Buckeye Valley Family YMCA offers the Youth and Government club for high school students. This club focuses on leadership, learning, and community service. The club meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at the Y. Students prepare throughout the year for the State Assembly on debate practices, service-learning projects, fundraising efforts and State Assembly preparation. The State Assembly is a three-day learning opportunity where students are given an opportunity to discuss current state issues with state administrators, elected officials, and students from other schools throughout the state. Held annually at the Statehouse in Columbus, volunteers and the YMCA Staff help guide the students through mock committee meetings and procedures. Students debate and vote on the bills that their fellow peers have written and presented. Bills that pass in the committee are then taken to the floor of the House or Senate for full debate and vote.
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Programs
Executive Branch Program
The Executive Branch Program allows students the opportunity to experience the executive branch of state government in Ohio. During the Youth Assembly, opportunities for students to participate include Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House and many more. Elections take place during the Youth Assembly to elect the executive officers, who then serve for next year.
Judicial Program
The goal of the Judicial Program is to expose high school students to the formal judicial process. The program promotes leadership through a Chief Justice and the use of practicing attorneys who not only judge the students, but also serve as mentors. The Judicial Program also promotes collaboration and compromise through the use of teams of attorneys and teams of judges working together to accomplish their goals.
Legislative Program
The Legislative Program is based as closing as possible to the Ohio General Assembly. The program strives to turn the ideas of Ohio youth into formal laws by writing, debating, and voting on legislation according to the specific rules and procedures.
Lobbyist Program
The goal of the Lobbyist Program is to promote the ideas of the civic involvement and leadership. Students engage in research, preparation of issue position papers, legislative proposal packets and persuasive speaking to advocate their issues before committee meetings, and one-on-one interaction with members of the Youth General Assembly. Further, the Lobbyist Program encourages collaboration and compromise as lobbyist work with other participants in Youth Assembly, as well as each other, to achieve their goals.
Media / Press Program
Participants engage in actual writing, interviewing, commentary, editing, photography, graphics, production of a website and video news report.
Page Program
Work with assigned chambers Presiding and Supporting Officers to help the chamber run smoothly.