Traditions in the YG specifically in the southeastern region, and throughout Texas, include: being run by the YMCA, clubs meeting weekly at school, students choosing their roles, and having a conference for district and state, and wearing professional attire. These traditions have been held since 1946, by clement Pete Duran. Glenda Dawson high school, which is apart of district 3, in southeastern Texas, has weekly meetings on Friday telling each delegate about what they need to prepare for their next competition. For example, delegate Yuyi Wang, who is apart of the legislative branch, was informed about how she should create and write her bill professionally so she could make her best efforts at district competition. When I joined youth government, there were many options to choose from. With a large variety of roles in each branch, having the ability to choose that role is a large tradition in southeastern Texas youth government. The conferences that the all delegates went through was District. In the 2025-2026 year, it was held at [college]. This tradition has been recent, due to the changing places held for the district conference. In 2026, the state conference is held at Kalahari resort, holding around 1,300 delegates from across the Texas state. The opening ceremony stated how Youth Government has been held for 80 years. Many veterans of youth government spoke before tables filled with delegates ready to compete. Along with these traditions, each candidate running for a serious youth role spoke before each district in the opening ceremony, telling each of the delegates of why they should be chosen for the position they are running for. The delegates that were near me felt empowered and motivated by each of their speeches. Professional attire is taken very strictly for every delegate, volunteer, or any person participating in youth government. They all must wear a blazer, dress pants, or a dress for ladies, and dress shoes. This attire is highly professional and is a large component of youth government. These traditions hold a special place in Texas youth government, and are special to the new, present, and veteran delegates. Keeping these traditions alive and ongoing is important to every youth government delegate in southeast Texas.
Elizabeth Malina