By William Einhorn
Stephen F Austin High School
Before kids can even vote, some of them already know how to debate court cases, propose laws, and write articles. YMCA Youth and Government (YAG) is the place where these kids learn these skills. YAG is a club offered at many high schools across the country, one of which is in Texas. Students compete in conferences against other schools in their same district within their state. Students get to compete in mock trials, practice being journalists, propose bills, or propose solutions to current world problems. Students who participate in the conference get excellent experience participating in roles that simulate real-world situations. Some of the sections that are offered are: Legislative, State Affairs, Media, and Judicial. With all of the different sections offered at YAG, there’s room for everyone. Future lawyers may do the Judicial section to get courtroom experience through a mock trial, aspiring journalists would do the media section, and future lawmakers would want to do the Legislative section.
Some of the biggest benefits of YAG are that you get crucial experience for roles in government if that is what you want to pursue in life. YAG also gives you experience speaking in front of a small group of people. More shy people get to go out of their comfort zone and have a good experience publicly speaking. YAG is also very good when you are applying to college, specifically for people going into majors like political science. Doing YAG is what will separate you from the rest of the applicants.
Today, November 15th, 2025, the District 2 and 7 Conference is being held at Akins High School. Districts 2 and 7 represent high schools in Austin, San Antonio, and Corpus Cristi. Young leaders came from all of these places to debate their proposed bills, write articles, and participate in court cases. Excitement is in the air as young leaders from districts 2 and 7 have prepared for months just for today. They wrote their proposed bills, prepared to present solutions to real-world problems, and studied their court cases. I spoke with Gabriel Lara from the Austin High Judicial Delegation and asked him about the benefits of YAG. He said when asked about how he believed he was benefiting, “It’s helping my public speaking skills, and thinking on my feet as a lawyer.”
YAG is an excellent opportunity for the young leaders of the world. Kids get so much experience that is necessary to go into jobs related to politics when they are adults. They get a jump start on their education on the topic while also getting experience doing the tasks that they will be met with when working in the real field. If you are interested in going into politics in your future or you just want to have a good experience, then YAG is definitely the program for you.
