Last weekend, the State Capitol was bustling with normal activities anyone would expect. Delegates and senators presented their bills and debated important issues, and even attended the Governor’s Ball.
But what set last weekend apart, when compared with any other time of year, was that those delegates, senators, and even the governor, were all in their teens. Students descended on Tallahassee as part of a role play program, Youth in Government.
The student-run, national organization, allows students to find out what it’s like to be in the world of politics. Within Youth in Government, they can run for state or national offices, and once a year, they get together in Tallahassee to present their very own bills and vote on one another’s.
Thirty-four students from the Plant City area hit the road Wednesday, Feb. 11, and arrived in the state capital that night, joining almost 600 other students from around the state. The next morning, they observed the pros before taking their spots in the chambers.
“We actually went and sat in a real House committee, and (the students) were over the moon, even though it was about taxes,” Michelle Hanchett, the advisor for Youth in Government at the Plant City YMCA, said.
One of the first activities on the agenda was campaigning. Students who were running for state offices gave speeches, and all of the students in attendance then voted for their elected officials.
The students also gave short speeches to introduce bills they have written themselves. Throughout the weekend, they voted on one another’s bills. Bills can move on through first and second committees, both chambers and eventually the cabinet.
Elizabeth Watson, a sophomore from Plant City, introduced a bill that would make gun safety classes mandatory for schools across the state.
“I’m passionate about the situation where children get hurt, and I want to stop that,” Watson said. “There are currently places where you get your license where they have a gun safety class, but it’s not mandatory for schools to have it.”
Watson’s bill passed the House and was placed 11th on the docket.
Watson was not the only student from Plant City who wrote a successful bill this year. Ten other students’ bills were also placed on their respective dockets, organized into House and Senate, and three chambers each, based on students’ experience.
The Plant City club also won two awards his year: Outstanding Statesman in the middle-level Senate, and runner-up for the award in the middle-level House.
“The club did amazingly well,” Hanchett said.
Two highlights for many of the students are debating and practicing their public speaking skills.
“We had a lot of pretty interesting (bills), and I always enjoy being able to debate my personal beliefs,” Chase Cushen, another Plant City sophomore, said. “Youth in Government has made a big impact on my life, on my personal skills, on my beliefs about the world around me.”
In addition to interacting with students from around the state in session, participants had the chance to socialize in a more relaxed setting, during the Governor’s Ball.
Though many students participate as delegates, another popular role is to become members of the press and cover the sessions in Tallahassee. Press positions require an application.
Any middle school or high school student can join Youth in Government through the YMCA in Plant City. Many of the students are home schooled. Some alumni even go on to study political science in college.
To prepare for the annual weekend in the state capital, students learn how to write bills, and work on their public speaking and debate skills. Each meeting is run by students, with advisement from Hanchett.
Many times, even the students who are initially the least enthusiastic end up wanting to run for office.
“It’s very difficult to explain to teenagers,” Hanchett said. “But then they go up there and … they fall in love with it.”
Youth in Government
Any middle school or high school student can join YIG. Meetings are from 7:30 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, at the Plant City YMCA. For more information, contact Michelle Hanchett at rmhanch@verizon.net.
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.