Press Corp Leadership Application Now Available!

Do you work on your high school newspaper? Have any experience with publications in the past? Writing? Producing? Design? Want to add some extra to your Y&G experience and enhance your college applications even more?

Consider applying for a leadership position in the print media program! Most positions do not require previous Y&G experience (though some do, and some prefer it). If this is your first year in the program, don't take yourself out of the running - give it a shot!

Click here to download the application. Applications are due when we arrive to Bob I.

Delegation Bulletin 4

Upcoming Deadlines

Oct 30 - Political Parties program area application due. See http://www.calymca.org/parties for more info or talk to Christiana.

November 12 - $250 payment deadline (mandatory for conference attendance without prior Y approval for alternate plans. NO EXCEPTIONS)

Upcoming Events

Nov 5 - First Conference planning meeting. Attendance is mandatory. Parents are invited to attend to learn more about our conferences.

Nov 6 - Sold On Youth Auction 5:30pm-8:00pm at Sac State Ballroom (BIG MONEY FUNDRAISER)

Nov 8 - Antique Fair Parking Lot Fundraiser

Nov 12 - Last regular meeting before Bob I - Attendance is mandatory.

Nov 18 - Bill Hearing Night. Parents are welcome. Delegate attendance mandatory

*Note on Mandatory Events: Even if you think you have an ongoing exception from Patrick or Christiana about missing regular meetings, that exception DOES NOT APPLY to the Nov 5, 12, and 18 meetings. You will need to speak to Christiana separately about these meetings if you have a specific, valid reason for being unable to attend. Very few excuses will be accepted.

Ongoing Events

Raffle ticket sales (sell 20 tickets and meet your Nov 12 payment; sell 52 tickets and your program is paid for)

Coupon Book sales

Announcements

Tentative upcoming meeting agendas:

Oct 29 - Groups will present their first draft bills and be prepared to debate them. Need guidance on what information to gather before Thursday? Check here: http://saccentraldelegation.blogspot.com/2009/10/bill-writing-101.html

Nov 5 - Prepare for the first conference; bill groups will present any changes to their bills

Nov 12 - Prepare for the first conference; full bill debates and final preparation for Bill Hearing Night!

California Pizza Kitchen and Big Spoon fundraisers: we've contacted these businesses and they have sent us the material we need to proceed with scheduling fundraisers. We'll have more information on Thursday. These should be fun and tasty events!

Reminders/News for the Week

1.) Meeting attendance is required. In the event you cannot attend due to circumstances beyond your control (and you CAN control homework and general studying), you MUST contact Patrick (595-4191) or Christiana (508-3299) prior to the start of the meeting. If you have lost your contact list, pick up a new on at the meeting. Don't assume someone has called on your behalf if you carpool or included your name if they have identified themselves as unable to attend.

Absences may count against you when choosing role selection and may preclude your continued participation in the program. We've had great attendance so far, but last week NINE people were absent and only one person notified Christiana in advance. That's not cool.

2.) Save your self and your advisors considerable stress by getting your payments in on-time or even early. We don't want to leave anyone behind when we head to Bob I on November 13th. Remember: have a parent call Samantha Doffo at 916-452-9622 ext 132 if you have continuing or changing payment concerns. We can only assist with problems about which we are informed! It's better to make ANY payment ($50 a week? $20 a week?) than none at all.

3.) Meeting Check-in Process: Upon arriving at meetings, delegates should first check the side table for any sign-up forms, handouts, or other information. CELL PHONE POLICY: Beginning Oct 15, delegates must turn off their phones (vibrate-mode is not the same as turned-off!) and leave them on the side table for the duration of the meeting. Delegates are not permitted to make or answer calls or texts during the meeting. This policy ensures an efficient, respectful meeting and allows us to continue with an hour-format for our meetings. Exceptions to this policy are granted only in legitimate, medical emergencies. Otherwise, everyone can survive for an hour. (This policy extends to the wearing of headphones/ear pieces/or blue tooth equipment. All are prohibited during the meeting.)

4.) Bring your calendar or planner to all meetings!

Important Upcoming Events

There are four MANDATORY MEETINGS/DEADLINES coming up:

November 5: Delegates are required to attend – and their parents are invited and encouraged to attend – this meeting to learn about our first conference for the year: Training and Elections Conference I. We will spend approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the meeting discussing the conference, travel, and answering questions. The remainder of the meeting will be spent discussing and debating bill proposals.

November 12: Delegates are required to attend the final meeting before we depart BRIGHT AND EARLY the following morning for the conference. This meeting is important for two reasons: 1) notifying delegates of any last-minute changes and answering any last-minute questions and 2) continuing with our bill group work since the next meeting will be our Bill Hearing Night.

Note: November 12 is also the deadline for the next $250 payment.

Delegates who do not attend the November 5 and November 12 meetings and do not make the $250 payment WILL NOT BE ALLOWED ON THE BUS FOR THE CONFERENCE.

(Meeting absences will be excused only if signed note from a parent is provided. Alternative payment plans are granted only by Samantha on a case-by-case basis. Forgetting to attend a meeting, forgetting to provide a timely payment, or forgetting to have a parent call to make alternative arrangements will not be excused and you will not be permitted to attend the conference.)

November 18: Bill Hearing Night! This will be a special meeting at which we will select which of our bills will be presented at the final conference in Sacramento. Parents will be invited and encouraged to attend. Delegate attendance is mandatory. Delegates will also need to attend in dress code. This meetings will start at 6:30, not at our normal 7:00 pm meeting time.

Delegation Bulletin 3

Lots of information here - please take the time to READ IT ALL and act on it accordingly!

Upcoming Deadlines

Oct 30 - Political Parties program area application due. See http://www.calymca.org/parties for more info or talk to Christiana.

November 12 - $250 payment deadline (mandatory for conference attendance without prior Y approval for alternate plans. NO EXCEPTIONS)

Upcoming Events

Oct 24 - Halloween Volunteer Event at the Y (Sam needs more help! Note, this is not a fundraiser per say, but participation and volunteerism will be considered when awarding limited scholarship funds.)

Nov 5 - First Conference planning meeting. Attendance is mandatory. Parents are invited to attend to learn more about our conferences.

Nov 6 - Sold On Youth Auction 5:30pm-8:00pm at Sac State Ballroom (BIG MONEY FUNDRAISER)

Nov 8 - Antique Fair Parking Lot Fundraiser

Nov 12 - Last regular meeting before Bob I - Attendance is mandatory.

Ongoing Events

Raffle ticket sales (sell 20 tickets and meet your Nov 12 payment; sell 52 tickets and your program is paid for)

Coupon Book sales

Announcements

Bill Hearing Night is currently scheduled for Thursday, November 19 from 6:30-8:00pm. This is the meeting immediately following Bob I. Bills are due on December 4 and Nov 19 is our only real shot at a meeting that leaves us time to revise before bills are due.

ATTENDANCE AT BILL HEARING NIGHT IS MANDATORY.

To prepare for this meeting, we're going to spend the meetings between now and then accomplishing a lot of work on our bills. Here's a tentative schedule:

Oct 22 - Final day to introduce new ideas - bring them all to the table! We'll divide into bill groups and go over parliamentary procedure.

Oct 29 - Groups will present their first draft bills and be prepared to debate them.

Nov 5 - Prepare for the first conference; bill groups will present any changes to their bills

Nov 12 - Prepare for the first conference; full bill debates and final preparation for Bill Hearing Night!

Reminders/News for the Week

1.) Save your self and your advisors considerable stress by getting your payments in on-time or even early. We don't want to leave anyone behind when we head to Bob I on November 13th. Remember: have a parent call Samantha Doffo at 916-452-9622 ext 132 if you have continuing or changing payment concerns. We can only assist with problems about which we are informed! It's better to make ANY payment ($50 a week? $20 a week?) than none at all.

2.) BILL IDEAS: we've had some great bill ideas discussed in our meetings already. This week, be ready to be divided into bill groups. Haven't brought up your idea yet? It's not too late! Come with something on Thursday and pitch it to the delegation. If you've already brought an idea to the table, you should spend some time before Thursday's meeting looking up some initial research. Click here for a list of questions you'll need to be able to answer and that will help guide your research.

3.) Paperwork: THANK YOU! We have nearly 100% of your paperwork submitted. Just a few stragglers to go and we'll be all set. Good work!

4.) Meeting Check-in Process: Upon arriving at meetings, delegates should first check the side table for any sign-up forms, handouts, or other information. CELL PHONE POLICY: Beginning Oct 15, delegates must turn off their phones (vibrate-mode is not the same as turned-off!) and leave them on the side table for the duration of the meeting. Delegates are not permitted to make or answer calls or texts during the meeting. This policy ensures an efficient, respectful meeting and allows us to continue with an hour-format for our meetings. Exceptions to this policy are granted only in legitimate, medical emergencies. Otherwise, everyone can survive for an hour. (This policy extends to the wearing of headphones/ear pieces/or blue tooth equipment. All are prohibited during the meeting.)

5.) Bring your calendar or planner to all meetings!

6.) Kudos to everyone who took the initiative to complete Individual Scholarship Applications. We appreciate your efforts and your getting everything in on time!

7.) Remember: If you are interested in the Treasurer or Secretary positions, you need to submit your statement of interest to Patrick by Tuesday evening (smithpat1992 at yahoo dot com) And be prepared to arrive at the Y early on Thursday!

Bill Writing 101

Do you have a bill idea you'd like to discuss and pursue this year? If so, here's a guide for your research.

If you've already brought up an idea at a past meeting, you should be able to answer these questions this week. If you have a new idea to bring to the table, you should also be prepared to answer these questions.

Bill Writing Questions:

1. What is the topic of your bill?

2. How did you think of this bill?

3. Have you looked up legislation already written on this topic?

- www.leginfo.ca.gov

4. Is there legislation already in place on your topic?

- If so, does your legislation ADD to what exists? Does it REPEAL what exists? Does it AMEND what exists?

5. In what section of the California Code would your bill live?

- Check www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw for a list of codes

5. Who might support your bill?

6. Who might oppose your bill? Why?

7. List the websites and other sources you used in your research.
Have questions? Leave a comment below or email your delegation leadership/advisors.

And the winner is!

Meet your new sweatshirt!

Sweatshirt Design Ideas!

Our delegation sweatshirt design must be to the printers by Friday at 8:00am! Time to come up with some good ideas. Here's an initial idea with two variations. Note that we're limited to two colors printed on a burgandy background, the shirt must include the Y&G and Capital Coalition logos, and must comply with the printer's technical specifications. Bring your ideas to the meeting Thursay - Last Chance!!!

School House Rock/I'm Just A Bill 1

School House Rock/I'm Just A Bill 2

License Plate - Note: Not up to full technical specification, may not be possible; would be limited to 2 colors.

Freeway Sign - Note: Not up to full technical specification, may not be possible; would be limited to 2 colors.

A Bug's Life font; Xanadu font; Collegiate font; License Plate font (click to enlarge) - Note: believed to meet technical specifications, but not confirmed.

More fun fonts (click to enlarge) - Note: believed to meet technical specifications, but not confirmed.

Be prepared to rank your choices and remain flexible due to technical requirements imposed by printer and technical limitations of your advisors.

Delegation Bulletin #2

Upcoming Deadlines

Oct 15 Paperwork! (see item 4 below)

Oct 15 Sweatshirt Design due to printers (SUBMIT IDEAS NOW!)

Oct 16 Individual Scholarship Deadline (REQUIRES ADVISOR SIGNATURE)

Nov 12 $250 payment deadline (mandatory for conference attendance without prior Y approval for alternate plans. No Exceptions)

Upcoming Events

Oct 24 Halloween Volunteer event at the Y

Nov 6 Sold On Youth Auction (BIG MONEY FUNDRAISER)

Nov 8 Antique Fair Parking Lot Fundraiser

Ongoing Events

Raffle ticket sales

Coupon book sales

Announcements

Keep the bill ideas coming. Now is the time to start your preliminary research as well. Next week we will divide into bill groups.

Reminders

1.) Two payment deadlines have now passed and each delegate is responsible for having paid $300 for the program so far. Remember, you can meet that requirement in two ways: first, with a check; second, through your fundraising activities. If you have spoken to me regarding payment concerns, please remember: it is better to make ANY payment ($50?) than to make no payment at all. Making some level of payment will demonstrate to the YMCA that you are dedicated to the program. It's a "putting your money where your mouth is" showing of good faith. Again, we understand that in some cases, even $20 is impossible for some families. If this is you and your family, you MUST have a parent contact Sam Doffo at the YMCA to discuss the situation. 916-452-9622 ext 132. Don't delay!

2.) Bring your calendar or planner to meetings to record events and deadlines.

3.) If you sign up for an event but are unable to attend at the time you said you would or at all, you MUST contact Patrick, Chelsea, or Christiana at least 24 hours in advance. Unexcused absences may count against you when it comes to dividing fundraising proceeds and selecting program roles.

4.) ALL PAPERWORK is due at the next meeting. Did you lose yours? Download here. NOTE: do not return the entire parent packet. There is information there designed for your reference throughout the program. Return only forms requiring a signature. Delegates must submit the Delegation Contract, Medical Release Form, Code of Conduct, and Payment policy by Oct 15 or jeopardize their place in the program.

5.) Meeting Check-in Process: Upon arriving at meetings, delegates should first check the side table for any sign-up forms, handouts, or other information. CELL PHONE POLICY: Beginning Oct 15, delegates must turn off their phones (vibrate-mode is not the same as turned-off!) and leave them on the side table for the duration of the meeting. Delegates are not permitted to make or answer calls or texts during the meeting. This policy ensures an efficient, respectful meeting and allows us to continue with an hour-format for our meetings. Exceptions to this policy are granted only in legitimate, medical emergencies. Otherwise, everyone can survive for an hour. (This policy extends to the wearing of headphones/ear pieces/or blue tooth equipment. All are prohibited during the meeting.)

Need Forms? Click the link below!

Click here for a list of forms and information to download, including the Individual Scholarship Application that is due OCTOBER 16 and that MUST BE SIGNED BY AN ADVISOR.

IMPORTANT: All forms requiring a parent signature MUST be turned in at the next meeting on October 15. Also, payments were due Sept. 25 ($100) and Oct. 9 ($200). If you have not made one or both payments, you need to contact Samantha Doffo at the YMCA (916-452-9622 ext 132) ASAP to discuss your payment situation or risk jeopardizing your place in the program.

We understand it is a difficult time for most families. You can help the Y help you by making whatever payment you can afford as soon as possible, even if it is $20. Also, coupon books and raffle tickets are available for you to sell to raise money. This will not only help you with funds but also demonstrate to the YMCA that you are dedicated to the program and fundraising efforts.

Delegation Bulletin #1

Greetings, Sac Central Delegation! Here are some notes and reminders for the coming week:

Upcoming Deadlines

Oct 9 - Payment #2 ($200)

Oct 9 - Registration for the first conference due - we can't register you without your paperwork!

Oct 9 - Elected and Appointed official applications due

Oct 15 - Sweatshirt design deadline

Oct 16 - Individual Scholarship Applications due

Upcoming Events

Oct 11 - Parking lot fundraiser

Oct 24 - Halloween Volunteer event at the Y

Nov 6 - Sold on Youth Auction at Sac State (HUGE fundraising opportunity!)

Ongoing Events

Raffle ticket sales

Coupon book sales

Announcements

Bring more bill ideas to the meeting this week. In the next few weeks, we'll move from general discussions to researching bill ideas. It's never too soon to start using the internet to guide your research.

Reminders

1.) IMPORTANT: If you sign up for an event, such as the College Application Workshop, but can't make it, it's very important that you let Christiana know. On Saturday, two delegates enjoyed a nearly-private tutoring session on how to get into college, but the other 4 delegates who signed up neither showed up nor let anyone know. This is disrespectful to the volunteers who give their time to enrich your Y&G experience. Attendance at events aside from meetings and conferences is never mandatory, but if you sign up, you show up. In the future, unexcused absences will be considered when it comes time to award group scholarship money and select program areas. The 4 absentees this week get one-time-only pass because we'll use this email and the next meeting to make sure you know how to get a hold of someone in case of an absence.

Contact information (translate email addresses which are spelled out to avoid spam coming to us):

Lead Advisor Christiana Dominguez - cell 916-508-3299, email cdominguez at cslea dot com (email notice only valid if received at least 24 hours in advance of event)

Delegation President Patrick Smith - cell 916-595-4191, email smithpat1992 at yahoo dot com (same policy)

Delegation Vice President Chelsea Dascher - cell 916-203-9855, email ccdascher at yahoo dot com (same policy)

Samantha Doffo (Y Liaison) - 916-452-9622 ext 132

2.) Bring your sweatshirt designs to the next meeting! We need to choose one and have time to work with the printers!

3.) Bring your calendar or planner to meetings so you can be aware of potential conflicts when we schedule additional fundraisers and events.

4.) Remember to check the delegation website after and between meetings for updates and announcements. We'll also post downloadable versions of forms in case you lose any after a meeting. http://SacCentralDelegation.blogspot.com

5.) BRING BACK YOUR SIGNED PAPERWORK. Registration for the first conference is due next week. We cannot register delegates who have not turned in their signed: Delegation Contract; Medical Release Form; Code of Conduct; Payment Policy. Don't get left behind!