In 10th grade I joined Youth in Government and I didn’t know a lot about the program, but from the first meeting I really enjoyed it and I enjoyed learning new things about government and the exposure that I got to people around California at the two conferences, Camp Roberts and Sacramento. Then, through the Youth in Government program I learned about another program at our YMCA called the Youth Advisory Council. I went to my first meeting in 10th grade, and I was very consistent with that.
It was super fun to be a part of something that created a change in my community and gave people a good time. We were consistently planning fundraisers and teen events. I was able to take on the vice president position in 11th grade and following that I became the president in 12th grade.
Through that leadership at the Youth Advisory Council, which is also known as YAC, I decided that I wanted to run for a leadership position within my Youth in Government delegation at the Culver Palms Family YMCA. I was able to win the president role, and this year has been super fun! Getting to know all of the delegates has been very rewarding to me. The program has given me a lot of belonging, and it’s been really exciting to see that in all the delegates this year.
I worked really closely with the lead advisor for the Youth in Government program, Ben. He’s also one of the advisors for the Youth Advisory Council, and he really allows me to be creative with what I do, whether it be a fundraiser or trying new things in our meetings, and I think that has really fostered my leadership.
My time at the YMCA started later than a lot of my peers, because I grew up in Australia and the YMCA wasn’t as big of a role in a lot of people’s lives.
This summer, since I was in my off-season for soccer, I got the Get Summer membership, and then when September came around and it was my birthday, I asked for a membership, and now I’m a member at the YMCA. As soon as I joined and I saw all the services and fun things that came out of the YMCA, I knew that it would be a part of my life for a lot longer than I expected.
To learn more about Youth & Government and get involved, click aquí.
