This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Youth and Government Delegates Return From Sacramento

Youth and Government's final conference of its 64th year.

Over Presidents Day Weekend 30 high school students from the Desert Family YMCA delegates traveled to the state capital for their final Youth and Government conference.

For four days, high school students swarmed the Hyatt, Sheraton, Convention Center and even parts of the Capitol Building. When not in session they could be seen walking down K street, grabbing a cup of coffee or looking for new music at The Beat.

While in Sacramento delegates are responsible for attending all of their sessions, managing their time and their money. Nightly socials are available for those who are out of session and are looking for some fun, and include a night of bounce house and a Govenor's Ball.

Find out what's happening in Palm Desertwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Most of the 2,400 delegates arrived on Thursday; However, those with leadership roles were required to be present a day early and were invited to a leadership dinner, where Retired Justice Art Scotland and Associate Justice Elena Duarte spoke.

All those holding elected positions were presented with personalized gavels.

Find out what's happening in Palm Desertwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The first of several joint sessions was held the following day to mark the official start of the conference.

After the sessions, delegates split up into their various program areas to begin work.

Program areas included those of the Senate, Assembly, National Issues Committee, Lobbyists, Constitutional Convention, Trial Court, Appellate Court, Broadcast Media, Print Media and Pages.

Jesse Sanchez, a sophomore at La Quinta High School, sponsored a bill in the Senate.

He described the experience as "exhilerating and nerve wracking" and added that "it stirred up debate and that was the point."

The conference is an opportunity to not only meet new people but also to grow closer to people in your own delegation.

With the delegation dinner and "friendship circles," students have a chance to create some very strong bonds with their fellow delegates.

As Editor-in-Chief of the Y&G Daily Voice, I helped to produce three issues of a daily newspaper, as well as assisting with the Sunday magazine, "To What Point Do You Rise? "

Although putting out a daily newspaper is by no means an easy task, with exceptional teamwork and organization we achieved success.

The Govenor's Banquet is held on the last night of the conference.

Delegates dress in their best for the final event of the weekend.

After a three-course meal provided by Youth and Government, delegates vote for one of two candidates running for Youth Governor. The 65th Youth Govenor of California is Spencer Perry.

After Gov. Perry was sworn in, the final slide show -- with photos taken at all three conferences -- was shown.  Delegates cheered and sang along with popular songs from artists such as Adele and The Airborne Toxic Event.

Everyone was left to enjoy their last night in Sacramento and to pack for the journey home. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?