YMCA Youth and Government (YAG), also known as Youth In Government, or Model Legislature and Court, is a program of the YMCA of the USA that allows middle and high school students to serve in model governments at the local, state, national, and international levels.
The YMCA Youth and Government program currently operates in all 50 states and Washington, DC.
Each state may participate in the national programs, which include: the YMCA Youth Conference on National Affairs (CONA), YMCA National Judicial Competition, YMCA Youth Governors Conference (YGC), YMCA Youth Advocate Program, and YMCA Changemakers Summit.
History The YMCA Youth and Government program was established in 1936 in New York by Clement A. Duran, then the Boys Work Secretary for the Albany YMCA. The program motto, “Democracy must be learned by each generation,” was taken from a quote by Earle T. Hawkins, the founder of the Maryland Youth and Government program.American Bar Association and YMCA: Partners in Civic Engagement. American Bar Association. p.1. Retrieved April 16, 2013.History California YMCA Youth & Government. Retrieved April 16, 2013.]
In 2000, the American Bar Association became a supporter of the organization, creating a policy requesting lawyers to become involved in the program by stressing the importance of engaging and educating students about the United States legal process. About this issue, Sandra Day O'Connor and Roy Romer said in 2006: Most young people today simply do not have an adequate understanding of how our government and political system work, and they are thus not well prepared to participate as citizens.
As of 2025, the program operates in 50 states and the District of Columbia, serving 47,000 high school students around the country.American Bar Association and YMCA: Partners in Civic Engagement. American Bar Association. p. 2. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
Overview The organization's mission is to "help create the next generation of thoughtful, committed and active citizens" by teaching them the "principles of a democratic society."American Bar Association and YMCA: Partners in Civic Engagement. American Bar Association. p. 4. Retrieved April 16, 2013. They also intend to create leaders through their roles in the models of local, state and national government. The premise is that "leaders are developed by doing."American Bar Association and YMCA: Partners in Civic Engagement. American Bar Association. p. 5. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
The model government programs include the judicial, legislative and executive branches of government, including press corps in certain states, which are guided by teachers, volunteers or Youth Government staff. Volunteers may include attorneys from the American Bar Association,American Bar Association and YMCA: Partners in Civic Engagement. American Bar Association. pp. 4-6. Retrieved April 16, 2013. legislators, business people and other organizations, such as the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation.
The Washington D.C. model follows the order of committee to city council then being signed by the elected Youth Mayor of the regional program to be passed on to the Mayor of D.C.
Branches of government
Legislative The participants of the Model Legislative Assemblies are elected into or assume the roles of senators, governors, representatives, lawyers, lobbyists and the press. Bills are drafted, discussed in committee, and debated. Much of this work is conducted locally prior the model legislature, which often occurs at the state capitol in House and Senate chambers. At the state level, bills are brought before the House and Senate floors to be debated. A vote is taken to determine if it passes or not. Bills that pass the legislative process are presented to current governmental officials; In some cases bills that pass the Youth Government legislative process have been enacted into state law.American Bar Association and YMCA: Partners in Civic Engagement. American Bar Association. pp. 5-6. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
The programs are generally for high school students, but some states also have collegiate models. Middle school students may be pages. Certain states have a program specifically tailored for middle schoolers who want to learn how the United States government functions, and wish to continue onto the high school program. This section is similar to Youth & Government, but on a smaller scale, and is called Junior Youth & Government.
Judicial Students specific to their role—such as attorney, witness, or judge—and try a case or present a case to an appellate court. Students who are Freshman or Sophomores normally prepare a case for the Court of Appeals. Students who are Juniors and Seniors normally prepare a case for the Supreme Court. All students also get to prepare a case for the Trial Court. Students normally get a chance to argue each side of their case throughout the weekend. Throughout the weekend each student also receives a chance to judge an Appeals Court or a Supreme Court case, there are normally five to seven judges during each of these trials. Students are able to judge as many cases as they would like throughout the weekend.
Executive Executive branch positions may vary by state but are primarily mirrors of that state's elected offices. For example, in Maine, the positions include governor, and governor's cabinet, including: the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the Commissioner of Economic Development, the Commissioner of Education, the Commissioner of Human Services, and the Commissioner of Natural Resources.Executive Branch. Maine Youth in Government. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
Other programs Model United Nations programs Many states have a Model United Nations program. For instance, the Northeast Region (NJ, DE, MD, and PA) have a joint Model UN Program that serves more than 2,000 students annually, one of the largest Model UN Programs in the country. Their program has four central values: (1) helping students find their voices, (2) promoting global understanding, (3) creating a sense of community and exchange of ideas, and (4) serving others through projects that reinforce topics (e.g., in 2016, students work with Develop Africa, a non-profit, to provide more than 17,000 pencils to students in Africa).
Additionally, the state of California's MUN program brings together over 1,000 middle school students from the state to represent countries from around the world and debate issues of international importance. Their program consists of: the United Nations General Assembly, the International Court of Justice, ECOSOC or the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the United Nations Security Council, the Office of the Secretary-General, the International Press Corps/Department of Global Communications, and United Nations Secretariat. Each Organ elects its leadership for the year, and the conference as whole elects its Secretary General for the following year.
National conferences Each state may participate in the national programs. Delegates are selected to attend the Conference on National Affairs or the National Judicial Competition. The elected governors from each state attend the Youth Governor's Conference.
The National YMCA holds the Youth Conference on National Affairs (CONA) at the Blue Ridge Assembly in North Carolina, the YMCA Changemakers Summit, YMCA Youth Advocate Program, and the Youth Governors ConferenceHonoring the 46th Annual YMCA Youth Governor's Congress. Congressional Record, Volume 153, Part 11, June 6, 2007 to June 15, 2007. Government Printing Office. p. 230. in Washington, D.C., and the National Judicial Competition (NJC) at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul.
State Affairs The State Affairs Forum, or SAF as it is commonly known, is another program in Youth and Government. Students have the opportunity to come up with a solution to an issue their state is facing, i.e. security, campus carry, etc. Students may work in groups up to 3 and present their 'proposal for action' in front of their committee room. The committee room is monitored by a chair and clerk team,
State programs This section is a summary of state program participation. The legislative, judiciary and executive programs are generally available to high school students only. If a state has a model program for middle school students it is either the Model Legislative Assembly or Model United Nations.
Some states have Model United Nations programs for high school students and/or programs for college students.
Summary chart of program participation, by stateStateCapitalProgramModelLegislatureModelJudiciaryModelExecutiveModel UnitedNationsMiddle schoolCollege program Alabama Montgomery Yes Yes Yes Yes Model Legislature Alaska Juneau No Arizona Phoenix Yes Yes * Arkansas Little Rock No California Sacramento Yes Yes Yes Yes Middle school Model United Nations Model Legislature, Court Intern Program Colorado Denver Yes Yes Yes Yes Connecticut Hartford Yes Yes Yes Yes Delaware Dover Yes Yes Yes Yes Model Legislature Florida Tallahassee Yes Yes Yes Yes Model Legislature Georgia Atlanta Yes Yes Yes Yes High school,middle school Model Legislature,Model United Nations Hawaii Honolulu Yes Yes * Model Legislature Idaho Boise Yes Yes Yes * Illinois Springfield Yes Yes Yes * Indiana Indianapolis Yes Yes Yes Yes Iowa Des Moines No Kansas Topeka Yes Yes * Kentucky Frankfort Yes Yes * Yes Model Legislature, Model United Nations Louisiana Baton Rouge Yes Yes Yes Yes High School Maine Augusta Yes Yes * Maryland Annapolis Yes Yes * Massachusetts Boston Yes Yes Yes Yes Michigan Lansing Yes Yes Yes Yes Model Legislature Minnesota St. Paul Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Mississippi Jackson Yes Yes * Middle school,High school Model Legislature,Model United Nations Missouri Jefferson City Yes Yes Yes Yes Montana Helena Yes Yes Yes Yes Nebraska Lincoln No Nevada Carson City No New Hampshire Concord Yes Yes * New Jersey Trenton Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes New Mexico Santa Fe Yes Yes Yes * Yes New York Albany, New York Yes Yes Yes Yes North Carolina Raleigh Yes Yes Yes * North Dakota Bismarck No Ohio Columbus Yes Yes Yes * Oklahoma Oklahoma City Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Model Legislature, Model United Nations Oregon Salem Yes Yes * Pennsylvania Harrisburg Yes Yes Yes * Model Legislature Rhode Island Providence No South Carolina Columbia Yes Yes Yes Yes Middle school Model Legislature, Model United Nations South Dakota Pierre No Tennessee Nashville Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes, with Int'l Criminal Court Model Legislature and/orModel United Nations Texas Austin Yes Yes * Utah Salt Lake City No Vermont Montpelier No Virginia Richmond Yes Yes * Washington Olympia Yes Yes Yes Yes Model Legislature (8th grade only) College Ambassador Program West Virginia Charleston Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Wisconsin Madison Yes Yes * Wyoming Cheyenne No Washington D.C. N/A Yes Yes * * Executive programs may not be expressly stipulated in the Youth and Government program material, but the Governor is required to enact the laws into legislation. Generally, there are other executive officials that are engaged in the project.
Alabama The Alabama YMCA Youth in Government program, in operation since 1949, has simulated the five branches of government."Youth coup in Alabama. (Stateline).(Brief Article)." State Legislatures. National Conference of State Legislatures. 2002. HighBeam Research. Retrieved April 16, 2013."About Us" Alabama Youth in Government. Retrieved April 16, 2013.