Lake City students to participate in state Youth in Government conference

Future voters are learning the procedural ropes for when they get to have a say in what happens in their world.

About 13 Lake City High School students will travel to Boise to participate April 23-24 in Idaho’s YMCA Youth in Government 2025 State Conference, which will provide them with immersive hands-on experiences about how government works.

“We realize government is how things happen," sophomore Will Sharon said Tuesday. "It’s how things change and how things affect us."

The state conference will bring together students from across Idaho as they simulate America's three branches of government. They will spend time in the Idaho State Capitol and Idaho Senate chambers, debating bills and legislation they will be writing. They'll argue a Supreme Court case assigned by the YMCA. They'll vote on a youth governor to simulate the executive branch at next year's event. Students will also explore lobbying, political journalism and more.

“I like to see how the process works," said Will, who plans to major in political science in college before attending law school to become a constitutional lawyer.

"I think it’s very interesting to see how we actually pass those bills and how we make those bills," he said.

Will is the president of a new Youth in Government club, which operates under the speech and debate program at Lake City High. He was inspired to form the nonpartisan group after discovering the Youth in Government program five months ago.

“The reason I started it is because I wanted to make our voices heard,” Will said. “It was a way to get in touch with a lot of people that can just ignore our emails, ignore our phone calls, our voicemails ... But if we actually go down (to Boise) we might be able to meet the governor. We can talk to people and make it so that we can actually connect with these people and tell them what we care about. I think that’s impactful, at least for me.”

Will's colleagues, junior Maddie Gilmore and sophomore Maggie Hiltenbrand, are also passionate about student voices being heard.

"Some people in the club have different ideologies than their parents and I know we have a wide range of ideologies and people with political beliefs," Maggie said. "I think that’s important to have diversity in those political beliefs."

“Growing up in Idaho, we’ve always had an understanding that our political landscape is very polarizing, which is why this club is so important,” Maddie said. "It's not only ensuring that kids our age can be informed, but that we can be educated on these processes that are the backbone to our government.”

Speech and debate teacher Caleb Drechsel serves as the adviser for the fledgling club, which he emphasized is not political.

"Students are not writing legislation based on politics," he said. "This is about getting students involved in government. This is about students being involved."

He credited his students for bringing to life this group, which is expected to grow and potentially include students from other schools. He said Will especially is a person who has an idea and inspires others to pursue that idea with him.

"His persistence and tenacity and willingness to learn push things through,” Drechsel said.

The Lake City students participated in the North Central Regional Conference Jan. 16 in Lewiston where two other schools participated. According to ymcatvidaho.org, Idaho’s YMCA Youth in Government is the second-longest running conference in the United States. Its first conference was held in 1936.

Will and his peers are hoping to raise $2,000 to cover fees for the upcoming conference. They've already raised about $1,300 as of Tuesday evening.

"All three of us will be able to vote in the next presidential election," Maggie said. "It’s really important through these programs we learn how that process works, which will help us make informed decisions at the ballot box.”

“It’s just important that we keep taking action as we are with Youth in Government because, you know, we are the future of what is to come," Maddie said.

Info: gofundme.com

    Lake City High School sophomore Will Sharon participates Jan. 16 in the YMCA Idaho Youth in Government North Central Regional Conference in Lewiston. He and his peers will go to the state conference April 23-24.
  

    Maggie Hiltenbrand, a sophomore at Lake City High School, participates Jan. 16 in the YMCA Youth in Government North Central Regional Conference in Lewiston. She and her peers will participate later this month in the state conference, where they will simulate the work of the executive, legislative and judicial branches while learning about civic processes and procedures.