Every year during the month of December, students across the state of Missouri have the opportunity to attend a conference in Jefferson City to explore the inner workings of state government and simulate a number of democratic practices. Overseen by the YMCA, this opportunity is available to students through Youth And Government: a national organization with delegations in schools throughout the country that aim to provide students with political experience.

“I joined YAG my sophomore year. I joined because I saw people the year before posting about YAG and thought it looked like so much fun,” Natalia Lucca (11) said. “I also wanted to improve my public speaking and get an inside look into how the government works when passing legislation.”

At the conference, students have the opportunity to explore the judicial system through mock trials, the legislative branch through the proposal of a bill in the hope that it will be signed into YAG law and gather media coverage through both press and broadcast journalism.

“Inside of YAG meetings, we come up with and create our bill with the help of our sponsors,” Lucca said. “Once we have our legislation written, we practice presenting with our opening and closing statements while our delegation asks questions, simulating what we will experience at the conference when we present our bills.”

Additionally, students can choose to campaign to be a presiding officer with positions such as Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor and Chief Justice. This year, three OHS students chose to enter the political race for a YAG position.

“I ran for Secretary of State because it’s a ‘behind the scenes’ position. It’s not as stressful of a position compared to Governor or Speaker of the House, but it is still a position where I’m able to influence how the conference turns out and make it better,” Shayla Halilbasic (11) said. “Additionally, I wanted the chance to ensure I can help make the conference as least confusing as possible. Personally, what deterred me from the club at first was how confusing the conference seemed, and I wish I got more help my first year at knowing what was going on from the people who actually ran it.”

Now having been through the process, Halibasic enjoys her involvement in the club.

“You get a real immersive experience within a government setting and develop a great amount of skills that are going to prepare you for the future,” Halilbasic said. “Nobody knows what to expect at first going into the conference, but that’s the best part in my opinion, because that’s what really helps grow confidence in themselves and their voice.”

A major aspect of any political campaign is how well a candidate is able to present themselves to the people through media and get people to know their name.

“I was not as focused in my preparation for candidacy in comparison to my peers because I was lucky enough to have Quinn Dillon (12) as a mentor. I did make an instagram account and reconnected with a bunch of people I knew from last year, as well as people running this year,” Halilbasic said.

After weeks of preparation, two of the three OHS candidates were sworn into officer positions for next year’s conference to be held in 2026. Lucca and Halilbasic earned Speaker of the House and Secretary of State, respectively.

“Speaker of the House is a huge responsibility because the Speaker essentially runs the whole House of Representatives. They have to make sure people are asking the right questions at the right times, keep track of the debate happening to make sure it is appropriate and count all the votes on a given bill,” Lucca said. “In addition, they work with all of the house committee chairs to select which bills will get presented in the house as well as pick the senate bills that will be presented in the house.”

Both officers strongly encourage any students who are interested in government to join YAG as it allows for growth in many skills other than the knowledge of democratic practices.

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Abigail Hasty

Oakville's delegation prepares to present their bills in the legislative branch. "My experience with YAG has been nothing but positive. Our sponsors are super supportive and definitely set us up for success. Everyone in the delegation grows super close, especially when we go on the trip, and we become one big family," Natalia Lucca (11) said. Students voted on the proposed bills to decide whether or not they would be signed into YAG law.