Get to know the Governor

By Eden Rose and Daniel Kriner

Maddie Campbell, the 2017 Youth Governor, is very excited for the upcoming conference. She loves the feeling of community, delegates being able to find their voice, and   using your opinions for positiveness. She hopes that this program will impact the future and will encourage others to make new friends. She is looking forward to being in legislative hall, being a part of the legislative process and her involvement in the House. Also, Maddie is excited about  newly implemented program where a first-year delegate will be paired with an experienced delegate from a separate   delegation to develop arguments, answer questions, and boost community within conference. Fun facts about Maddie: her favorite color is purple, her favorite snack is any type of gummy candy, her favorite sport is soccer, and her favorite politician would be Senator Warren or Joe Biden.

 

First Years Finding Their Way

By Daniel Kriner

Delegates Genovea Striplet and Daliala Cetoute are very excited for their first year of Youth in Government. The pair came from the Seaford High School Delegation and were encouraged by their Spanish teacher to do the program. They teamed up to write their bill, titled “Delaware State Police Officer Training Course.” The bill is an act to make Delaware State Training Courses class opportunities for high school students to take if they want to become a police officer. They both take ROTC courses which are similar to this, which made them want to write a bill on this topic. When asked why they thought it was important that people heard their bill, Daliala explained, “It’s important because so many people have a negative point of view about what cops do. So many people don’t know what cops do besides handling guns and such, and we think that being a cop is so much more than that. I think kids in high school should be able to experience something like this.” Genovea agrees, saying “Even if all students don’t want to take ROTC courses, they should still be able to take courses that relate to law enforcement. Delaware schools don’t have any programs like these, and so establishing this act will help so that some students can get a feel of how law enforcement classes could be like, if they couldn’t go to a more educational school that has these classes available. All students should be able to take courses like these”. The two contrast with each other, with Genovea proclaiming she is     excited to debate, and Daliala expressing the opposite as debating is not for her. However, both enjoy how professional the program is and they are excited to see what all the other delegates think of their bill.

 

 

Controversy in the House

By Maddie Oberschmidt

Clancy Gates, a second year from the Conrad School of Science Delegation, has a very unique and controversial bill. Gates plans to debate the elimination of No-Knock Raids, where police enter properties without warning. As of now police write warrants, have it signed by a judge, then barge onto people’s properties and into their homes without notice or even a simple knock. With this bill,   police will have to knock on doors before entering or give some sort of notice to residents before entering. Clancy was motivated to write this bill because of the dangers of No-Knock Raids for policemen, citizens, and innocent  bystanders. Since there is no notification, there have been accidental deaths of citizens and even children, which Gates hopes to end in the state of Delaware. Clancy expressed immense excitement about debating his controversial bill in the House, and cannot wait to make improvements to his bill .

 

Lobbying for a Better Future

By Kevin White

Today the lobbyists of YIG from all the delegations in Delaware met up for the first time together in the House Majority Caucus room at Legislative Hall. In their meeting, first year delegates were given a quick overview of what lobbyists do generally and what their role will be at conference. The lobbyists also were given a bill book to look through so they could figure out which bills they will want to support or refute at the YIG conference in April. A few lobbyists were willing to provide some information on which corporations they were representing.

One lobbyist, Bryan Delle-Donne from the Western Family YMCA, is representing a corporation called Siemens. Siemens is an international organization that focuses on electronics and technology. When asked about what he will be working on during conference, Bryan said he will be focusing on the healthcare aspect of Siemens, specifically the technology aspect. Bryan also delineated that his other main focus will be aimed at supporting bills that involve environmental technology.

Another lobbyist, Jack Gallagher from the Charter School of Wilmington delegation, is         representing Christiana Care. Christiana Care is a local, private corporation that has a

network of non-profit locations that provide healthcare services in Delaware bordering counties in PA, MD, and NJ. As a representative of Christiana Care, Jack seeks to support bills that positively influence social and health benefits in their communities. Specifically, Jack would like to speak in favor of mental health bills and bills that involve health and education in conjunction with one another. For example, Jack would  support a bill that involved benefits for students with allergies and making epi-pens readily available in schools.

All in all, when the official YIG Conference goes on in April, lobbyist delegates like Bryan and Jack will be lobbying for or against numerous legislative bills. The lobbyists that are representing corporations that pertain to specific bills will be trying to network in order to identify which bills they will speak on. Will your bill be lobbied for at conference by one of the lobbyists here? Or will a lobbyist decide to lobby against your bill come conference? Everyone will have to wait and find out at the YIG conference in April.

 

 

A First Year’s First Impressions

By Marley Fishburn

As a first year in Youth in Government (YIG) I have experienced all the emotions one could possibly feel in regards to an event: fear, excitement, giddiness, dread, and a nauseous mix of everything else. When I first started I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Completely unaware and unprepared for how amazing and influential it really is. The    effects have been monumental and I began only two months ago. This program puts political workings of the senate, house, and judicial system into a  perspective that makes it all seem manageable and not some magical overwhelming system that no one understands. The exposure and experience from YIG is unparalleled and if there is anything YIG will never fail to do is empower. Empowerment is crucial to opening the minds of impressionable students and without it everything will feel as though it is out of reach. But it is right there and all we have to do is reach out and take it.

Left to Right: Daliala, Marley, Geni, Brianna, Noelle, & Mrs. Richardson

 

Not so Common Commoners

By Zachary Baillie

The Commoners of Youth in Government are a unique branch of legislation composed  entirely of Delaware middle school delegates. These delegates perform all the same tasks as our high school representatives; from writing and debating their own original bills that they can send to the Youth Governor to hopefully get signed and passed, to electing their very own leadership positions to lead the way through the conference. The 2017 Training and Elections conference has a lot in store for the Commoners. Today they will present their bills with fellow delegates and working together to improve the overall quality and structure of said bills. These young representatives also got the chance to participate with the high school delegates. Rae King, of the Dover delegation, said “It was cool because we were able to speak on a con speech and were seen on the same level as them.” King is one of the four Commoners attending today, along with Jade Mosely, also from Dover, and Georgia Angelatakis along with Ben Mong’are from the Bear Glasgow Delegation. Each of them have been working on bills of their own. King’s bill involves combating fake news, Mosley’s is working to increase more minority-friendly education in school curriculum, Angelatakis’s is working towards making election day a national holiday so state agencies shut down for people to participate in voting, and Mong’are is writing his on restriction for receiving abortions. The Commoners this year have kicked off their YIG season with    blazing ambitious and we are excited to witness the greatness that will come of it.

 

Welcome Home

By Sarah Jones

           This morning     delegates from all across the state came together for the first time this year at the 49th annual Training and Elections Conference. New delegates were welcomed into the family and returning delegates were welcomed home. Governor Campbell stressed the importance of coming together and supporting each other especially at a time like this where there is so much tension in the political climate. She urged us all to remember that “people are more than their political beliefs”. This program is about building up each other and sharing ideas. “Politics is not a spectator sport” said      Governor Campbell as she encouraged us to get engaged with the program.

After Governor Campbell spoke she introduced  Representative   Bryan Townsend who spoke on the same points Governor Campbell touched on earlier. He encouraged delegates to get involved in the political process to make the community a better place. He shared his own personal experiences with politics from a failed election in his elementary school years to his successful election in 2012. He emphasized the importance of getting involved in politics as early as possible saying “No doubt you are the future, but the sooner you join the present the better of [the community] will be.“  Even if you get discouraged push forward to move the world forward and make it a better place.

 

Why is the Charter Delegation Excited for Training and Elections?

With only days away from the first Youth in Government event of the year, the excitement within the Charter School of Wilmington YIG delegation is rapidly building. Many of the freshmen or newcomers to YIG are not only excited to participate in an event where there will be so many new ideas from many talented people, but they are also eager to meet new people that also have a passion for sharing their ideas. Lucy Zuo, a main leader in the Charter YIG Legislative Branch, is excited to see the mix of old and new delegates and the transformation of the new delegates that will grow to become more active and vocalize their opinion. Because our Charter delegation has a large number of new Lobbyists this year, there is a lot of exciting potential for our Lobbyists to reach a new level in Charter history. In addition to Zuo, Felicia Flores who has worked with YIG since being a sixth grader and experienced the start of the Judicial Branch firsthand claims that every year of YIG is different and abundant in many amazing experiences and opportunities, and she is in particular thrilled to see underclassmen rising to take high positions to create a new generation of YIG delegates. Maddie Oberschmidt, the leader of Charter’s Press delegates, is thrilled to revisit friends from last year and work with YIG’s amazing editor in chief because she knows that this will be yet another year for not only hard work but also fun memories to look back upon in the future. The newly appointed Associate Justice Charlotte Leslie hopes for a productive and prosperous season, and because she is a senior, she looks forward to training and helping to mentor new members and help them acquire the skills to lead them to success.

Although the Charter YIG delegates enter every school meeting with smiles on their faces, one can see the increase in enthusiasm from everyone. Whether you are talking to a lobbyist or a new member of the Judicial Branch, it can universally be seen that the Charter YIG is ready to bring its new input and flair to the Delaware YIG Delegation.

By: Lily Suh

Making a masterpiece

By Sarah Jones

The hard part is over; everyone has submitted the first draft of their bill. Now all that’s left to do is edit and perfect your submissions.

Masterpieces are rarely made without a few rough drafts before the final product. Don’t worry if you have to rewrite your bill over and over and over again. Each new edition and edit just makes your bill better. Be open to changes and new ideas. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for their opinion. We’re all here to help each other out