Youth in Government is a program that allows students to be fully immersed in the State Government experience. Instead of just being able to witness the process, YIG aims to allow students to step into the lives of state officials for a day and argue for and against issues dear to them. I participated in the program along with 12 other students and was led by Physics teacher, Joseph Martin.

Day 1:

On the first day we attended school until lunchtime and then boarded a bus to the Hilton in Minneapolis and headed to the capital shortly after. Thursday we had to learn how everything worked as this was my and several others, first time attending the program. Students were given roles based on grade-level and expressed interest,11th and 12th graders could be delegates in the house or senate or could serve on courts. 9th and 10th Graders were on various other committees that did similar things as 11th and 12th grade delegates, but at the Hilton or other areas of the capitol. Along with the officials that were elected or appointed in roles like Governor, Governor’s Cabinet, Speaker of the House, etc.

I was in the House along with four other members of our delegation and about 100 other high school students from all over Minnesota. Once we arrived at the capitol, we had to find the committees we had been put into based on the content of the bills we had written in November/December. I was in the Human Services department with 30 other students, in this committee someone read their bill, there would be time for testimony, debate and any possible amendments, and then there would be a vote. If the bill passed it would be read in the Senate and the House. I read my bill about standardizing access to healthcare for homeless, undocumented or otherwise uninsured people on Thursday and it passed and was put on the consent calendar meaning it would be read with a group of bills that would all likely be passed together. After meeting with committees we were shuttled to Robert Street for dinner and then back for the House session where several bills that were passed that day were debated. By the end of Thursday, we were all exhausted and ended up back at our hotel rooms at around 10.

Day 2:

After Thursday, we all understood the process more, making the day smoother and more enjoyable. We started with more committee time and then had a joint session where we got to hear Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan speak. Flanagan discussed the importance of bipartisan relationships in her work and how she has accomplished the most by building connections up rather than taking people down, even when discussing controversial topics. “You can’t just dunk on your colleague, and then ask them to co-sign something with you,” she said. She also discussed how her identity as an indigenous person part of the White Earth Tribe played into her role as a politician. She mentioned what it was like to not receive criticism on her policies or decisions, but rather her appearance. My bill got passed in the House along with several others on the consent calendar. We debated homelessness, veteran affairs, tutoring for elementary schoolers, the allowance of red-40, and more. That evening we had dinner in the skyways and then had the opportunity to engage in activities like bingo, mini-golf, arts and crafts and there was even a meet and greet with Miss Minnesota USA.

We then had similar activities as before, but this time we got to watch a talent show. We ended the night with a delegation meeting with pizza on the floor of the hallway of our hotel.

Day 4:
The final day, we cleaned out our hotel rooms and then headed to our final joint session where the remainder of our bills were discussed at the hotel. We ended with a closing ceremony where we heard from the Youth Governor Taras Sarrahyzynskyy.

During this conference, I learned how much thought goes into the passing of bills. Bills that were passed had to undergo three rounds of debate, testimony and voting. There were so many unique perspectives and argument’s that I heard that made me rethink several topics I thought I understood clearly.