By Delia Rune,
Liberal Arts and Science Academy
The legislative section of Youth and Government (YAG) is one of the organization’s
most popular sections. In the legislative section, students propose bills and try to get them
passed.
One of this year’s legislative students, Prabath Girish, explained his bill about Texan
education standards. “My bill is about re-examining the TEK standard for learning in the state of Texas,” Girish said, “and readjusting the scheduling of them in such a way that makes it less stressful for students, and allows them to learn better.” According to Girish, doing the legislative section has taught him a lot about different
perspectives and encouraged him to be more open-minded. He thinks YAG helps students speak
their minds. “I’ve definitely learned about lots of different viewpoints in the world on different
issues,” Girish said. “All of us have a voice, and we all are very different people and can learn to
speak our own opinion and our own minds.”
Fabiana Urrego Diaz, another legislative student, describes her experience in the
legislative branch as being really fun. This is her second year at YAG, and she already feels like
she has gained a lot of valuable skills. “I’ve learned to be more confident when talking.” Diaz said, “Because, I mean, you have to be out there answering questions while people question the way you think. So I definitely have learned to be more confident when I speak in public.” Diaz agrees that YAG and the legislative branch have taught her the value of other perspectives. She says she definitely plans to keep coming back. “I think YAG is an important thing because we learn about different issues,” Diaz said. “And we kind of learn to take into account different people’s perspectives, and be like, more open-minded and more understanding.”
Girish agrees that YAG is important, and he hopes that it gives students skills they can apply to their lives as adults. He thinks the main skill the legislative section can teach students is the value of sharing their opinions. “YAG is really important because it gives people a voice.” Girish said, “It’s super important to allow people to get their voices out there. A lot of people are reluctant to speak out, but everyone has an opinion that should be heard.
