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!