with one sentence that encompasses her entire campaign she responded with “Efficiency with Schulle.” afterwards, she elaborated by adding  that her wish is bigger than herself or her fellow generation of Youth and Government delegates. “It’s creating a program [YAG] that is both efficient and effective.” she continued to describe how after listening to the community, what she noticed most was the grievances that Texas Youth and Government as a program, isn’t efficient with their time or training in various roles. Overall she said being Governor is “so much more than a title, it’s mostly creating a better program from the voices of every delegate.”

“Exclusion is the opposite of what we stand for” -Victor Falcon

Another candidate for the 2019/2020 Governor election is Victor Falcon, 11, Hays High school Delegation. When asked why he decided to run for Youth Governor, Victor simply stated, “For me, the driving force was the people who came to our club and wanted to join but became discouraged by either personal factors or timing issues.” he used this statement to elaborate on the fact that his most pressing concern for the program is to create more than just two events for delegates to compete, “allowing more time for people to hear about the program and try it out.” said Victor. After joining Youth and Government in the 2017-2018 year he said that the biggest changes he noticed within himself was that the program  “opened [him] up to new views and helped [him] become a better public speaker because I was allowed to learn from my mistakes by experience, i want that for others.” He described the YAG program as his light through the dark and mostly expressed his needs as a means of allowing more people to gain the self-growth that he’s attained through the past few years.

With new people, comes new paths

The Third and final candidate for this years governor election is Angel Prado, 11, Fox Tech Delegation. Expressed that if there is one thing he wants to express within Youth and Government its that “Our government is not dead.” He continued on to discuss how he can see the mistrust of the Government to the people and explains that the polls and the lack of movements both for and against politics in texas is a concern of his. Angel concluded his desires with one simple phrase, “I’m trying to encourage change in the world and for me, that starts with YAG.”

The past lives on

There are other positions up for election this year besides YAG governor. For instance, this is Mikayla Pastrano, and she is running for Speaker of the house. When asked why she decided to run for speaker of the house she explained to me that she goes by the motto, “if you’re too big to serve, you’re too small to lead.” after which, she related the role of Speaker of the house to “serving the house as a vessel by maintaining the order.” Her opinion on the role was that it’s commonly misinterpreted to be “a leader position” but stated that she feels it’s mostly her just “serving the Youth and Government community.” Within her experience of serving under the Governor’s cabinet last year she realized “People can come in with completely opposite bills and still ultimately be unified by their respect for our system, which is definitely something I would love to help grow.”

Change, in the present

Amond Daherkar, 11, Vista Ridge Delegation, is Mikayla’s opposition for this years speaker of the house. When explaining his motives for running, Amond took a slightly different approach and explained how last year he found flaws and inefficiencies which is what sparked his inspiration. He stressed that he wants to change things now, he wants to fix the flaws in the present before they become long lasting.  Amond said that if there’s one thing he wished people fully understood about him is that, “I’m not here to waste your time.” He went on to explain how he felt that a lot of candidates he’s seen appear to lead with “false promises, that don’t ever change.” I’m here to create a “stronger community built upon real promises.” and that’s what he feels means the most when considering leadership roles.

Found Inspirations

Maia Vollbrecht, 11, With the Hays High School Delegation, is the only delegate running for Chief Justice this year within District 2 of YAG. However that doesn’t mean she has less to say. She explained to me that Youth and Government showed her “the impact that can be made from speaking out” and elaborated on that idea with the thought that, “This program teaches me things school refuses to. It opened up a whole new world once I finally started to understand the structure and function of the government around me.” The reasoning she gave me when asked about why she chose to run for chief justice was accompanied by a sentimental statement. Maia explained how she was “inspired by the other elected officials [she] met last year at state.” And that she “Really wanted to be like them, They cared so much about meeting everyone and helping them improve, it didn’t feel like they were just doing their job.” she also continued on to explain that she hopes to be that kind of a role model for younger delegates with this position.

The reason

As shown, each candidate that applies for a position within YAG, seems to have drive behind them that causes them to want to create change and continue improving the Youth and Government legacy. Behind each of these individuals is someone who understands that they can make a difference but also that they are not the only ones who can. When each governor candidate was confronted with the question of “Do you respect your fellow candidates?” all of them immediately said yes. Said in different ways, they each agreed that their opponents all had something to bring to the table and that overall they’re just happy to be apart of this “Family” as each of them called it. They understand that democracy is the voice of the people and within the peoples voices is their wants.

Tied together with a bow

Within this year’s District conference ive learned more about the connected-ness of this community than I ever thought was possible. Every candidate I interviewed expressed how they “just want to give their people a voice.” (Kate Schulle, 11, Cedar Park Delegation). The Foundation of this group was built with such strong principles that even after over 70 years. The core values of the YMCA, are still the most important values to this generation of leaders. They each want to make the world a little better place, maybe in different ways, however their hearts are in it just the same across the board.

Media and their coverage

Media, has a lot of behind the scenes that doesn’t tend to be addressed however, i believe that with the core Values of the YMCA being to “Inspire. Serve. And lead.” media attempts to cover all aspects of that. They keep you informed in whichever platform of your choosing and also write to encourage others, within that, maybe without even knowing, they end up helping lead a whole community by letting the people be heard and expressing that upon several platforms that can reach just about anywhere now days. This point was proven to me by a statement i heard from a freshman

By Ava White

Delegates Sophie Robertson and Rachel Sobolevitch observe the first proposal of the day discussing the need for further police training in order to lower the number of police brutality cases in the United States yearly. This is their first state experience in SAF, along with delegate Bella Tiscareño. The team also participated in the Youth and Government district SAF conference. Delegate Bella Tiscareño says, “it has been an amazing experience working with my fellow delegates on our proposal over the past few months getting it ready to be presented.”

Delegate Sophie Robertson speaks pro in the same proposal about police brutality stating that, “further action should be taken in order to diminish the amount of police brutality that takes place across the country.” Robertson agreed with the delegates that the quality of police training should be increased in order to educate policemen about police brutality while also using other training methods all in hopes to prevent the topic in question. She later spoke pro on another proposal regarding police brutality and different measures that could be taken to prevent it.

Delegate Bella Tiscareño discusses last minute changes to their proposal in between proposals with Delegate Sophie Robertson, catching last minute spelling errors and confusing, unnecessary words that may hurt their presentation or invalidate their proposal.

Delegate Bella Tiscareño speaks con against the second proposal discussing the legalization of mitochondrial replacement in embryos stating that, “it is unethical and we have no way of knowing how the affected children will turn out”. Tiscareño makes a clever retort to the author’s proposal, ultimately invalidating it. “I have prepared some evidence against multiple different topics that I feel strongly about,” Tiscareño stated, “and this happened to be one of them.”

Delegates Bella Tiscareño, Sophie Robertson, and Rachel Sobolevitch prepare for their proposal discussing the importance of sex education in schools. The group has worked for months on their proposal, working to make it as strong as possible. “Our goal was to find one flaw in our proposal each week,” Delegate Sophie Robertson stated. “Every meeting someone on our team would speak con on the proposal at hand and they would try to invalidate it, and then we would find a solution so that nobody would be able to speak con on our proposal in said way.”

Delegate Rachel Sobolevitch makes the opening statement for her proposal stating that, “it is necessary for sex education programs to be implemented in school in order to educate the youth on safe sex to prevent pregnancies and STDs.” Sobolevitch has recited this opening statement numerous times to friends and family in order to prepare for their state conference.

Delegate Bella Tiscareño, Rachel Sobolevitch, and Sophie Robertson are asked questions from a fellow delegate regarding their proposal. Their hard work each week seemed to have paid off, as they dodged tricky questions that would have otherwise hurt their proposal.

Delegate Irvin speaks pro on the proposal. This was very helpful for the team, considering that fact that Irvin has a reputation for making very smart, accurate, and clever statements speaking pro or con on a proposal.

Delegate Druzbik acts as a con speaker and speaks against the proposal. From his perspective, “there is no proof that sex education programs actually affect sexual activity in teens and that these programs would be a waste of funding,” to which Delegate Robertson addressed in her closing statements saying that, “the purpose is not to stop sexual activity, but rather educate in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies and diseases.”

Delegate Sophie Robertson makes her closing statement stating that, “the proposal is in no way encouraging sex, only providing information for safe sex.” Delegate Robertson has worked for numerous hours on her statement, noting that it may be necessary to respond to remarks made by Delegates speaking con on her team’s proposal.

By Samirah Sarwat, White Rock, Lakeview Centennial HS

Mock trial is a battle. It isn’t a traditional battle of fists or weapons. Those that prefer mock trial participate in a battle of wits, intellect, intimidation, and control. Witnesses protect themselves under the attorney’s fire. Attorneys must stand strong against the blows from the other team, being able to bounce back quickly from harsh attacks. While judges oversee the process, making sure that everything is fair and proper throughout the rounds. It’s a very complex game to play, you’d think that only the greatest, most confident people would willingly participate in such a scary sounding activity. However, the answer to that question is a lot more diverse than one would assume at first glance.

        It may seem a bit vain, but I feel as though I should begin with my own story in mock trial. Now you may be thinking… Sam, you’re in the Media section, what possibly could you have done with mock trial? Well, that’s where I started my experience in Youth and Government. I began because a friend of mine had convinced me to join in order to improve my public speaking skills, I didn’t expect much from my experience other than anxiety. But admittedly, I was wrong, or else I wouldn’t be here for my third year. As a witness for my first two years I gained a lot of public speaking skills, and the motivation to just do my best, but not push so hard I burn out. I’m still unsure about my future career, but regardless, YaG has really assisted me in my social skills, as well as my skills in independence.

        At the beginning of the day, I was a bit nervous. I didn’t feel bad about it since most people are before competition! But frankly, this time was different. I didn’t have much to do other than to just start talking. So, I approached this judge on his bi-round. His name is Moses, he’s been in Youth and Government for 4 years, all of them being in judicial. He started off as a witness, played an attorney for 2 years, and now, he’s a judge. When I asked him about how he found the club, he said that it was by accident. One day, he was simply wandering his school hallways for the French club, but instead of French, he stumbled into the Youth and Government meeting at his school. He ended up staying to try it out and loved it, as we usually do. He states he loves “the art of debate and politics” which is why he likes this program so much. He says that after he graduates he wants to “wing it” but politics is a likely career choice because of the program’s influence.

        Mostly judges were on their bi-round during the first rounds of trials. This is Becka Steinnan, this is her 4th year and she is, as I mentioned before, a judge! She joined Youth and Government due to her community’s influence, she decided to try it out. She said that it “helped her feel more comfortable speaking and voicing her opinions.” Despite not planning on going into the law-type careers rather, med school, she still says Youth and Government’s influence stays with her. She says it’s very useful in the sense of dealing with interviews and public speaking in general.

        Many of you may know his face thanks to the opening ceremony yesterday, but in case you don’t, this is Skyler Stanridge! He’s currently a judge and candidate for Attorney General, and his 5 years of experience in Youth and Government certainly make him very qualified. Not to mention his unimaginable charm! He sat and talked to my trial team and I, which is how I was actually able to get an interview with him. He seemed super busy. He joined Youth and Government through an informational meeting at his school, and stuck with it ever since! He’s been in nearly every branch of the program but loves judicial and mock trial specifically for their creativity. From the way that the attorneys present the case, to the fact that none of the cases are the same, he loves it all. He feels as though this program has greatly impacted his life for the better. Because of it, he wants to be a federal court judge and says that this program gave him great experience for that career. After all, as he says himself, “you can’t buy experience.”

Now I found attorney Sruti Ramachandran while I was looking for Skyler Stanridge. He was judging for a round that she was in, and her intensity and fire drew me in. So, I did what any reporter would do… I interviewed her! This is only her 2nd year in the program, but her passion is very clear through the way she presents herself in the courtroom. She says that mock trial was a class at her school, and it was suggested to her by her counselor since she had an open slot in her schedule. Her favorite part of the job is to argue, she says it’s a lot of fun, and since she wants to go into law in the future, this program will obviously help her a lot.

        I know that interviewing friends isn’t exactly the toughest thing in the world but sometimes they have some really good insight. This is Juliette Walters, attorney for 4 years and professional nuisance. Not only to me, though, but to the witnesses she crosses as well. She’s been in Youth and Government for 4 years, all in the judicial section. Hopping from appellate to witness, then witness to attorney. This year, she had planned to be a judge, but due to some complications on the team, she once again took up the role of attorney. She joined initially because she wanted to be a lawyer, and expected to get some good experience from it, and she was right! That’s exactly what she received from this experience. She says it’s the “best program for this sort of experience,” and the “best one she could have joined.”

This is Kendal-Leigh Williams. Frankly, I don’t know much about her, but I’d like to know a lot more. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to in this interview, but I tried my best. She’s been in Youth and Government for 3 years, and is now playing a witness on the mock trial team. She originally joined the club because she wanted to be able to get experience to get through law school. She’s planning on doing child psychiatry, but the effects of Youth and Government will absolutely help her in the future. According to her, she was “able to grow social skills and learn to talk to people in professional settings.”

Lastly, but certainly not least, we have Sebastian Solitaire. He was the brave volunteer who stepped up to face my interview after I asked his trial team if I could conduct one. This is his 1st year in Youth and Government. So honestly, the fact that he could even talk to me is a great thing all by itself. He plays two roles, one of the prosecution attorney, and two, a defense witness. He initially joined to improve his public speaking, but enjoys the way that YaG is set up, along with the role that he was assigned to play. He says he’s going into computer science, which may not be a related field, but says that the leadership skills he’s learning will definitely help him a lot in his future career.

People get intimidated at the thought and the idea of a mock trial. It’s stressful, it’s hard work, and everyone there wants to be a lawyer. After all, they’re so intense, why join at all? Well, here’s why. All these different people with different stories. Whether they joined by accident, or because they were actively searching for a way to better themselves when it came to knowledge of the law, everyone here is different. Not one person here has had the exact same experience as another. But one thing they have in common is that they don’t regret it. Because at the end of the day, it’s a good experience. Looking back, it’s always fun. Honestly, that’s all I can hope for when it comes to the current delegates, as well as the future delegates. It may not seem easy now, you may feel scared, nervous, maybe even like you want to quit. But you will get through that opening statement, you will portray your witness well enough, you will get those good scores. But most importantly, you will enjoy this experience. Just like all of the people you’ve seen in this photo essay, you will enjoy the experiences you go through here. I promise.

By Alison Torres

Today I will be covering the Senate and bill FS055 titled “An act providing tax incentives for producers of genetically modified produce and declaring an emergency.” This bill was made by delegate Eli Scott from the Imagine International Academy of North Texas.

Both delegates Jose Moreno and Lt. Gov Alex Searles are preparing for debate to begin. Searles reads the title of the bill and calls the bill author up for opening remarks.

Delegate Scott starts his opening statement by bringing up points and benefits of his bill. “Furthermore, GMOs help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” This is just one of the many benefits brought up about his bill

“SIR CHAIR,” the delegates yell as the questioning period begins. Delegate Micheal Pugh gets chosen and asks the bill author exactly who this bill will apply to, he asks to clarify if it’ll be for small farmers for big corporations.

Following Pugh, Delegate Kelly and Speed question the bill author.

Moving to the amendment period, Delegate Taylor is the first to speak. “Change line 25 from, $160,000 fine, to fine equivalent to initial deserved incentive.” Taylor’s main argument was that if the original incentive was smaller or bigger than the fine it would not be enough to equal what they lost.

The pro/con debate has begun and Delegate Jose Moreno is the first to speak. He begins his speech with, “the production and distribution of GMOs have saved millions of lives over the years, manufacturers were able to produce rice and bean quantities that have never been foreseen without genetic alter.” The main points in the speech are that GMOs help produce lots of food for the fast-growing population.

The next opponent speaker is Delegate, Sam Mills. He agrees that GMOs make food more accessible and affordable but says that the bill is misguided, he worries that small farms will be at a disadvantage and encourages changes that should be made in order to get his vote. After many other proponent and opponent speakers, the bill makes it to voting and is passed into law.