A group of Valley Central School District students are learning about real-world political processes and recently had the opportunity to present their ideas in front of students from across the county.
The students are part of Youth in Government, an Orange County program where students participate in mock conventions and elections and engage in civic discourse with students from across the county.
“The Youth in Government program exposes students to the political processes used at the local, state, and national levels, promotes lifelong civic engagement, and allows students to develop real world skills while showing them that their voice matters,” said Meghan Rilley, social studies teacher at Valley Central High School.
Valley Central High School’s Youth in Government members made their mark at the Platform Convention on Oct. 18. During the convention, students present planks, which are their own pieces of written legislation, to groups of students from other schools with a common theme as their planks. Each committee, made up of representatives from over a dozen schools, votes for two planks.
The A plank is presented first to the full convention, and if it doesn’t pass, the B plank goes to a floor vote. Four out of eight VC planks were selected for A/B plank.
VC candidates for chairperson and secretary, Ava Golden and Olivia Romano, made it to the finals. VC’s economics plank was passed by the convention. Ninth graders Kelson Roper and Olias Tierney wrote and presented the winning plank.
In the spring, successful team members will shadow local government officials at the County Day of Service. If they are successful in the elections, they may also visit Albany where they will interact with state officials.