How to Start a Y&G Delegation
Reach out to our state Youth and Government office to talk about the best way to help you set one up! Delegations can be through high schools or YMCAs. Below are a few tips though to help at first!
Advisors
We need an adult to help organize, work with and chaperone the students of a delegation. Our current advisors range from teachers (social studies, government, econ, retired!) to YMCA employees to even parents and alums of the program. We have materials to walk you through the year and to help along the way.
Students and Recruitment
How to start? Promote and share how great our program is! An excellent way to start is with an introductory meeting which provides information regarding the program, for example fees, work involved, and schedule of events. The Youth and Government office would be more than happy to arrange for a representative from the program speak with your group, whether virtually or in-person. We can even bring current students to the table to talk about their experiences.
What kind of students to recruit? Any! Youth and Gov can be beneficial for any student. The easiest places to look would be your government and debate and speech classes, or students who are interested in public policy. You can look to the social studies department or students who work on the school newspaper or school television station for recruits since we have a media component. In your community, you could reach out to the service clubs (Rotary or Kiwanis for example) for help in finding students who would be an asset to and benefit from the Youth and Government program.
What are the benefits of Youth and Gov? Too many to list! Students learn to use their voice, to listen, to collaborate with those who may not think the same way. Youth and Government promotes being the change if there is something that needs it, to be engaged, building the leaders we need for tomorrow. Students utilize and cultivate leadership skills, public speaking, critical research and writing – all skills that will be useful for them not only in the program today, but college, job and life beyond high school no matter what path they choose to follow.
Here are some materials that can help you get the word out to administrators, teachers, students, community leaders – whoever you feel can help get the program started in your area!