2019-20 El Dorado Youth and Government Delegation Bulletin #8

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Anonymous*

(*NOTE: This quote may be, but you are not!) 

1.) Bills, Bills, Bills! The bill develop process is now in full swing. Your family should now have it's their bill worksheet completed and a rough draft of your bill language done by this Thursday. Below are some steps you can take to further develop your bill idea and begin drafting:

• Here's what a finished bill looks like, so you know what you're making. 
• Watch this video about how to start the bill idea and bill research process. 
• Watch this video about the 4 basic kinds of legislation our State Legislature can consider. 
• Should have completed the Family Bill Worksheets - these are the basic questions your family will need to answer about your bill by Bill Hearing Night. (Those questions should sound familiar after last week's presentation!)
• In the same folder, be sure to begin writing your bills language in your family's bill template! 
• Want to know all the current laws? Here they are! (Get to know this site, LegInfo, it's a bill author's best friend!)

This week you'll also be finalizing your bill group role (if you haven't yet). Each bill group needs someone fulfilling one of the following roles:

• Bill Sponsor - introduces the bill and gives the opening and closing speeches on the bill
• Pro-Lobbyist - speaks in favor of the bill
• Con-Lobbyist - speaks against the bill
• Legislative Analyst - gives an objective analysis of what the bill does, how much it costs, its benefits or potential negative consequences. 

All bill worksheets and bill template MUST be completed by Oct. 17th (that's only 17 days away!). Make sure your family has their roles selected and have strong speeches! I will be making an agenda for bill hearing night in the coming week. 

2.) Bill Hearing Night (10/24): Our bill hearing night is on Thursday, Oct 24th from 6-9pm. We are splitting our meeting into two halves, 5 families will present between 6-7:30pm and the remaining 5 from 7:30-9pm. You need only to attend the half of the night with your bill, but you are welcome to stay for the whole meeting. I will announce the order of family presentations in next week's bulletin. This event is open to the public, so be sure to bring your friends and family! 

Additionally, all delegates are required to wear Sac Attire (we will cover this in our next couple meetings) to this meeting, even if you are not presenting. For those who do not know what Sac Attire is, it means wear business professional clothing. 

The structure of bill hearing night is each family gets 15 minutes to present their bill to the audience and judges. Below is the breakdown for time each role gets to speak:

• Delegation secretary reads enacting clause of bill (30 seconds) 
• Sponsor speech (3 minutes) - purpose and major provisions of bill
• Legislative Analyst Speech (2 minutes) – fiscal analysis of the bill
• Pro-Lobbyist speech (2 minutes)
• Con-Lobbyist speech (2 minutes)
• Sponsor's summation speech (3 minutes)
• Judges scoring and comments on bill (3 minutes)

If you have a presenting role and have a question, do not hesitate to each out to me.

3.) S'moresfest Volunteers Needed: Please check here to see if you're signed up for S'moresfest volunteering this coming Saturday, October 12. We are badly in need of additional volunteers for the event itself - the 4p-10p shift - so if you're not going to Oak Ridge Homecoming please come give us a hand! Let me or Christiana know ASAP if you can attend or if you need to change your shift. #liveyourvalues #pleasehelp

Parent Corner

- Join us for S'moresfest 2019! S'moresfest Tickets Are Still Available!! Sponsor opportunities are still available, too. As a thank you to our families for their support - you can use the promo code THANKYOU2019 to get tickets at the early bird price!

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

Derek Dolfie

Lead Advisor/Delegation Dad

El Dorado Delegation

Helpful Links:
Missed a bulletin?

Need to make a payment?

Question about the Sacramento Central YMCA?

Question about CalYMCA?

Question about our delegation?

Want to know how many points you have?

Want to know which family you are in?

Mark your calendars for these key events!

October 12, 2019 - S'moresfest 2019 YMCA Fundraising Gala (Sacramento)  

Oct. 18, 2019 -Second Payment Due

Oct. 24, 2019 -Bill Hearing Night - Open to Friends and Family (Oak Ridge)

November 9-11, 2019 -Training and Elections 1 Conference (Fresno)

Nov. 15, 2019 - Third Payment Due

December 13, 2019 - Fourth and Final Payment Due

January 18-20, 2020 -Training and Elections 2 Conference (Fresno)
February 13-17, 2020 -72nd Model Legislature & Court (Sacramento)

Gold Country MLC Bulletin #5

At last week's meeting, we chose our sweatshirt design, a sunflower with an earth center, drawn in black. Congratulations to this year's winning artist, Mia McKnight! We also reviewed your bill ideas. This week, your bill group needs to bring in its one bill idea that you'll work on throughout October and present at Bill Hearing Night on Monday, October 28. Try GroupMe if you need to get in touch with your group members.

At the next meeting: We're going to do a bunch of bill work so come armed with your idea and some research!  

What's due: Your bill group's bill idea for this year.

Now Officially Overdue: Elected and Appointed Leadership Applications (Reggo). 

Here's what you need to know this week:

1.) Bills, Bills, Bills: 

Remember, a bill is a proposed law. Laws are how we set expectations for others in our society, show our values, solve problems, or make life better for all citizens. When you're coming up with a bill idea, think about it in terms of what problem you'd like to solve. Your bill groups are:

• Environment: Anni, Sabine, Zayo
• Food Waste Reduction: Mia, Nalasia
• Homelessness: Ethan, Jihada, Skyler

Please make sure you've reviewed these resources in advance of next week. Your group should come to the meeting with a topic chosen and at least some of the answers to the Bill Worksheet questions drafted.

• Here's what a finished bill looks like, so you know what you're making. 
• Watch this video about how to start the bill idea and bill research process. 
• Watch this video about the 4 basic kinds of legislation our State Legislature can consider. 
• Review this Bill Worksheet - these are the basic questions you'll need to answer about your bill by Bill Hearing Night. (Those questions should sound familiar after last week's presentation!) 
• Want to know all the current laws? Here they are! (Get to know this site, it's a bill author's best friend!) 

This week you'll also be choosing your bill group role (if you haven't yet). Each bill group needs someone fulfilling one of the following roles (obviously there will be overlap). If you'd like, you may recruit people from other bill groups to fulfill the Lobbyist roles at Bill Hearing Night.

1. Bill Sponsor - introduces the bill and gives the opening and closing speeches on the bill
2. Lobbyist For - speaks in favor of the bill
3. Lobbyist Against - speaks against the bill
4. Legislative Analyst - gives an objective analysis of what the bill does, how much it costs, it's benefits or potential negative consequences. 

Note: The Bill Author - the person who writes the bill and is in charge of that draft language, is usually the same person as the Bill Sponsor but not always. That's up to your group to decide.

2.) S'morefest Volunteers: We still need a few more volunteers for the event itself (the evening shift from 4p-10p). Here is a list of who has signed up so far. If you need to change your attendance status or want to add/change shifts, please let me know ASAP.

Non-delegate volunteers are welcome if you vouch for their dependability and trustworthiness!

3.) S'moresfest Training: For those who will be volunteering on October 12 at S'mores fest, please plan to stay an extra 15 minutes after the meeting for a quick training session on the various tasks that take place at the event.

4.) Bill Meetings Overview: We have a very busy next couple of weeks. Please make sure you're at each meeting from here till Bill Hearing Night! Here's a real quick overview:

• Oct 10 - Focusing your idea, finding a home in the code
• Oct 17 - Drafting the bill language
• Oct 24 - Final bill language and bill worksheets due, Practice Bill Hearing Night
• Oct 28 - BILL HEARING NIGHT!

REMINDERS

If you haven't yet, take a moment to listen to this interview with retiring Assembly Chief Clerk Dotson Wilson. (the whole interview is very interesting, but make sure to listen from the 15-20 minute marks) 

Leadership Opportunities: There are lots of elected and appointed leadership opportunities in Y&G, both statewide and within various program.  Everyone is qualified for multiple opportunities - check this chart to see what you can run or apply for!. Check out this information on elected/appointed positions. We HIGHLY encourage everyone to take a chance and apply or run for offices available to you! Applications are already available in Reggo (click here for info on how to access applications). Leadership apps are now overdue! If there is a T&E-1 position you want to run/apply for, do it now!

Family Corner: 

Bill Hearing Night is Monday, October 28 and You're Invited! Make sure to save October 28, 6:30-8pm, for Bill Hearing Night. This annual event is a chance for delegates to show off to friends, family, and special guests all of their hard work so far this year. You won't want to miss it! We have two experienced leaders, both with legislative experience, confirmed as judges, and I'm working on a third.

S'moresfest Tickets Are Still Available!! Sponsor opportunities are still available, too. As a thank you to our families for their support - you can use the promo code THANKYOU2019 to get tickets at the early bird price!

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

MaryJane Huenergardt

Lead Advisor, Gold Country Delegation

Helpful Links:

Missed a bulletin?

Need to make a payment?

Looking for forms or handouts?

Mark your calendars:

October 12 - S'moresfest 2019 YMCA Fundraising Gala (sign up here)

October 18 - Second Payment Due

Oct 23 - Practice Bill Hearing Night

October 28 (Monday) - Mandatory Bill Hearing Night, 6:30-8pm (GV City Hall)

November 9-11 - Training & Elections Conference I (bus to Fresno)

Nov. 15, 2019 - Third Payment Due

December 13, 2019 - Fourth and Final Payment Due

January 18-20, 2020 -Training and Elections 2 Conference (bus to Fresno)
February 13-17, 2020 -72nd Model Legislature & Court (Sacramento)

We are committed to equal program access for all and are dedicated to ensuring the benefits of Y&G are available to every student in our community without regard to financial need. No delegate should ever drop out or refrain from joining because of financial concerns. If you want to do this program, we want you to do this program.

Sac Central Delegation Bulletin #5

At last night's meeting, we chose our sweatshirt design and our delegation values for this year: Openness, Acceptance, and Friendship. This week, your bill group needs to bring in its one bill idea that you'll work on throughout October and present at Bill Hearing Night. Try groupme if you need to get in touch with your group members. If you still need help contacting folks, ask an officer or Christiana.

At the next meeting: We're going to do a bunch of bill work so come armed with your idea and some research!  
What's due: Your bill group's bill idea for this year.
Now Officially Overdue: Elected and Appointed Leadership Applications (Reggo). 

Here's what you need to know this week:

1.) Bills, Bills, Bills: 

Remember, a bill is a proposed law. Laws are how we set expectations for others in our society, show our values, solve problems, or make life better for all citizens. When you're coming up with a bill idea, think about it in terms of what problem you'd like to solve. Your bill groups are:

• Carenna, Trisha, Liam, Aaron
• James, Mitchell, Jimmy, Conner
• Miraya, Jenni Kathina, Priya

Please make sure you've reviewed these resources in advance of next week. Your group should come to the meeting with a topic chosen and at least some of the answers to the Bill Worksheet questions drafted.

• Here's what a finished bill looks like, so you know what you're making. 
• Watch this video about how to start the bill idea and bill research process. 
• Watch this video about the 4 basic kinds of legislation our State Legislature can consider. 
• Review this Bill Worksheet - these are the basic questions you'll need to answer about your bill by Bill Hearing Night. (Those questions should sound familiar after last week's presentation!) 
• Want to know all the current laws? Here they are! (Get to know this site, it's a bill author's best friend!) 

This week you'll also be choosing your bill group role (if you haven't yet). Each bill group needs someone fulfilling one of the following roles:

1. Bill Sponsor - introduces the bill and gives the opening and closing speeches on the bill
2. Lobbyist For - speaks in favor of the bill
3. Lobbyist Against - speaks against the bill
4. Legislative Analyst - gives an objective analysis of what the bill does, how much it costs, it's benefits or potential negative consequences. 

Note: The Bill Author - the person who writes the bill and is in charge of that draft language, is usually the same person as the Bill Sponsor but not always. That's up to your group to decide.

2.) S'morefest Volunteers: We still need a few more volunteers for the event itself (the evening shift from 4p-10p). Here is a list of who has signed up so far. If you need to change your attendance status or want to add/change shifts, please let me know ASAP.

Non-delegate volunteers are welcome if you vouch for their dependability and trustworthiness. 

3.) S'moresfest Training: For those who will be volunteering on October 12 at S'mores fest, please plan to stay an extra 15 minutes after the meeting for a quick training session on the various tasks that take place at the event.

4.) Bill Meetings Overview: We have a very busy next couple of weeks. Please make sure you're at each meeting from here till Bill Hearing Night! Here's a real quick overview:

• Oct 9 - Focusing your idea, finding a home in the code
• Oct 16 - Drafting the bill language
• Oct 23 - Final bill language and bill worksheets due, Practice Bill Hearing Night
• Oct 30 - BILL HEARING NIGHT!

REMINDERS

If you haven't yet, take a moment to listen to this interview with retiring Assembly Chief Clerk Dotson Wilson. It's really interesting.

Leadership Opportunities: There are lots of elected and appointed leadership opportunities in Y&G, both statewide and within various program.  Everyone is qualified for multiple opportunities - check this chart to see what you can run or apply for!. Check out this information on elected/appointed positions. We HIGHLY encourage everyone to take a chance and apply or run for offices available to you! Applications are already available in Reggo (click here for info on how to access applications). Leadership apps are now overdue! If you have a T&EI position to run/apply for, do it now!

Family Corner: 

Bill Hearing Night is Wednesday, October 30 and You're Invited! Make sure to save October 30 for Bill Hearing Night. This annual event is a chance for delegates to show off to friends, family, and special guests all of their hard work so far this year. You won't want to miss it! 

S'moresfest Tickets Are Still Available!! Sponsor opportunities are still available, too. As a thank you to our families for their support - you can use the promo code THANKYOU2019 to get tickets at the early bird price!

Helpful Links:

Missed a bulletin?

Need to make a payment?

Looking for forms or handouts?
Who We Are?

Mark your calendars:

October 12 - S'moresfest 2019 (sign up here)
October 18 - Payment 2 Due
Oct 23 - Practice Bill Hearing Night - Bill Language and Worksheets Due
October 30 - Mandatory Bill Hearing Night
November 9-11 - Training & Elections Conference I
January 18-10 - Training & Elections Conference II
February 13-17 - 72nd Model Legislature & Court

We are committed to equal program access for all and are dedicated to ensuring the benefits of Y&G are available to every student in our community without regard to financial need. No delegate should ever drop out or refrain from joining because of financial concerns. If you want to do this program, we want you to do this program.

2019-20 El Dorado Youth and Government Delegation Bulletin #7

"Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest but in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another.” – John Muir

1.) Mandatory Values Meeting this week: This week's meeting is worth 4 points because it's one of the most important of the year. To prepare, take a moment to check out these two recent news stories:

• E. Dotson Wilson To Retire as Chief Clerk of the California Assembly (the whole interview is very interesting, but make sure to listen from the 15-20 minute marks) 
• Pittsburgh Synagogue Gets Help From Neighboring Church 1 Year After Deadly Shooting.

2.) Last Call! 2019-20 El Dorado Delegation Sweatshirt Designs:  The call for this year's El Dorado sweatshirt designs is now open! Please submit your sweatshirt designs to this google drive folder as a PDF or jpeg. All designs need to incorporate the El Dorado delegation name and be Y-appropriate (no drug, alcohol, or offensive designs). I have included some previous design ideas in the folder for reference. Please make the designs no more than two colors as we have to pay more for additional colors in the design. Submit your designs by Oct 3, 2019.

3.) Bills, Bills, Bills! The bill develop process is now in full swing. Your family should now have it's bill idea and completed the bill worksheet. This week you will start drafting your bill! Below are some steps you can take to develop your bill idea and begin drafting:

• Here's what a finished bill looks like, so you know what you're making. 
• Watch this video about how to start the bill idea and bill research process. 
• Watch this video about the 4 basic kinds of legislation our State Legislature can consider. 
• Should have completed the Family Bill Worksheets - these are the basic questions your family will need to answer about your bill by Bill Hearing Night. (Those questions should sound familiar after last week's presentation!)
• In the same folder, be sure to begin writing your bills language in your family's bill template! 
• Want to know all the current laws? Here they are! (Get to know this site, LegInfo, it's a bill author's best friend!) 

All bill worksheets and bill template MUST be completed by Oct. 17th (that's only 17 days away!). Make sure your family has their roles selected and have strong speeches! I will be making an agenda for bill hearing night in the coming week. 

4.) Last Call! Statewide Elected/Appointed Leadership Opportunities: Interested in running or applying for a statewide position? Please do! Take a look at what the leadership opportunities are in the various program areas. Here is a link to the descriptions for each office. If you are a returner, encourage people to apply/run! If you are planning on doing this, email me before Oct 3. We need to see how many people would like to run for office to determine who will be able to run at conference. Let me know if you have questions. 

Parent Corner

S'moresfest Tickets Are Still Available!! Sponsor opportunities are still available, too. As a thank you to our families for their support - you can use the promo code THANKYOU2019 to get tickets at the early bird price!

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

Derek Dolfie

Lead Advisor/Delegation Dad

El Dorado Delegation

Helpful Links:
Missed a bulletin?

Need to make a payment?

Question about the Sacramento Central YMCA?

Question about CalYMCA?

Question about our delegation?

Want to know how many points you have?

Want to know which family you are in?

Mark your calendars for these key events!

October 12, 2019 - Smoresfest 2019 YMCA Fundraising Gala (Sacramento)  

Oct. 18, 2019 -Second Payment Due

Oct. 24, 2019 -Bill Hearing Night Open to Friends and Family (Oak Ridge)

November 9-11, 2019 -Training and Elections 1 Conference (Fresno)

Nov. 15, 2019 - Third Payment Due

December 13, 2019 - Fourth and Final Payment Due

January 18-20, 2020 -Training and Elections 2 Conference (Fresno)
February 13-17, 2020 -72nd Model Legislature & Court (Sacramento)