Youth and Government in Rochester
Ali Jenkins
On Saturday, January 11th, Homer students in Youth and Government (YAG) traveled to Rochester for their annual Interdistrict Conference. The purpose of this conference is to give new members a chance to practice formal debate and arguments and to prepare delegates for the state conference in March. After convening with Rochester’s club, the students broke into their separate programs: legislative, judicial, and press.
Legislative members began the day in small committees, where they reviewed bills and offered suggestions. After a docket was prepared, the group moved into formal run-throughs of the bills. This gave the delegates an opportunity to practice parliamentary procedure and to share their bills with a wider audience. Lobbyists, also a part of the Legislative branch, presented their statements before the assembly and debated alongside the bill sponsors. After this experience, students are able to use this feedback to strengthen their bills before Albany’s conference.
Judicial attorneys practiced arguing their cases in front of justices. In this program, students are assigned to case A, B, C, or D and serve as the appellant or the respondent. They work for months writing briefs, learning their cases, and memorizing cross cases to strengthen their arguments. At Interdistricts, attorneys presented their arguments in front of new justices to prepare for the spring conference. These YAG members, too, benefitted greatly from the new perspectives and ideas at Interdistricts. 
Press delegates also worked diligently throughout the day. They snapped photos of attorneys and bill sponsors in action; they interviewed seniors in the program; and they wrote articles on debatable topics in government. At the end of the day, they distributed the 2014 issue of The Parliamentarian. This publication included the articles, interviews, and photos from the day and went home with the delegates to remind them of the exciting experience!
The YAG Interdistrict Conference is always a successful opportunity for practice, preparation, and growth, and this year was no different. Thank you to all the Homer students who attended this event and special thanks to the Youth and Government advisors, Ms. Giordano and Mr. Chris Buttino, for helping to make the day a success!
