Samo politicians take to the stage

The Youth and Government motto, “democracy must be learned by each generation,” has become an attainable reality for certain Samo students, who participated in the annual three-day Youth and Government conference in Sacramento on Feb. 15-17.After completing a training program held in Sept., Samo students were able to participate in one of the three branches of government: legislative, judicial and executive. Students in the legislative branch assumed roles as senators, governors, lawyers and lobbyists and proposed bills that students debated and voted on. Students in the judicial branch acted out a mock trial, presenting their cases in front of an appellate court as lawyers, judges and witnesses. Students in the executive branch assumed roles as governors, treasurers and attorney generals.According to Sydney Golden (’14), the program allows students to connect and communicate with members of the Calif. state legislature, which, according to Golden, bridges a crucial generational gap.“[Youth and Government] allows me to connect with any Calif. governor, justice or congressman whom I can bring my legislation ideas to,” Golden said.Each year, over 2,000 high schools participate in the Sacramento meeting. Jackie Forsyte (’16), a member of the judicial branch of Youth and Government, said she felt inspired by the conference.“I held the power to make change and was inspired to continue making change in my community and everyday life,” Forsyte said. “The people in Youth and Government are so passionate about what they believe in, it’s almost like a sickness — you can’t help but feel it to.”According to Youth and Government Executive Director Rolf Davidson, the program helps students understand that they are important members of the nation and prepares delegates to make real changes in their governments.“We focus on how ideas for change can be turned into actual change,” Davidson said. “We use training in public speaking, rhetoric, proposal writing, and persuasion to support this effort.”Director of Youth and Government in Santa Monica Valerie Page said the program gives students opportunities that are applicable to both large scale political settings and day-to-day life.“Youth and Government gives high school students opportunities to stretch their comfort zones, perfect their public speaking skills, see first-hand that every vote counts and become civic minded,” Page said.gziaukus@thesamohi.com