The Youth and Government Club was introduced to BSM this fall for students who want to get a taste of what it feels like to create bills and try to pass them. This year’s captains of Youth and Government Club are sophomores Kaitlyn Cape and Jason Broin, and its supervisors are Cherie Vroman and Dan Murray.
This club is a great opportunity for students to step out of their comfort zone and get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience government roles. “You get to debate bills and try to get your bill voted to become a law. Not a real law,” Cape said.
A cool aspect of the club is that you get to use rooms and actual courts at the Minnesota State Capital. “People who work at the capital usually judge and host the competition for us, which is very nice of them to give their time and it is a cool opportunity,” Cape said.
Members of the Youth and Government Club say it’s an opportunity to build skills such as public speaking and debating. “I think it would really help my speaking skills because I’m not very good at public speaking… I want to be more of an eloquent person,” sophomore Ruby Wiegand said.
I think it would really help my speaking skills because I’m not very good at public speaking… I want to be more of an eloquent person.
— Ruby Wiegand
Human Geography and Youth and Government club supervisor Murray is also interested in engaging kids with the world around them. He is doing this by supervising the Youth and Government Club. “I think it’s really important to get kids more engaged civically with our system because a lot of kids really have no idea how it works and they complain about government and politicians,” Murray said.
Youth and Government Club definitely is a commitment, but Murray doesn’t mind it because of how passionate he is about the topics of this club. “I really believe in the activity,” Murray said.
The captains of Youth and Government Club had to find two advisors in order to keep the club running which was hard, but they did this out of passion for government. Kaitlyn and Jason also used their personal time to create something fun for others to enjoy, that is one of the reasons Wiegand joined, she wants to show her support for her friends, while also acknowledging the fact of the work it took to get the club to the place it is now. “I have two really good friends that are basically like leading it,” Wiegand said.