Happy New Year - and Welcome to the Home Stretch!‏

The year is flying by - can you believe we only have 5 regular meetings left this program year? That's crazy!

Reminder: We won't meet this coming Wednesday, January 2 but we'll resume our regular meeting schedule on Wednesday, January 9 at 6:30 at the YMCA. 

Payments: By that day, your account should be at $1275 (either through payments or a combination of payments and scholarship credit).  You will receive an individual email from me in the next few days letting you know your current payment status.

Program Areas: All delegates have been assigned to a program area as follows. (Note: if you applied for a leadership position, you'll likely find out whether you have an interview between now and T&EII. If you are selected, you'll be reassigned to that role.)
Rose - Senate
Alex - Assembly
Alberto - Trial Court
Tony - NIC
Max - Lobbyist
Iris, Maret, Sarina - our political polling powerhouse!

Next Conference! Bob II (or is it Bob I since Bob I was a Larry? So confusing!) will take place Saturday, January 19 - Monday, January 21. We don't have exact departure times yet, but plan on an ungodly early arrival at the YMCA to catch the bus. It's tradition!  We will probably return later in the evening on Monday, January 21 as the check out process at Camp Roberts take an indeterminate amount of time. 6-7pm is a good estimate. A friendly reminder: Bob II is mandatory. If you don't attend Bob II you won't be able to attend Sac conference. The only exceptions I've seen granted are for delegates attending the Inauguration or who have an audience with the Pope (seriously, that happened once.)

Meetings and Events: Grab your 2013 calendars and a pen -
Jan 2 - no meeting
Jan 2 or 3 - Work project at the YMCA! We've been offered an additional $500 in scholarship money for our general scholarship fund if we assembly bill boxes for the Y&G main office. It's a lot of paperwork and filing and copying, but not difficult - just time consuming. Many hands make light work - so we need your help. We're looking at next Wednesday or Thursday as a work day at the Y. Like 10am-4-pm or something. Get it done! Please let us know which day is better for you or if you're available on either day.
Jan 9 - regular meeting/all payments due - Tony - come prepared to talk about NIC proposal ideas!
Jan 16 - Mandatory pre-conference meeting! You noticed that "Mandatory" part, right?
Jan 22 - Regular meeting: Discuss Delegation of Distinction application criteria
Jan 30 - Final polish on bill presentations and NIC proposal; CONA/NJP information; awards application information
Feb 6 - MANDATORY meeting - final conference preparation. Super mandatory!
Feb 8 (Friday) - Crab Feed community service event
Feb 13 - No meeting
Feb 14-18 65th Model Legislature & Court begins!

Your to-do list:
1) Watch for the email about payment status
2) Let us know (preferably on FB group post, but email works, too) which day next week you can help with our project
3) Respond to the FB poll about delegation dinner options
4) If you're Tony - think about NIC proposals!
5) Have a happy, safe New Year's!

(Older bulletins and info always available here: http://saccentraldelegation.blogspot.com/)

Delegation Bulletin: Tomorrow's Meeting Will Be an Away Game‏

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday. 

We will meet tomorrow, but we'll take this show on the road and visit our sister delegation for their Bill Hearing Night. Here are the details:

 1. Address & Time: 6p - 9p

           Blue Shield Building (4203 Town Center Boulevard, across from Town Center)

           Take 2^nd driveway to Blue Shield; no parking restrictions after 5 pm

           Enter through main lobby and notify security you are with Y&G

   2. We will meet at the YMCA (in the foyer of the main building) for a prompt 5pm departure.

   3. Delegates will text/call their parents for arrival times back at the Y when we depart El Dorado Hills.  Expect to pick up delegates between 8:30 and 9:30.

   4. A HUGE thank you to Tracey Anderson (Iris' mom) and Gary Klein (Sarina's father) for providing transportation for our delegation!

   5. Please confirm your attendance through e-mail so we can have a final count for carpooling purposes

   5. Bring snacks in case you don't have time to eat between school and heading off for EDH!

   6. Wear Sac Attire!

Are you interested in serving as a judge for their Bill Hearing Night? Email me ASAP if you are!

Mixed Bags: Our first order is in and will be available for pick up at tomorrow's meeting. If you have any other outstanding orders, please return them tomorrow!

Role Selection: Check out this PowerPoint presentation with helpful summaries of the various program areas.

The distribution formula gives us the following slots for our delegation of 8:

1 Senate

2 Assembly

1 Print Media

2 NIC

1 Lobbyist

1 Page

We currently have no slots in the Court programs, Legislative Analyst, Political Parties, Constitutional Convention, or Dept of Finance program areas HOWEVER I will request space in those program areas if there is interest. I don't like having anyone in the Page program, either.

Please send me your current top 3 program area wishes in the order you most want them as well as whether you are applying for an elected or appointed leadership position. Since I know we have several people interested in Print Media, I *highly* recommend you apply for a leadership position in that program area if it's your top choice.  We'll do our best to get everyone his or her top choice program area, but we can't make any guarantees. (They are all fun, we promise)

Elected and Appointed Leadership - All Due December 7:

Here is the link to the Elected leadership application: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE85c3FpcDRXeUNTczhheGhBc3psNHc6MA#gid=0

Here is the link to the Appointed leadership application: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDB4QjM1YVZleVFrVDNQdXlHSW9EOFE6MA#gid=0

Use the drop-down menu to confirm your position is up right now. If you have questions about qualifications or duties, ask an advisor after checking out past bulletins and links at our delegation website.

Here is the Governor's Cabinet application: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGZfb083S0QxRlJ5aUxYd090V0tmMVE6MQ#gid=0

See you tomorrow for El Do's Bill Hearing Night!

Y&G Delegation Bulletin - Happy Thanksgiving!

***After this week, I will remove from this distribution list people who aren't currently active delegates/parents. If you'd like to remain on the list, please email me to let me know. Information still available via our website and Facebook pages***

1.) No meeting next week - have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

2.) Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, November 28 at the Y. That is also the night of the El Dorado deleation's bill hearing night. They have invited us to attend. Attending would require us to travel up to El Dorado Hills for the evening which in turn would require some parents willing to drive a carpool there and back. Please let me know if you are interested in attending their bill hearing night and if you can help provide a ride. We'll determine whether we can attend based on the response.

3.) Descriptions of program areas are available via this link and can be found in part 3: http://calymca.org/calymca-wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/2012-2013_MLC_Advisor_Manual-updated-font.pdf  Information on elected and appointed leadership can be found in Section 4.

By next week I will upload to the website the information passed out at the last meeting regarding available elected and appointed opportunities at Bob II.  Or you can find it in the "Resources" section of the www.calymca.org site.

Have a great weekend and holiday week!
-cd

Y&G Delegation Bulletin - Week of November 13 (Yes, there is a meeting tomorrow!)‏

Well, our first and only Larry I is now in the rear-view mirror - what did we think?  Your advising team is very proud of you! We thought it was a great day marked by positive attitudes, enthusiasm, and a lot of good effort from everyone in the delegation. We're especially proud of our leadership position applicants for this conference - it's not easy to put yourselves out there for a job and go through the application and interview process. Well done!

We WILL be meeting this weekend - and since it's already Tuesday that means we're meeting tomorrow, November 14, 2012.  We will be meeting in the community room at the YMCA which is downstairs in the main building (no more worrying about locked gates and getting into that room in the lower parking lot, hooray!).

Bill authors need to bring copies of their final bills (all three bills).

We will be discussing program area selection and leadership/candidate application opportunities for the next conference.

We'll also be discussing our meeting schedule and agendas for upcoming meetings through the holidays, so please be sure to bring your planners/calendars!

See you all tomorrow at 6:30!

Y&G Delegation Bulletin - Time to meet Larry!‏

Congratulations on an excellent Bill Hearing Night - it was a great success and you should all be very proud of what you've accomplished - especially in such a short amount of time.

Now - we're on to our next adventure!

(First - if you're on Facebook please click this link RIGHT NOW and join our delegation group. This is a closed group open only to members of our delegation.)

DEPARTURE AND RETURN:
We depart Sunday morning from the lower parking lot at the YMCA. Please arrive by 3:00am. The buses will leave PROMPTLY at 3:15.  Robbie and Ashley will be there to check you in. If you need to contact an advisor that morning, please call Robbie at 707-373-1143.

We are expecting the following delegates to attend this weekend: Alex, Alberto, Rose, Iris, Maret, Tony, and Max.  If your name is on that list and shouldn't or is missing when it should be there, contact me ASAP.  We expect to be back at the YMCA at 4:30 on Monday morning. Please make sure parents are there to pick you up promptly.

SCHEDULE:
See your email in-box for a copy of the draft schedule. Please take a moment to check it out. There are multiple sessions scheduled at the same time and where you need to be can be a bit confusing to sort out. We'll go over this together after check-in. (Note: you don't need to print this out. You'll be given a hard-copy at check-in.) Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided. Feel free to bring snacks and water if you wish. Other delegations will likely be selling snacks and other items as well. You may wish to bring pocket money, but there will be nothing you'll be required to buy during the trip.

WEATHER:
The weekend weather in Tulare looks sunny. It will, however, be VERY COLD in the morning (that goes for Sacramento, too) - as in, near freezing - and very cold again after sunset, with daytime highs only in the upper-50s. We recommend layers! You'll be given your delegation sweatshirt at check in, but please bring another, warm jacket as well. Hats and gloves are a very, very good idea. Since it will have rained recently in the area, expect some mud (or even if it's dry, plenty of dust). You should probably leave your favorite shoes home! Please, please, make sure you bring weather-appropriate clothing.

WHAT TO BRING:
Bring a backpack, a notebook or pad of paper, a pen, and a highlighter. Water if you want. And extra layers of clothing (did we mention that already?)

WE NEED A VOLUNTEER OR TWO:
We are looking for at least one (though we'll take more!) delegate to volunteer to join the Future Leaders Campaign. This is Y&G's fundraising program that raises money for scholarships given out from Y&G (the block grants for which we apply each year that benefit our delegates and delegates around the state).  Volunteers will attend a special meeting or two (and some fun ones like Ice Cream Socials) and be trained how to fundraise by calling prior program participants and past donors. You don't have to give any money yourself to participate. You can gain some extra skills, brush up on your own fundraising pitches (will come in handy for going after college scholarships!) and help our delegation earn points toward becoming a "Delegation of Distinction."  Who can help out with this important project? Please let me know right away!

BUTTON SALES:
Everyone attending the conference this weekend will be issued a Button Bag to help sell our super-cool buttons. We have two kinds: a larger button that comes in a variety of colors that says "Keep Calm and Legislate" on it and a mini-badge that says "Larry!" on it. Larger buttons will be sold for $! and smaller ones for $0.50.  Money raised will go toward our delegation's scholarship fund.

Questions?  Please contact us if you have any questions about the weekend! 

Important Conference Update!

Over the past three weeks, the Y&G staff team has been working tirelessly to adjust our program considering the fact that we will not be able to use Camp Roberts for T&E I.

While the staff and key volunteers felt they had created a conference that included a suitable location for housing, a number of parents and other YMCAs felt uneasy with the housing arrangements. In light of this, Y&G decided the best way to meet the needs of our YMCA partners, is to change the format of T&E I from a two-day event to a fun-filled one day event.

The event will still be at the International Agri Center in Tulare, and will take place on Sunday, November 11th. While this certainly marks (yet another) departure from our traditional program schedule, we're confident it will still be a fun, jam-packed day that will provide a lot of valuable information to delegates.

We will, however, be adjusting our travel schedule significantly to allow us to attend the conference. We will now be departing on SUNDAY morning (not Saturday) and delegates need to be at the YMCA lower parking lot by 3:00am.  The buses will depart exactly at 3:15am. We know this is early. It is closer, however, to our traditional departure times for conferences held at Camp Roberts.  Check-in at the Tulare site starts at 7am - we are aiming to arrive between 7 and 7:30 am. Breakfast will be provided to delegates before our 9am conference start time.

Delegates will still attend a series of role-exposure workshops to give everyone insight into the program areas available in Y&G and mingle with delegates from around the state. It will still be a very, very vital component of the Y&G experience.

The conference will wrap-up at 10pm and a dance will be held between 10 and 11:30pm.

We will depart from Tulare at midnight and return to the YMCA on Monday morning, Nov 12, around 4:30 am. It's a swift, information- and fun-filled 24 hours.  Our transportation will be provided by professional, charter bus drivers who are accustomed to such driving schedules and who will observe the mandated rest period between our journeys. They will be provided with hotel rooms at which to rest and sleep during the day.

We also know this is two, consecutive wee-hour pick-ups by parents. If we could make the times any later, believe us, we would. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Delegates no longer need to worry about bringing tents or sleeping bags but should still dress in layers because temperatures will be cool in the morning and at night. We will be keeping an eye on weather reports between now and then as well. Delegates should bring a backpack with paper, a pen, a highlighter, and a bottle of water. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided. Delegates don't need to bring any extra spending money unless they wish too. Some delegations will still be selling food and other items (including us - we'll still be selling buttons) so if you wish to bring some pocket money for that, please do so.

Thank you for your understanding and flexibility regarding this latest round of changes. The Youth & Government staff and program area volunteers have gone above-and-beyond since they were notified of Camp Roberts's sudden unavailability (a once-in-20+-years occurrence).  January's conference is still expected to go on at Camp Roberts with none of these changes or concerns and will still be a full holiday-weekend event.  These changes have had a bright-side: showing off the amazing can-do spirit of everyone involved in the program and their commitment to fulfilling our motto "Democracy must be learned by each generation," from delegate to advisor to staff to interns.

If you have any questions, please let us know.

We look forward to seeing you all at Monday's Bill Hearing Night practice and at Wednesday's Bill Hearing Night (mandatory for delegates and recommended for parents).  Have a great weekend and don't forget to vote on Tuesday!

Delegation Bulletin - It's November!

ADDED 11/2/12: ATTENTION!  PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THIS IMPORTANT CONFERENCE UPDATE FOR CHANGES TO OUR DEPARTURE AND RETURN SCHEDULE.

NOTE 1: We have added a bonus meeting this coming Monday, November 5, at 6:30 at the Y.  That is in addition to Bill Hearing Night which is still scheduled for Wednesday, November 7 from 6-8pm (see attached reminders).  Bill Hearing Night IS ABSOLUTELY MANDATORY. Parents are encouraged to attend as well.

Here's what you need to know for the week ahead:

1.) Here is the Parent/Delegate Info letter and pack list for the first conference. We will leave from the lower parking lot of the YMCA at 6am on Saturday, November 10. Be there by 5:45am. If you're late, you're going to be asking your parents for a LONG ride. 

Here are the most important pack-list items (with some additional details)
What to Pack
- Sleeping bag (must be rated +30° or better)
- Tent (It should be waterproof, and someone should know how to set it up)
- Tarp for the tent to go on.
- Something soft (air mattress/ foam pad) to put your sleeping bag on.
- Backpack. You’ll need to bring your daily supplies with you, since you won’t be able to return to the sleeping area until the end of the day.
- Flashlight
- A water bottle. Drinking fountains are few and far between.
- Snacks
- Note taking stuff (pen, paper, hi-liter)
- Baby wipes, hand sanitizer. There will be no shower facilities available.

****We're looking for volunteers to bring tents. Ideally, they will be 6-10 person tents so that we can have all our girls in one tent and all our guys in another (advisors will be in their own tents).  Please let me know ASAP if you can bring a tent and how many people the tent sleeps. If you have a tarp or ground cover, please let me know as well.   Lastly - take a moment to figure out your sleeping bag situation and to what temperature your bag is rated. If you have extra, cold-weather sleeping bags you can lend to delegates who might only have warmer weather ones, please let me know if you're willing to share.****

Please pack layers, plenty of socks, and keep checking the weather forecast. We'll back in Barracks land for our January conference.

SEE THIS LINK FOR UPDATED INFORMATION

2.) Bill Hearing Night is Wednesday and we'd like you to attend in "Sac Attire." The Dress Code is here. If you have questions about the code, please let us know.

3.) If you're wanting to attend this first conference and join our delegation, we should have your paperwork already and payments totaling $600 OR a competed financial aid application with supporting documentation. And you should have completed the online registration process. If you haven't done any of these things, please get to the Y this week to get your materials in. We want you to come to the first conference!

4.) Reading this? Thanks! If you're a delegate, send Christiana an email saying "may I have a prize please" and you'll get one. We reward readers ;)

5.) GOTV/Election Day:  This weekend marks the final push for campaigns at every level. All campaigns will be looking for volunteers and will be happy to put you to work. If you want to see what it really takes to get elected to office or to pass a ballot measure, there's no better way then participating first hand. (Didn't we also have a scholarship to reward campaign volunteering? Why yes we did!) Get out and volunteer for any race you like! If you'd like to be matched to a campaign, just let us know who/what you'd like to volunteer for: presidential? congressional? legislative? ballot measure? city council? school board? We know people at pretty much every campaign in the region.

6.) Delegation of Distinction - we'll talk more about this next week, but for now, check out the criteria by which we'll set ourselves apart from the average delegation! It's here.

See you all next Monday and Wednesday!  Keep up your bill research - you're all doing great work!

Quick Notes

Five quick things:

1) Bill writing information can be found here: http://saccentraldelegation.blogspot.com/2012/10/bill-information-your-2012-guide-to-all.html

2.) Please go to this website and register for the first conference: https://app.reggo.org/users/login
And then, if you're on Facebook, join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacramentoCentralDelegation/

3.) VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: If anyone is available and interested, the Y needs some volunteers tomorrow night (Oct 26) for their Harvest Festival from about 4pm - 8pm.  Please reply to this email ASAP if you can attend.

4.) Sweatshirt size?  If you weren't at the meeting last night but you are joining the delegation, I need your sweatshirt size ASAP so you have a sweatshirt for the first conference.  Sizes are S, M, L, XL.  If you need larger or smaller than those sizes, let me know and we'll do our best with the company to get you your size.

5.) MONDAY meeting next week - Oct 29 (so we don't have to meet on Halloween night - too spooky!)

Have a great weekend!

p.s. Bill sponsors: please do your best to submit your bill language to me by Sunday afternoon.
p.p.s. If you are joining but haven't submitted paperwork and a payment yet, please try to drop off your materials to the YMCA today or tomorrow!  Monday at the meeting is okay too, but sooner is better. Thanks!

Delegation Bulletin - Week of Oct 22

We'll revive our delegation bulletin on a somewhat sporadic basis going forward. This information will always be available to you three ways: 1) Via email; 2) On our delegation website; 3) In our delegation FB group (linked to the page)  If you could confirm to me that you're getting this info, that'd be great (reply to this email or comment in the FB group)

1) Great work this weekend! Thanks to those of you who made it out for Bill Bonanza 2012.  Seemed productive and fun - would you agree?

2) Please bring drafts of your actual bill language on Wednesday!

3) MEETING GOALS FOR THE WEEK: Review bill drafts; review parliamentary debate procedure

4) Missed the Bonanza or trying to remember some of the info discussed? This post should help you out.

5) Paperwork and payments: If you're just joining us - please bring your completed paperwork to Wednesday's meeting along with payments totaling at least $600 or a completed financial aid application with the required supporting documentation and whatever payment you can afford at this time. Payment concerns? Let your advisors know ASAP! Missing paperwork? No worries - you can find it all here.

6) NEW DELEGATE TO-DO: Please follow this link and register for T&EI (our first conference). You can log in with your FB account or create a new log-in, the choice is yours. It takes only a minute or two and gets you all set to attend our first conference Nov 10-12! Don't delay - register today!

See you Wednesday!

Bill Information - Your 2012 guide to all things Legislative

Here's a quick wrap-up of Bill Writing information for delegates new to our program (or returners ready for a review session):

1.) Where Do Baby Bills Come From? This document will help catch you up - it explains the types of bills we can write; where to find ideas; how to research them; how to figure out where your bill will live among California statutes.

2.) Bill Worksheet.  This document will help you focus your bill work. If your bill is ultimately selected for Sac conference, this doc parallels the supporting information you'll be asked to submit, so you'll be ahead of the game!

3.) Bill Template.  This document shows you what your bill would look like in print. If your bill proceeds to Sac conference, you'll be entering it online, but this template helps you to remember the parts of the bill (the abstract, the body, etc)

• The first line is called "the enacting clause" - it begins "An act to ____________" - the act will either ADD, REPEAL, or AMEND (if your idea is totally new, it adds, if it erases language, it repeals, and if it changes existing law, it amends) the "__________ code" - the second blank will be the code section (Penal, Public Resources, Vehicle, Government, Corporations, etc).  "Relating to _________________" - what's your bill about? And act to amend the penal code, relating to the death penalty? An act to add to the Government code, related to state employee pensions?
• You don't really need to worry too much about a bill abstract right now.
• The language is the biggest concern.  If you are amending a section, cut and paste it from the leginfo website into a new document.  If you are removing language, you use the "strikethrough" option (do this by highlighting the words to strike, right-clicking on them, choose "font" and then click the box next to "strikethrough."  If you are adding language, the new language should be in italics.  The language that doesn't get changed just stays regular. (you don't need to worry about formatting the spacing or the line-numbering as our bills are entered online and not using this template anymore. This is just a guide to help you.)

4.)  Quick research reminders. Start with www.leginfo.ca.gov and Google and move on from there. Make sure your idea doesn't already exist! If it does, can you make it better or more effective? You need to check existing code. It's also not a bad idea to search Bill Information, maybe somebody has tried your idea before and you can take a cue from that effort. Search some keywords for your bill and see what you get. Collect your research. You should describe your efforts on the form and you can/should include links to information you have found. Include sources that support AND oppose your bill. You must learn about both sides otherwise your argument will be weak and easy to target.

Remember: your advisors and fellow delegates are here to help! You can email us, leave a comment here, or drop your question in our FB group. 

Draft bill language is due on Wednesday, October 24 at our meeting. 

It doesn't need to be perfect yet, it just needs to be a good start!

Volunteer Opportunity!

Tomorrow night (Friday, Oct 19), the YMCA will be holding its annual benefit auction at the Elks Tower Ballrooms (J and 11th).

The Y originally offered us the opportunity to run a coat-check room and collect the tips for our scholarship fund. Well, it's probably going to push 80 degrees now, so there may be no coats to check. We still might see if anyone needs to check anything, but we can help them in other ways as well (glamorous jobs like pouring water and ice tea and helping keep things neat and tidy).  This probably counts as service hours for any school requirement you have.

If you'd like to volunteer please RSVP to me ASAP  at christiana_dominguez[at]hotmail[dot]com so I can let the Y know how many helpers to expect (that was a lot of capital letters in one sentence, wasn't it? OK!)

Plan to arrive by 5:45pm and stay until 10pm (if you need to leave earlier, let me know).

Wear black pants and a white collared shirt (polo or dress shirt, or whatever you have) - or at least dark colored pants and a light colored shirt. As close as you can get.

We appreciate your help!

Welcome, New Delegates!

Hello! We're so glad you joined us for our meeting last night. It wasn't a typical meeting, but I hope it gave you some more insight into our program.

(Want a wee bit more insight? Check out these two videos: the official one and the fun one)

Like we mentioned last night, joining Y&G can feel a bit like a leap of faith until you arrive at your first Training & Elections Conference and it all makes sense. We think it's a smart leap, so we hope you'll come along while we build a bigger, stronger delegation.

Here are some things to note:

1) If you're in, just bring back your registration info (lost any paperwork? You can find it all at our website, see the link below) and either a check or a completed financial aid application with supporting documents (or both)

2) Bill Bonanza 2012 is this Sunday: 10:30am – 3:30pm (ish) contact christiana_dominguez[at]hotmail[dot]com for the address and to RSVP!

We're going to knock out the bulk of our bill research and writing. And we'll feed you lunch and snacks. And for anyone interested, after the researchy part of the day wraps up, we'll watch the documentary "Street Fight" which our advisor Robbie says is the best ever.  Feel free to bring any snacks, etc, you wish to share (but that's not required).  And if you have a laptop or smart phone, etc, bring that along too. We'll have wifi and everyone can look stuff up at the same time. It'll be your crash course in a major aspect of Y&G. And fun! It will be fun!

Also, please let us know if you can attend. If you have friends who couldn't make last night's meeting, they are welcome too (but again, let us know for pizza-ordering purposes)

3) We'll have a regular meeting on October 24 at 6:30pm at the YMCA

4) The following week we will meet on *Monday* October 29 so that we're not meeting on Halloween night.  This will be a mandatory meeting that delegates must attend if they want to attend the first conference. We'll discuss everything you need to know about "Ag I" or whatever we're calling it this year.

5) November 7 will be our delegation's Bill Hearing Night form 6pm-8pm at the YMCA. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend. If you have any teachers/school staff/community leaders/etc that you would like to come an check out the program, a flier invitation will be available at our website.

6) November 10-12 will be Training & Election Conference I.  Tentative departure time from the YMCA is 5am, Saturday Nov 10. Return will probably be between 3-5pm on Monday, Nov 12.

7) All this info and more will always be available each week in 3 ways:
Via email
At our Website: you're here!
In our FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacramentoCentralDelegation
(join if you're on FB)

Inspire, Be Inspired: Bill Hearing Night 2012

Join us on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 at 6:00pm for the Sacramento Central Delegation’s Bill Hearing Night. Students will present and debate the legislation they have authored and researched themselves. Learn more about our program and how we’re creating a more engaged community!

Time: 6:00-8:00pm
Date: Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Location: Sacramento YMCA 2021 W Street Sacramento, CA 95818

For more information or to RSVP, please contact Christiana_Dominguez[at]hotmail[dot]com

Writing your personal fundraising letter: A Roundup

Last night we discussed how to write your personal fundraising letter. If you missed the meeting, you can find handouts here. Or feel free to use the online versions to cut and paste from (but remember, personalization is absolutely essential! No one loves a form letter!)

For more information, see last year's post that goes a bit more in-depth on the criteria list. (Scroll down)

Need help finding your elected officials? Try this link. And Google is always your friend, too.

Remember: draft letters and your list of target donors (with addresses!) are due next week. You can always email your advisors drafts early, though!

Small-Dollar, On-Line Fundraiser

The journey of $1000 begins with the first $5, or $2, or even $1. 

We've launched a page at Causes.com to raise our first $1000 for the year. Please share this link with your families, friends, and all around your community. Don't forget to share it on Facebook!

https://www.causes.com/actions/1682131

It all starts tonight!

Students love it. Parents love it. Colleges REALLY love it! The fun starts tonight! Youth & Government starts today, Monday, September 10 at 6:30p at the Sacramento YMCA (2021 W Street). It's a model legislature and court program for high school students. You're gonna love it. We promise. Bring your friends!  The more students, the more fun!

Find us on Facebook!

Don't forget to like our newly updated Facebook Page.

If you're a delegation member, make sure you join our Facebook Group for important updates. We'll post reminders and links to this site over there. Don't miss out!

2012-13 Program Year Starts September 10!

Welcome (or Welcome Back) to Youth & Government!

We'll hold our first meeting of the 2012-13 program year on Monday, September 10, 2012, at 6:30pm at the Sacramento YMCA (2021 W Street, Sacramento, CA 95818)

Come learn about the program's nuts and bolts and our exciting schedule of meetings and conferences - including our first Coalition Retreat. It's a  Baby Bob to remember (what's that mean? come find out!)

The latest program policies, registration forms, and delegation information have been uploaded to Google Docs are are ready for your viewing pleasure. Check them out here.

Remember, the tabs at the top of the page are a handy reference guide to everything you need to know throughout the year.

See you on September 10.

Meeting Schedule and Pre-conference Information

There will be NO meeting next Monday, January 30.

Our final, pre-conference meeting will be Monday, February 6.  This meeting is MANDATORY.  Delegates who do not attend will not be able to attend the conference.

(There will be no meeting on Monday, February 13 either as we will convene on Thursday, February 16 at the conference)

We will discuss the upcoming conference in more detail on February 6. But here's a preview of some things to remember:

1.) We will be guests of the Hyatt Regency Hotel from 11am February 16 (Thurs) through 10am February 20. (Mon).  Delegates must be dropped off at the hotel by 11am on 2/16 IN SAC ATTIRE. They must be picked up from the hotel between 7am and 10am on 2/20.

2.) There will be 4 people in each room. Some rooms have one bed, some rooms have two beds.  Please bring your sleeping bags to Sac conference.  Some people will likely sleep on the floor. This is how it is.

3.) Plan to bring spending money to feed yourselves for most meals during the conference. Three meals will be provided: lunch on Thursday; dinner on Friday; and dinner on Sunday. All other meals are a delegate's responsibility.  If this presents a financial hardship please contact me ASAP.  We strongly encourage you to bring easy, non-perishable breakfast food with you (granola bars, instant oatmeal, bananas, applesauce, etc) since breakfast can be overpriced and hard to squeeze in during the morning rush to session.

4.) IMPORTANT NOTE: Though we will be staying in our home town, delegates (and their families) are encouraged to treat this as an out-of-town trip. What does that mean? That means delegates are absolutely prohibited from leaving the conference boundaries during the conference. Local friends may NOT visit with delegates during the conference.  For all intents and purposes, we may as well be in Los Angeles or Paris. 

5.) Delegates must be in Sac attire from 8am until 10pm everyday.  If you have questions about the dress code, let me know. We'll go over everything one more time at our Feb 6 meeting. Ladies - watch those skirt lengths (knee-length means knee-length) and Gentlemen, you must have something covering your collared shirt and tie at all times.

And lastly - we would like to extend invitations to the annual VIP day where we show off the program to visiting supporters (and donors or would-be donors). If you received a donation from someone you think we should cultivate as a long-term delegation supporter, or if you think you know someone who may be able to help the delegation in the future through either monetary support or with our recruitment efforts, please let me know ASAP.

See you on February 6.