Leadership Corps (REV 08/2023)

REV 08/2023

What is Leadership Corps?

In shortYou will try every program area at the conference, and get ready first with a Prep Kit.

Leadership Corps is an experience-based introduction to all aspects of state government!

Your mission from now until the conference

Gain an understanding and learn as much as possible about Youth in Government, how the state government operates, and what your next steps to prepare for the conference will be. Leadership Corps is a unique experience for all of the delegates who are in 8th grade. This is the only program area designed for our youngest delegates at the conference & the only one where you'll get to experience each piece throughout the weekend.

Things you will do as a Leadership Corps member

Complete the required Prep Kit
Meet all required submission deadlines
Participate in all tours, trials, and small group sessions
Adhere to the Code of Conduct

You will participate in small groups, skill-building, and leadership development activities that will enhance your role as an active citizen; you'll also make new friends along the way! As a member of the Leadership Corps, you will be introduced to each program area of Youth in Government through interactive activities. "Democracy is not a spectator sport."

Writing and debating bills as a legislator
Participating in trial and appellate court cases
Learning about the media and creating newsworthy stories about your YIG experience
Voting in elections to select next year's Youth Officers

This will be your only chance EVER in Youth in Government to experience all the program areas at once; enjoy it! Remember that all the skills that you learn here will help you become an active & engaged citizen and a future YIG delegate. Along the way, you will have a chance to become a better speaker, leader, and citizen. As a bonus, you'll meet new people from around the state of Minnesota. What more could you ask for?

Which program area (legislature, courts, media, officers) are you most curious about, and why?

LAUNCH MATERIALS

Definitions and Terms

In shortLearn the words, fill in your state issues, and practice speaking.

Read these before you start your interviews. They'll help when you start conversations.

Definitions

Bills
Any change in the state laws - or "Draft legislation." Bills follow a particular format when they're written to fit the existing legislation.
Law
A bill that is passed and signed by the executive head of state. A state executive is the Governor. The national executive is the President of the United States. Also can be called a statute.
Constituent
The people politicians have been elected to represent. At YIG, these will be the people you interview with your surveys.
Representative
The person who has been elected to represent their constituents, serving in the House of Representatives or the Senate. At YIG, this will be you!
State Law
A law that only applies to the people within the boundaries of a state, like Minnesota or Wisconsin.
Federal Law
A law that applies to the people within the boundaries of the United States. These laws will supersede state laws if there is a conflict between the two.
Lobbyist
A lobbyist's job is to ensure that a bill gets passed, defeated, or amended depending on their client's wishes. Lobbyists are the movers and shakers of the political world. They use their connections and influence to support bills throughout their debate on the House or Senate floor.
Floor Debate
When a bill and the parts of a bill are debated among the members of the House or the Senate. Bills can either be struck down and go no further, amended to change or add things to the bill, they can also be passed along to the executive head with approval of a majority vote of members.
Trial Court
A court of law where a case is heard for the first time. Witnesses give testimony and a judge or jury decides who is guilty or not guilty, or who is liable or not liable.
Appellate Court
Appellate courts review the procedures and the decisions in the trial court to make sure that the proceedings were fair and that the proper law was applied correctly in the trial court case.

YIG specific terms

Delegation
A group of students who represent their community at the Youth in Government conference. Think about it as the people you came with from your school!
Delegation Director
The individual(s) in charge of your delegation. They are your best resource for general conference questions.
State Office
The group of individuals who work behind the scenes to put on the conference. In January, they can help you with any issues like nametags. (once you talk to your delegation director first).
Conference
Also, Youth in Government. The weekend in January where everyone comes together to put into action what we've been working on.
Program/Program Area
The specific spot at Youth in Government where you've been assigned. Hint: yours is Leadership Corps!
Elected Officer
A delegate who runs for election and is voted into a position by their peers.
Appointed Official
A delegate who is selected by the Officers and State Office to help lead program areas for the next conference.
Media
At YIG, media members have a chance to be involved in the radio, newspaper, TV, or digital media.

Pick any three terms above and explain them in your own words, as if to a friend.

STATE ISSUES

What Makes Up Each Category?

What makes up each of these categories? Fill this portion out with the important parts of each topic.

Example. Revenue: Taxes, fees, fines, licenses (driver's, hunting, fishing), registrations (boat, car)

AT THE CONFERENCE

Public Speaking Tips

When speaking one-on-one (like you will for your Prep Kit interviews) or in front of a small group (like you will at Youth in Government), it's important to be prepared. Below are a few ideas that will make this preparation easier!

Outline your thoughts

Know what you're going to say before you get up to speak
Jot down notes, use keywords and not whole sentences.
- When your lines are written out, you can get stuck looking down at your paper the whole time
Be clear and concise. Try not to go on and on, have a focus to your message.
Don't be afraid! You don't need to know exactly what you're going to say as you speak, but thinking about your ideas and organizing them certainly helps get your message across clearly.

Confidence is key

Feel confident in your presentation!
- Even if you're nervous, no one can see your nerves so they won't even know.
Speak directly to your audience, eye contact is key

Be heard

Speak with energy and emotion. Change your tone of voice to illustrate your point.
Project your voice and remember to avoid mumbling or talking too fast.

Be respectful

Tell your opinion without belittling other people or their views.
If contradicting another view, state the factual reasons why you disagree, not just that you disagree.
- Think Facts vs. Feelings: is this a factual contradiction or a feeling that I just don't like what they're saying?

Now it's your turn to practice! Choose one topic below and be prepared to state your opinion using the following format:

I think/believe that ____ because ____

Which is better: gum or mints?
Should schools enforce a dress code?
Is it important to vote?
Should people from other states be able to hunt in your state?

LEADERSHIP CORPS SURVEY MATERIALS

Prep Kit Survey

The biggest tool to help you prepare for the Youth in Government conference is the Prep Kit survey. Your work on this will help you fully prepare for your legislative work, discussion, and debate at the beginning of your conference weekend.

Survey goals

Understand the beginning of the legislative process by creating one-on-one interaction between delegates and community members on important issues.
Guide the focus of delegates on topics important to their constituents
Identify and understand the differences between state and federal laws using provided resources and independent research
Develop an understanding of state issues through constituent conversations & research to be prepared for their conference weekend

Constituent survey overview

Each Leadership Corps delegate will individually survey twenty community members utilizing the attached documents. They are also available in the YAPP.

Delegates should connect with the community they represent. These constituents are peers and adults from their school, community, neighborhood, place of worship, delegation, etc. (feel free to talk with your family about these topics, but it's not recommended to include their responses in this project).

Delegates will tally their results; complete the Survey Debrief questions and submit them on Airtable. These responses will not be accepted in paper format. These responses will assist you in drafting your first bill at the Youth in Government conference in January.

Directions

Review the common definitions, terms, and current state issues (the sections above). These sheets may be completed independently if they were not completed at LAUNCH. Keep these sheets as they may be helpful references when starting conversations.
Have conversations with peers or adults you know about the topics that they are interested in. Six topics have been identified so we can develop a big-picture look at important issues for the state. Take notes on the survey forms provided (below).
Ask open-ended questions to get as much information about why, to whom, how much, next steps, etc. For example: Why is alternative energy important to you? How can Minnesotans make steps to becoming more energy efficient?
Compile information from interviews on the table provided (Tallying the Responses).
Complete Survey Debrief questions.
Enter all the information from the Tallying and Debrief sections on the online registration system (sign into your account via Airtable.co). These pages will be returned to you at the conference.
Bring all documents (physical or digital) with you to Youth in Government for reference.

Constituent survey

Use this form to conduct twenty constituent interviews with adults in your life (parents, aunts/uncles, teachers, neighbors, etc.). Follow up with the open-ended questions in the directions above to learn about the importance of topics in your community.

0 of 20 interviews started

Tallying the responses

After completing interviews tally and total your feedback. The counts below update on their own from your interviews.

Survey summary

Please note the number of people interviewed in each category.

Survey debrief

After completing the interviews, review your results and answer the questions below.

Copy everything for Airtable

One tap copies your tally, summary and debrief answers, ready to paste into the matching boxes.

SUBMITTING YOUR MATERIALS

Submit Your Materials

In shortSubmit your tally and debrief, then FINALIZE it.

Now that you've completed your Leadership Corps Prep Kit Survey, you're on your way to becoming a prepared and successful delegate! Great job!

You need to submit your responses to the link e-mailed from AirTable. You will only input the information from the "Tallying your Responses" and "Survey Debrief" sections of the Prep Kit. You have been assigned a link to a form to submit your response. The form will have a variety of text boxes that will match the questions from the sections in the Prep Kit. Fill in the content, section-by-section, with the information you recorded in your Prep Kit.

Airtable does not have the capabilities of back-and-forth editing. Your delegation director will review your final materials you upload.

IF YOU DO NOT FINALIZE YOUR MATERIALS AND SEND IT TO YOUR DELEGATION DIRECTOR, IT WILL NOT MAKE IT TO THE CONFERENCE. Please take care that you fully complete the process.

It is strongly encouraged that you bring a printed or digital version of your materials with you to the Youth in Government Session in case something goes wrong with the online submission.