DEL NORTE YOUTH & GOVERNMENT INFORMATION 07-08
What is Youth & Government?
For three days in
the spring,
student delegates from schools all over New Mexico travel to Santa Fe
to carry
out a student legislature in the actual Senate and House chambers of
the Round
House, while others present cases before a student Supreme Court and
others in
The Forum discuss government policy in small groups.
In the legislature, students argue the merits of bills that
they have written, in the effort to get them passed as law. In the Supreme Court, students in
teams of two act as lawyers, arguing case law against another team of
two
student lawyers, judged by five supreme court justices.
The extraordinary
thing about
Youth and Government is that it is entirely student-run students, up
to and
including governor, simulate all levels of government.
The lt. governor, this year, by the
way, is from Del Norte.
What kind of time commitment does it require?
You should attend
two events.
1) The Big Conference: It will require three days in
the spring: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday,
April 13-15
2) Pre Leg: We will also have a day
before the actual session when we have a field trip to Santa Fe for
just one
day, so that people can observe the New Mexico Legislature, and get
some
training in preparation for the 3-day conference later in the
spring. This will occur on Wednesday, Feb 6.
Even before then,
however,
you will need to either write a bill, a position paper (for forum), or
prepare
a brief (for supreme court), so we will have a couple of bill-writing
sessions
to get people started on the process. Bill-writing
sessions are usually an hour and a half
after school. You MUST
participate in at least one of the bill-writing sessions in order to
participate in Youth and Government. We
will decide on the dates of the sessions at our
first meeting. In addition,
we will have practice sessions of parliamentary procedure, after school. These can occur as much as you
are willing to come. These,
by the way, are the most fun to do.
In sum: 1 day for Pre-leg, 3 days for the
actual conference, 1.5 3 hours bill writing (and any more that you
might need
to finish the bill), 3 5 hours practice of parliamentary procedure.
How Much Does it Cost?
$180.00, which
helps cover the cost of transportation to and from
Santa Fe (both times), trips between the hotel and the capitol
building, two
dinners, the cost of the hotel in Santa Fe, your bill book, name tags,
etc. All of that costs a lot more
than $180 - The YMCA covers the rest of the cost.
Scholarships are available. See
one of the advisors for
financial assistance.
Payments: You may pay all at once, or in
two
payments. Make checks to YMCA, and give your check to Mr.
Weihe.
Who are the Advisors?
Jay English, Heath
Weihe, and Kevin Gant.
They're all super cool.
What are the ways that I can participate?
You may
be involved in Youth and Government as a....
... Legislator - You
act as either a Representative or a
Senator, debating bills first in committee and then on the floor of the
House
or the Senate. To be a legislator, you must write a bill that you
wish to
become law. During the session in Santa Fe, you present your bill
to a
committee and, if it passes, to the floor. This takes some work,
since
your bill must be researched and typed. However, you can
co-author a bill
if youıd like to work with someone else, and that makes the process
easier. If you like to argue, and you have an opinion on a
variety of
things, being a legislator is usually the most fun. Being a
legislator means that you get to vote, and it gives you valuable
practice at
speaking in front of a large group of people. Most participants
in
Y&G are legislators. If you would like to be a legislator,
but you
donıt have an idea for a bill, you can talk to the advisors and we can
help you
with that.
... Member
of the Forum - The
forum is a group of students who
study and debate a particular issue in much more depth than the
legislature.
They are a ³task force², whose mission is to study some issue
that faces
the state of New Mexico, do problem-solving, and then make
recommendations to
the Youth Governor about what actions the state can take to address the
issue. Two years the topic was ³Death Penalty², and it was very
intense,
including a field trip to the state penitentiary. They had
discussions
in their group (about 20 students), guest speakers from the state
government,
and at the end of the session, made a presentation to the
Legislature. This year, the topic is censorship.
The forum also requires that you write a position paper based upon your
research of the topic for the year. Members
of the forum meet in their own room, not with
the legislators.
Lawyer
before the Supreme Court.
This is
a newer program in the program, where you play the role of
lawyer. However it is different that what most of us expect from
a
courtroom. Rather, the scenario is this: there has been a
hypothetical
case that has already been appealed to the New Mexico Supreme
Court. In a
Supreme Court hearing, there are no witnesses just the court justices
(judges), and you, the lawyer. You try to convince the
judges why
the previous hypothetical ruling should be upheld or stricken down,
based on
previous cases in New Mexico that are like your case.
The
judges ask you questions about the law, and you answer them according
to your
research. Then they meet, and rule for either the plaintiff or
defendants, based upon how well you argued your case.
This is
probably the most challenging and intense of the programs at Y&G,
but it is
very, very rewarding.
Is
it
fun?
Yes. Just ask anyone
who has participated. Most
common comment: ³I wish I had done
this earlier in high school.²
What are the important dates this year?
Bill
writing
workshop(s)
To
be decided at 1st meeting
(attendance
in at least one is mandatory)
To
be decided at 1st meeting
Rough
Draft of Bill
due
Wed,
Feb 1
$10 due
for field trip
Before
Wed, Feb 1
$85.00
due for Model
Leg.
Before
Wed, Feb 1
Pre-Leg
Field Trip to Santa Fe
Wed, Feb 8
Final
Draft of Bill/position paper/brief
Due
Feb 13
Final
payment, $80.00
due
Mar 1
Model
Legislature Sunday - Tuesday, April 13-15