2018-19 El Dorado Youth and Government Delegation Bulletin #20

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

– Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Wow! What an amazing Fresno 2 conference. On behalf of the whole advisor team we want to say great job! The spirit, energy, and dedication was the best I have seen in three years. Keep up the positive momentum and let's have an amazing Sacramento Conference! 

1.) Meeting on Thursday (1/24): Reminder, we do have a meeting this Thursday. We will be going over the delegations election system and elaborating on what each officer position entails. We will also be discussing the conference and getting ready for the Sacramento conference in three weeks!

2.) Post-Conference Survey: CalYMCA emailed a link to their post-conference survey yesterday afternoon. Please look for that email and complete the survey ASAP.  If you cannot find the email, click here to complete the survey, but make sure you correctly select our delegation. 

3.) Annual Campaign: Last week, we discussed the Sacramento Central YMCA Annual Campaign. Now is the time to speak with your family, friends, and network about supporting your work as a delegate and the Y's work in our community. Our Coalition giving page is here and a paper pledge form can be found here. To qualify for the first-to-100% and most-raised competitions, your gift or pledge must be received by Friday, February 1! 

BREAKING NEWS: We have our first Donor Match event of the Campaign. Donations received on the CapCo page between now and Friday, January 25, will be matched dollar for dollar up to $500! That means your donation is twice as powerful this week! 

4.) Delegation Officer Elections (72nd MLC): This year's delegation elections for next year's officers calendar is as follows:

- January 30: Deadline to file to run for an officer position

- January 31: Delegation Primary Elections (Narrow to top two candidates for each race)

- February 18: Delegation General Elections (Select final officers for 2019-20)

- February 27: Swearing-In Ceremony at the Annual Celebration Banquet

All delegates planning to return for next year's program are eligible to run some officer positions. All delegates should carefully review the leadership expectations and officer duty statements to determine their eligibility. Delegates self-nominate for the position in which they are interested by completing this candidate form. All candidates must complete the form by January 30. Candidate information is linked in this week's bulletin and will run in subsequent bulletins as well. 

Delegation Primary: 

The delegation primary will be held on January 31. If you qualify to run for a given position, (please see the leadership expectations statement above), and have submitted the candidate form, you will have 2 mins to deliver your candidate speech.. Delegates may ask candidates questions if time allows. The delegation will then vote on each officer race. The top two delegates who receive the most votes in their given race will advance to the general election. If there is only one candidate running for a given position, they will still need to give a speech to the delegation. Candidates will need to be in Sac Attire for the primary.

General Election:

The final general election held on Monday, Feb 18 (last day of Sac Con). Candidates are strongly encouraged to campaign between the primary election on Jan 31 to the general election on Feb 18th. This includes speaking with the delegation, making campaign materials, and discussing why they are the best candidate for the given office. Using this time to speak with members of the delegation will benefit your race. The final morning of Sac Con, officer candidates will answer a pre-determined set of questions administered by the current officers. Then, the delegation will vote on each candidate race.

After the general election, the officers-elects will be sworn-in at our Celebration Banquet on February 27 (after Sac Conference). 

Appointed Positions for Next Year:

Additionally, if you are interested in serving as a family leader or other appointed delegation positions for next year, please review the appointed expectations and duty statements. I will send out an appointed candidate form at the beginning of next year for those who are interested.

4.) Third Annual CapCo Celebration Banquet - Tickets Now Available: Please join us for this year's celebration banquet on Wednesday, February 27, at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Rancho Cordova. We'll enjoy guest speakers, delegate speeches, program area presentations, hand out this year's awards, and watch the always-popular CapCo slideshow. Purchase your tickets here: https://capcobanquet2019.brownpapertickets.com/  Ticket sales end Wednesday, February 20.

6.) Additional Y&G Applied Programs and Opportunities: A range of other Y&G programs and opportunities are currently available for application. All apps are available in your Reggo account. Please contact me if you have additional questions about any of these opportunities. 

• Conference on National Affairs (CONA): CONA is a ten-day national Y&G program that brings together delegations from all over the US for an NIC-style debate program. Twenty-five delegates from California are selected for this prestigious program. More information can be found here. Financial aid is available through CalYMCA if you are selected. Apply in Reggo. Due: February 1. NOTE: A lead advisor recommendation is required and must be requested no later than February 1. 
• CalYMCA Governing Board, Youth Member: Applications are now open for youth member spots on the CalYMCA Governing Board. In this role you represent your fellow delegates with a vote on the Board of Directors that makes important policy decisions about our programs. This is a very important position with a lot of responsibility and the power to have a lasting impact on Y&G. Requires quarterly meeting attendance. Travel provided by CalYMCA. Apply in Reggo. Due: February 1
• YMCA175: This summer, the YMCA celebrates 175 year of service with a global youth conference in London (Aug 4-8). For information on this exciting opportunity, check out this link. In the meantime, if you are interested in this program, please apply for the Y&G Delegation via Reggo. Due: February 1

You must notify me if you apply for any of these programs so that I can approve your application. Failure to let me know means your application won't be considered by CalYMCA. 

REMINDERS:

Candidates and Leadership Applicants/Applied Program Area Applicants: 

• If you are running for elected office, make sure you have reviewed the campaign rules and that you are tracking any campaign expenditures. You MUST bring to conference check-in a completed campaign finance disclosure form to be signed by your lead advisor even if you incurred no campaign expenses! Every candidate must submit a form upon arrival to Fresno, even if it's blank! 

Parent Corner

- Sac Conference Meals: Unlike our first two conferences, our final conference includes only 2 provided meals (Friday and Sunday night dinners). Delegates are responsible for all other meals. We generally recommend a budget of $100 per delegate, depending on their appetite. Delegates are highly encouraged to bring non-perishable breakfast items (instant oatmeal, fruit, granola bars) to save on costs and time in the morning. If the meal budget for the conference presents a financial hardship, contact me ASAP. No one will be allowed to go hungry during the conference. 

- Sac Conference Attendance: Sac Conference is Feb 14-18 and constitutes an excused absence from school under the Education Code. I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you again that regular season sports or other regular, predictable, or recurring events (like homework or tests) do not constitute valid excuses for missing any part of Sac Conference. Exceptions will only be granted on a case-by-case basis for special circumstances (like state championships, meetings with the pope or president, that sort of thing). 

It may seem like no big deal to pop out for a couple of hours, but your advisors are responsible for knowing the whereabouts of 140 people at all times and tracking delegate location when every one is at conference is tricky enough. Y&G is also preparing delegates for real life in that, in life, sometimes you have to make tough choices about what activities to prioritize. 

We thank you for respecting this policy and helping us ensure a safe and positive experience for all delegates.

- Verizon & Remind: Yesterday, you received an email about Remind text messaging no longer working with Verizon phones (note this DOES NOT impact our upcoming conference. It is schedule to take effect January 28). If you are a Verizon customer, please consider calling or tweeting Verizon to ask them to reconsider. For more information, please click here. 

-Payment Reminder: The fourth and final program payment for the year was due by December 14. Payments can be made online here (online payment instructions found here) or over the phone by calling the YMCA Front Desk at 916-452-9622 ext 0. Checks are payable to "Sacramento Central YMCA" and should be dropped off at the YMCA as soon as possible.

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

Derek Dolfie

Lead Advisor/Delegation Dad

El Dorado Delegation

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Mark your calendars for these key events!

January 19-31: Capitol Coalition Annual Campaign (Give online or return this form)

January 24 - regular meeting (delegation officer primary announcements)
January 31 - regular meeting (delegation officer primary)
February 7 - mandatory pre-conference meeting for ALL delegates and a family member (new and returning) 
February 14-18 - 71st Model Legislature & Court (Sacramento)
February 27, 2019 - Third Annual CapCo Celebration Banquet, Old Spaghetti Factory, Rancho Cordova