Following the district competition in November, ten students in Youth and Government (YG) are leaving campus Thursday to attend state competitions in Austin Thursday-Sunday at the Kalahari Resort and State Capitol.
With preparation starting early on in the school year, participating students are well prepared for the competition.
“Preparation started all the way back in the fall with students writing and revising their bills,” Youth and Government president, senior Sankeertana Malakapalli said. “We then moved on to debate structure, practicing speeches and mock debates, going to districts and competing there, and just a lot more practice debates ever since!”
Delegates will start with committee debates on Thursday, which continue Friday before moving to the Capitol for debate Friday and continuing through Saturday.
“Students have been coming into our meetings to practice arguing their bills and have been refining and editing their bills with peer feedback,” Youth and Government advisor Whitney Schell said. “I anticipate the students doing well in arguing for their bills and advocating for support.”
Despite the constant debating, YG fosters an environment for positive connections to grow.
“My favorite part of YG is being able to debate bills with my friends,” sophomore Ishaan Patel said. “In the joint committee last year, we all sat together in the same row and passed sticky notes to each other trading arguments, potential questions, and speech ideas.”
In order to progress to state, students must have met or exceeded a certain score in the district competition. However, the two events differ greatly.
“This competition is definitely a whole lot bigger,” Malakapalli said. “State is a culmination of the work that started with and prior to districts, so it’s just a place to show off your bill, show off how well you can debate, and just have fun with your fellow delegates from all across Texas!”
While YG can assist students in improving their public speaking and debate skills, it can also allows delegates to gain an understanding of real world problems.
“I am looking forward to going to the Capitol in Austin and sitting in the Senate Chamber while we debate bills,” Patel said. “People who participate in YG often pick bills they find important to their lives and their communities, so when you have students from across Texas you get to learn the nuances of problems that you probably don’t think of.”
After many hours of work and debate, the Redhawks are confident going into this competition.
“I anticipate our delegates crushing it and bringing home a lot of awards,” Malakapalli said. “A lot of our delegates have been working really, really hard, and they are super passionate about YG and debating. I know some of them are already looking through the bills that they’re supposed to debate over the weekend, so I have full faith in their preparation and I know they’ll do amazing!”
