YMCA Michigan Youth in Government

High School Leadership

Elected Positions Overview

(Check out our Candidate Guide)

Elected at Fall Conference

Youth Governor District Candidate
- Apply on Fall Conference registration, elected at Fall Conference

After Fall Conference

Blue Legislature Speaker of the House
Blue Legislature Lt. Governor
- Submit candidacy via form found here, voting to take place online after Fall Conference

Elected at Spring Conference

- Youth Governor (district candidates elected from Fall Conference vie for the final position)
- Red Legislature Lt. Governor
- Red Legislature Speaker of the House
- White Legislature Lt. Governor
- White Legislature Speaker of the House
- NIF Presiding Officer (2)
- MJP Chief Judge (Starting the 2024-2025 school year)
- Secretary of State
- - Apply on Spring Conference registration, elected at Spring Conference

Position Description

Read the requirements below for each of the positions. To run for office, you will need to collect signatures using this Nominating Petition. Download your petition and start collecting signatures from any YMCA MYIG delegate.

Legislature

Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House will be elected for the 3 color Chambers. The Lt. Governor will preside over the Senate and the Speaker of the House will preside over the House. These students will lead all legislative sessions, set the tone of their chamber and also have roles in the Conference Opening and Closing General Assemblies. One student will be elected per position, per conference. These elections will be for a 1 year term, and the students elected will serve on the presiding officer team.

Qualifications for Candidacy

Red/White	Blue
Must be in 10th or 11th grade	Must be in 9th or 10th grade
Must have served in at least one year in the high school legislature	Prior MYIG experience is recommended but not required
Strong verbal communication skills including the ability to speak to large audiences	Strong verbal communication skills including the ability to speak to large audiences
Strong knowledge of parliamentary procedure and a willingness to teach it to others	Positive attitude and ability to work well with others
Demonstrate the YMCA core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility	Demonstrate the YMCA core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility

National Issues Forum

The NIF Presiding Officers will preside over the NIF third committee and General Assembly. These students will set the tone of their program area, preside over proposals and the docketing process, and also have roles in the Conference General Assemblies. Each year, YMCA MYIG will elect 2 NIF Presiding Officers per conference. These elections will be for a 1 year term, and the students elected will serve on the presiding officer team.

Qualifications for Candidacy

Must be in 10th or 11th grade

At least 1 yr of prior National Issues Forum experience is required

Strong knowledge of NIF procedure and a willingness to teach it to others

Strong verbal communication skills including the ability to speak to large audiences

Demonstrate the YMCA core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility

Model Judicial Program

The MJP Chief Judge will preside over rounds during the mock trial competition. These students will set the tone of their program area, preside over trial rounds including determining objections, and also have roles in the Conference General Assemblies. These elections will be for a 1 year term, and the students elected will serve on the presiding officer team.

Qualifications for Candidacy

Must be in 10th or 11th grade

At least 1 yr of prior MJP experience is required

Strong knowledge of MJP procedure and a willingness to teach it to others

Strong verbal communication skills including the ability to speak to large audiences

Demonstrate the YMCA core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility

Youth Governor

The YMCA Michigan Youth Governor race is comprised of a primary election in the Fall. The winners of the Fall primary will then go on to run in a general election in the Spring. Each year YMCA MYIG will elect one Youth Governors to serve per conference. These elections will be for a 1 year term, and the students elected will serve on the presiding officer team.

The duties of the governor include serving as the Chief Executive of the YMCA MYIG Spring Conference, selecting and leading a Governor's Cabinet, setting the tone and tenor of the Program Year including leading the Leadership Team and representing YMCA MYIG together with the other Youth Governor for a number of events and occasions throughout the year.

The following are the events where the Youth Governors' will represent YMCA Michigan Youth in Government:

YGPA Governor’s Conference
YMCA Conference on National Affairs
2 Fall Training conferences
YMCA MYIG Middle School Lansing Conference
YMCA Michigan Leaders Conference in Lansing
High School Conference Leadership Breakfast
Legislative Appreciation Breakfast
YMCA MYIG Advisory Board meeting if possible

Qualifications for Candidacy

Must be in the 11th grade

Must have served at least one year in the legislature before serving as Governor

Knowledge of parliamentary procedure and the legislative process

A knowledge of state issues and possible solutions to state problems

Strong leadership skills including the ability to follow through with long term tasks and projects

Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to speak to a large audience

Positive attitude and the ability to work well with others

Demonstrate the YMCA core values of Caring, Honesty, Inclusion, Respect and Responsibility

Fall Primary Election

Each District Fall Conference will hold 2 Primary Elections and send an early and a late Youth Governor candidate to represent their district. At FTC each candidates will take part in a Town Hall where they will answer delegate's question. Then they will have up to 2 minutes for their campaign speech.

General Election

Each Primary Election winner will advance to the General Election as Spring Conference. Candidates will campaign throughout the Spring Conference event with the final election occurring at Closing General Assembly. The follow campaign opportunities are available to all candidates:

Video commercial created with the Press – 30 seconds
¼ pg. advertisement for the newspaper with the Press
Campaign space to hang up posters, flyers, etc.
Gubernatorial Town Hall – Opening will be 1 minute, then candidates will answer questions
Gubernatorial Speeches – Introductory speaker will have 1 minute, then the candidate may give a speech of no more than 4 minutes

There will be virtual trainings that will be required for all leadership students before Spring Conference! Please keep any eye out for emails regarding your trainings and check this page.