Learning about the legislative process and putting these lessons into practice via competitions, Youth and Government competes in the District 5 competition in Dallas on Saturday.

“Our preparation really started all the way back in September when we started writing our bills,” Youth and Government president, senior Sankeertana Malakapalli said. “We looked into the different parts of a bill, what the purpose of a bill is, and what a good bill should look like.”

According to advisor Whiteny Schell, the officers play a pivotal role in preparation for competition.

“Youth and Government is primarily run by students,” Schell said. “I really do take more of an advisor role, and it is the officers who are the driving force.”

For vice president, junior Peishan Li, preparation has included reflection and some adjustments. 

“I have been reviewing the bill I wrote last year for YG and making edits based on the amendments I received from the competitions,” Li said. “Additionally, I am practicing chairing and clerking in case I decide to take on those roles instead of speaking as a delegate in future competitions.”

When planning and preparing for Saturday’s event, officers had to consider various factors. 

“For me, getting to districts has mostly been a matter of juggling a lot of logistics,” Malakapalli said. “Especially with the later start to clubs this year, it was kind of like we’ve been in go mode since mid-September.”

After weeks of preparation, Malakapalli is ready to see the results of their work. 

“I think we’ll definitely see a couple of awards, especially after reading everyone’s bills,” Malakapalli said. “There were some really interesting topics in there, and I know we have a good mix of really experienced delegates and really passionate new delegates, so I’m excited to see what happens.”