"The law is reason free from passion." - Aristotle
"No offense to Aristotle, but ... I have come to find that passion is a key ingredient to the study and practice of law...and of life." - Elle Woods
This week, we turn our attention to our final module of the year: Courts! It's time for everyone else to get to experience the fun of mini-Y&G law school. We'll also ramp up our conference preparation as we get ready for Feb 28, March 6, and March 7. Last week's bulletin was short. This week's makes up for that. But make sure you READ IT! There is some super cool stuff in here this week. Virtual travel, more leadership opportunities, and more!
Officer Elections: It's your turn to lead - YES, YOU! The candidate filing form for delegation officers is now open. Click hereto review the expectations for all officers and the duties for each position. If you have any fears about being a candidate, put those to the side. This is the safest place to try running for office, the friendliest audience to make a speech in front of, and the best family to lead into next year! Go for it :)
Bills: Drafts have been returned via google classroom. Though the regional deadline for final bill drafts is Feb 8 - Your deadline was Sunday, January 31. Time to get these in! Subcommittee chairs will publish the hearing agenda on February 16 so you have between now and then to lobby them so your bill is set for hearing!
Bill Hearing Script: Legislators, Firms, and Analysts should start getting comfortable with thebill hearing script we'll be using for subcommittee and committee hearings on February 28 and March 6.
Courts Case Prep: Courts folks, you know your role, right? Look it up on the Public Roster (first tab, "Courts" view), if not. After you look up your case and role, join the Courts Google Classroom and begin reviewing your case materials. You'll definitely want to
Model United Nations Secretariat Program: is an opportunity for Y&G delegates in grades 10, 11, and 12 to provide support to middle school ambassadors in our Model United Nations program. You will help a small group (4-5 ambassadors) over the course of 2 months to develop virtual presentations. The Secretariat program is a great way to live our YMCA and Y&G values, develop your own leadership skills and engage with your peers. The Model UN program will be regional and virtual like Y&G, however, the Secretariat Program is going to be run in partnership with our Southern California program. Secretariats will have the opportunity to work and socialize with Y&G delegates from Los Angeles and Ventura County. The deadline to apply is February 12. Apply here.
Y-USA Advocacy Days: THIS IS EXCITING! You know everything you've been doing this year? Figuring out your values, drafting your legislative priorities, learning how to advocate and pitch your priorities to legislators? Well, here's your chance to see how all that stuff happens in real life - - the advocacy party - on behalf of a real life organization, the YMCA! Usually, this is an invite-only event that involves travel to Washington, DC. That would be super fun, BUT, due to covid, this year's event is virtual which means YOU can participate. FOR FREE! Learn all about Advocacy Days here. Note: all times are Eastern Time, so subtract 3 hours. The advocacy days themselves occur on school days, so talk with your parents and teachers. The training sessions, I believe, will be available on video. You should totally do this.
Bonus Webinar: "Are All Schools Created Equal? Disparity & Equity in LA’s Schools:" The Westchester Y&G delegation is holding another in its series of webinars on "Finding Common Ground." On February 8, they'll look at the issue of educational equity. You can register to attend here.
Meeting Link: We'll have our regular meeting this Wednesday. Officers at 6:00, Everyone else at 6:30p. (see email for link)
REMINDERS
Don't forget about the news: we started the program year discussing media literacy. Put those skills to work by reading the news daily. Routh & Tumble is a great news aggregator site that compiles top California headlines on a variety of topics. Start the new year with a new habit of checking it out daily.
Op-Ed Contest: Win yourself a prize by trying your hand at Op-Ed writing. Use the tips available from the Op-Ed Project to write an op-ed on a topic that's timely and important to you and you may find yourself with a sweet Starbucks card. Entries must be received by11:59pm on Friday, February 19, 2021via bit.ly/norcaloped. Entries should be in the form of an op-ed article, of the kinds that appear in newspapers. The op-ed may concern any issue in California public policy or public affairs, broadly defined. Only current NorCal Y&G Delegates are eligible to participate. Entries may be no longer than 750 words. Entries must have been written after January 1, 2021 and may be simultaneous submitted for publication to newspapers. Entries will be judged by a panel of program staff. Top 3 finishers will be shared on the NorCal Y&G IG account.
Missed Last Week's Thursday Meeting? If you missed part 1 of Campaigns & Elections, you can catch up on the content here, presented by Advisor Zack Yeates.
Program Area To-Dos: As ever, check out this document to make sure you're taking care of things between conferences.
Advocacy in Action Module: If you haven't yet, watch this video or check out the slides for Advocacy in Action. Most of you will be producing some of these items between now and the end of the program year.
Pitch Session Feedback: Legislator evaluations of bill pitches are available here. Check out average criteria scores and substance and style feedback for each proposal. The proposal roster also includes Legislative Counsel feedback where needed. Use this information to improve your bill as move forward in the process.
Helpful Links:
Mark your calendars:
Wednesday, February 10 - Regular Meeting
Wednesday, February 17 - Regular Meeting
Wednesday, February 24 - Regular Meeting
Sunday, February 28 - Conference 4
Wednesday, March 3 - Regular Meeting
Sat-Sun, March 6-7 - Final Conference Weekend
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