The Texas YMCA Youth and Government (YG) program came to be 86 years ago. It was founded in New York by Clement Duran. The motto of the program is “Democracy must be learned by each generation,” which was said by Earl T. Hawkins who established the Maryland Youth and Government. YG is an important step in learning about policies and government. It’s crucial for the younger generation to know about the world around them and how it operates, not only for their sake but for the sake of their families and their future children and grandchildren.
YG teaches the new generations about democracy and makes them able to understand the many different features of the U.S. Government. For example, there are six different sections to choose from: Legislative, Judicial, Media, State Affairs, Governor’s Cabinet, Lobbyist, and Candidates. Students in YG are ecstatic to have an opportunity to learn about the divergent aspects of government. Delegate Cooper Baldwin, from the Austin delegation, says, “I have been a part of YG since I was a junior, but I have already learned so much just by participating and learning about the ideas that I would have never thought of. I believe it is important to be able to think outside of the box in how you could make the world a better place starting with making better policies. I would say that YG is helping build a better future for the new generations by preparing so many people that want to be included in politics and government.”
Change starts with policies. In order to know how to make a change, you would need to have an idea of how the government works because putting policies in order is the only way to get change. Even if someone did not want to have a career in government, they should still know how it works and how important it is to be involved. Although some kids here aren’t able to do their part by voting, they are doing their part by being a part of YG and learning how the government systems work. Simone Moton, from the Austin delegation, says, “Although I am not a part of the actual government part of the conference, I am still learning so much about the way things work and just being able to listen to people talk about their bills and hearing about the trials and the way they work is so amazing. I love being able to interview people about things because I am more interested in the media part. I think that may be one of the most important roles in society because that is how Americans and people around the world get their information about what is going on.” YG students from media to legislation are happy to learn about all sides of the process in order to better the world.
Youth and Government is a program that is there to help the youth because knowing about the government is one of the most important things to do. The program also offers Media so students can gain skills reporting and know what the job of the media is truly like. The YG government is an important step in learning about the government and its policies for youth all over the nation. The Texas YMCA Youth and Government is making the world a better place by making the youth better people.
Written by: Devan Hodges