Model General Assembly is perhaps one of the most unique clubs that is offered to high school students. The club gives students the opportunity to participate in a near-exact copy of the Virginia Government. As listed on the Virginia YMCA website “The Model General Assembly program is designed to introduce high school students to the legislative process of the Commonwealth of Virginia”, and the club excels in what they strive for and much more.
Members of the club can choose from many roles, the main ones being Senator, Lobbyist, Delegate, Officer, Reporter, or Underclassmen Legislator. Students also have the option to run for office by starting a campaign for Youth Governor. These roles all offer their own distinctive look into the different roles our government has to offer.
Senator- Senators represent their Delegations by presenting bills and also speaking on the floor of the Senate
Lobbyist- Lobbyist jobs are to influence their Legislators. They are assigned to committees and are expected to create statements about the bills in their committees.
Delegate- Delegates are a member of the House of Delegates. They present bills on behalf of their delegation.
Officer- This students are up for election at MGA. They are required to prepare a speech for the primary night of MGA. The winners then compete in General Elections
Reporter- Reporters are the media in MGA. Their job is to summarize all of the events at the conference and publish them in the MGA Times.
Underclassmen Legislator- This group consist of Freshmen and some Sophomores. They participate in bill writing workshops and learn about the roles of real life legislators and lobbyist.
Youth Governor- This is the highest elected office. They serve as both the Head of State and Chief Executive. They prepare a speech for both the opening and closing ceremonies. They are also responsible for setting up many of the meetings that other students participate in.
The benefits to joining MGA are endless! The conference offers an incomparable look to how Government is run at the state level. The trip also offers hundreds of ways to learn about the Government and the rich history of Virgina. The Governor's Mansion is within walking distance of the hotel that hosts the MGA members. This tour offers the history of not only the building, but many of the great men who have served as Governor of Virginia in stunning detail.
When asked on the topic of the benefits that MGA offers, Spencer Snyder had many personal experiences and stories to tell: “It’s different from any capacity I’ve ever served,” he said, “you learn how to make a difference. Growing up, MGA helped me find my voice. Even in college I knew I wanted to give back to the organization that gave me the same opportunities.” When asked what MGA offers students, he had a lot to say.
“MGA teaches you a few things. It teaches you how to be civically engaged...the importance of voting...teaches you how to be an active citizen, it shows you how to make a positive impact. Not just in government, but for your community as well…I took things that I learned writing bills, like the research that I’d normally do to prepare a speech and I took that knowledge, and with it I was able to debate with my school board. I convinced them to change 20 year old policies that they didn’t even wanna look at...all of that was with the knowledge I learned from MGA.”
Spencer closed his interview with this impactful statement: “No matter what you go into in live, you don’t have to have a degree in Political Science...I have friends who are Biologists and Marine Biologists who apply the knowledge they’ve learned to give back.” The emotional outpour from Spencer shows that MGA can not only offer benefits to its members, but it can also change their lives.
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