Pre-Leg in the Eyes of a Delegate

Written By: Caroline Wainwright

Often times, delegates feel separated by their differences rather than brought together by them; it's easy to get caught up and forget the purpose of Youth and Government. However, our yearly Pre-Legislative conference fights that battle, standing for bettering ourselves and learning about each other.

Every delegate, from first-year gold representatives to the Youth Governor has their own pair of “Youth and Government goggles”. Of course, a senator is not going to have the same perspective as an attorney and vice versa, but with a more extensive understanding of delegates and their positions, we can continue to grow closer. But how are we supposed to feel close if we do not even know what our fellow delegates are doing?

Pre-Leg, the"least sexy" conference– as our 74th Youth Governor, Sam Bisno, would call it– may seem boring and unnecessary, but is actually amongst the most pivotal. In the east on February eight, during the morning session, Gold House started off their day with icebreakers and public speaking practices. Icebreakers present a easily accessible way to ensure first year delegates feel comfortable in their branch, and perk up the returning members. While doing such, they also get real-life practice for Model by diffusing debate and parliamentary procedure into their tasks. After a general overview, delegates reconvened for a discussion on the new budget outline, featuring their concerns and questions.

Blue Lieutenant Governor Daevan Mangalmurti, Gold Lieutenant Governor Taylor Koda, Blue Speaker of the House Jonas Cream, and Gold Speaker of the House Parker Logue all proved to make Pre-Leg more enjoyable for delegates unlike years pasts. Legislative delegates could later be found playing a Kahoot, reviewing proper procedure for our future Model conference, marking debating etiquette, and eventually breaking off into bill starring groups.

On the flip side, our Judicial Program was lead by Chief Justice Avi Lukacher. Justices could be found in the library, going over the cases and sharing their thoughts and questions for their future rounds. Additionally, they had time to do some enthusiastic trivia and play games i order to win prizes.

No matter which branch you are from, all delegates have the ability to make an impact, even when we are just having fun at conferences! There is one reason, among many, that explains why we simply participate: the driving want to do our jobs and create change. Although Pre-Leg may not seem like gold and glory, it is a fun preparation process to prepare for April and get all delegates excited to immerse themselves in YMCA culture. All in all, our delegates stand to unite and represent all areas our our state, and what makes our Commonwealth so rich with leadership.