El Dorado Youth and Government Delegation Bulletin #21

This is what you need to know this week:

“ 

If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress

 ." 

-President Barack Obama 

70th Model and Legislature and Court Conference Countdown: 24 Days Left!

Note: Did you complete your post-T&E2 survey yet? Make sure you do! 

Also: Are all of your payments in? They should be! 

1.) Meeting Schedule: We have only 3 regular meetings left this year! Make sure you're there for all three! January 25, February 1 and 8. February 8 is a MANDATORY pre-conference meeting. All delegates must attend. New delegates must bring a family member along. Returning delegate families are encouraged, but not required, to attend. 

2.) Delegation Officer Primaries: Want to run for an officer position in our delegation? This week we will be holding our delegation's officer candidate primaries. Primaries will be held for the following offices:

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary
• Chief Fundraising Officer (CFO)
• Forum Liaison
• Sergeant-at-Arms
• Spirit Leader

Please review the attached specific expectations, duties, and responsibilities for each individual office. Each candidate will need to wear Sac attire, prepare up to a 2 minute speech outlining why they are the best person for the office, and be ready to answer some questions from the current officers. The top three candidates for each office will advance to the final election at Sacramento Conference. If you are going to run, please send me an email letting me know (if you haven't already). 

3.) Conference Prep: It's time to start getting ready for Sac Conference. NIC Proposals, Legislative Analyst Reports, and Dept of Finance Reports are due this week via Reggo. Bill Primary and Secondary Sponsors should be practicing their sponsor and summation speeches.

4.) Early Arrival Info: Those arriving early for Sac Conference have received information via separate email. If you haven't replied to that email yet, make sure to do so!

5.) Conference on National Affairs. Apply today for a CONA summer getaway. No, it's not in Hawaii: our CONA stands for Conference on National Affairs. Each year, delegates from Y&G states nationwide gather for an NIC-style conference. Only 25 delegates from California are selected to attend and doing so is a great honor! Our delegation has a history of having applicants selected for this prestigious program. CONA takes place in North Carolina from June 26-July 6, 2018. There are program fees associated with attendance, but financial assistance is available through CalYMCA. I strongly encourage you to apply if interested!

Applications are available in Reggo now and are February 12. Applications require a Lead Advisor letter of recommendation. Requests for a letter of rec must be made by February 7. Applications will also require a second letter of recommendation. All letters of rec must be received by February 15 at 12 noon. (Note the deadline for the Lead Advisor request again, however!)  

6.) Youth & Government Governing Board Position. Each year, CalYMCA includes delegate representatives on its Governing Board. This is a way to represent your fellow delegates during important policy discussions that impact the entire program. Apply to serve today! Applications are available in Reggo and are due February 12. 

7.) Celebration Banquet Returns! Join us on Wednesday, February 28 at 6:30pm for our Second Annual Capitol Coalition Celebration Banquet. It's a fun evening featuring presentations from various program areas, awards, and maybe a guest speaker or two. We will again meet at Old Spaghetti Factory in Rancho Cordova. Tickets are $15 each and cover salad, your choice of one of three entrees and dessert. Thank you to the Old Spaghetti Factory for providing complimentary beverages again this year - we appreciate their support! 

Tickets sales open tomorrow and can be purchased here https://capcobanquet.brownpapertickets.com 

Online tickets have a small service fee attached. If you want to avoid that fee, you can pay me in person at meetings until February 8. Online ticket sales will end February 22. ***If the ticket cost presents a financial hardship, let me know ASAP. We don't want anyone staying home due to financial concerns***

8.) MUN Secretariat Application Extension. Looking for a chance to lead the next generation of delegates? The deadline for Model United Unions (MUN) Secretariat applications has been extended to Friday, February 9th in Reggo. MUN Secretariats are an integral part of the MUN program and MUN delegates’ experience. MLC Delegates in 10th-12th grade are eligible to apply. New Secretariats should apply for the general Secretariat role or ST1 (job description here). Returning Secretariats should apply for Senior Secretariat or ST2 (job description here). Any questions about the leadership opportunity can be directed to secretariat@calymca.org.

9.) I&A Party Chair Application - Deadline Extended. Applications for 71st ML/C Party Chair area available in Reggo. The Deadline has been extended to February 7. You don't need to be in I&A currently to apply. 

10.) Annual Campaign Is Underway! Each year, YMCAs around the country hold their Annual Support Campaign. Our very own El Dorado Delegation campaign is underway and we need YOU to join! 100% of our Volunteer Advising Team has already made their pledge. We hope you'll join us by giving online today here or via the form available here.

Our goal is 100% delegate participation. Participation starts at just $1. 

If you give $1 or more you'll be entered into a drawing for a $50 Starbucks gift card. The first family group to hit 100% participation will win a special prize!

11.) Awards Season! Is there a delegate, program volunteer, or advisor you’d like to nominate for an award in Sacramento? Award nominations can be made here, and are due by 11:59 PM on Thursday, February 15th. For a list of all awards and a description of each, click here. Award recipients are determined by an Award Committee, consisting of selected delegates, advisors, volunteers and core staff. Awards will be given during the Closing Joint Session in Sacramento.

12.) Excused Absence Letter. Participation in Y&G constitutes and excused absence under the education code. Here's a sample excused absence letter you can take to your school. Don't return it to me! I don't need it. :) For Oak Ridge Students, I will send a list of names to the Oak Ridge administrative office.

Family Corner: 

VIP Day. Do you know an educator, community leader, potential donor, or other VIP who you think should see our program in action? VIP Day is the Friday of our Sac Conference and is designed to showcase who we are and what we do in our community. We have a limited supply of complimentary tickets available. If you know someone who can help us reach more delegates, please pass along their contact information by Monday, January 29. 

As always, thank you for reading and I will see you on Thursday!

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Mark your calendars for these key events!

February 8, 2018: Mandatory Pre-Conference Meeting

February 15-19, 2018 (Sacramento) 70th Model Legislature & Court

February 28, 2018: 2nd Annual CapCo Celebration Banquet