Edith Suarez, Long Beach City Auditor Laura Doud, Youth Delegate Genesis Mora, youth delegate Steve Ramos, youth delegate Scott Baker, youth delegate Amanda Hoskinson, President & CEO of the YMCA of Greater Long Beach Alan Hostrup, California Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal, City of Long Beach Vice Mayor Val Lerch, 35th Governor of California George Deukmejian, Fairfield Family YMCA Executive Director Victor Dominguez
BY NICK DIAMANTIDES
Staff Writer
Twenty Long Beach high school students will soon be traveling to Sacramento to get hands-on experience in the workings of the state government, and it is the YMCA’s Youth in Government program that is enabling them to do so. Last Thursday, the program was formally introduced at a gathering held on the rooftop patio and dining room of the Port of Long Beach’s Harbor Administration Building.
“This is a long time coming,” said Alan Hostrup, president and CEO of YMCA Greater Long Beach. “This city has a tremendous history of having a Youth in Government program, but we have been dormant the last couple of years, and this is our kickoff to get it going again.”
Hostrup is also the chairman of the 40-member board of directors that governs the YMCA’s statewide Youth in Government program. “We raise money for the program and there are 85 different YMCAs that participate in it,” he said. “I was a youth delegate in the program in 1970, ’71 and ’72, and I know that it really teaches young people to be strong, effective leaders.” He noted that last year, 2,400 students from high schools all over the state participated in the program. “I think it’s the strongest program for high school students in the country.”
Former Governor George Deukmejian took the microphone next. He noted that he first heard of the Youth in Government program about 45 years ago, when he was a young state assemblyman. “I received a call from some students who wanted to talk with me about some legislation that they were proposing for the YMCA model legislature,” he said. “Until then, I had no knowledge whatsoever about the program.”
Deukmejian explained that the students later showed him a proposed bill and asked him for his advice on whether the bill’s wording needed to be changed, which aroused Deukmejian’s interest in the program, and he soon became one of its most ardent supporters.
The former governor added that the high school students participate in the program for six months every year. “The delegates begin by getting training and advice that all leads up to that weekend in Sacramento.” He pointed out that usually, on a weekend in February, the students take over the State Senate and Assembly chambers and conduct mock legislative sessions, in which they propose bills, negotiate with peers opposed to the bills and take votes to determine which of their bills will go to the governor for signing.
Deukmejian noted that 45 years ago, only about 600 students participated, but now four times that many go to Sacramento every February. “Obviously, that’s a much larger number than the actual senators, assembly members and constitutional offices,” he said. “The program has expanded over the years, and now there is a court segment of the program that allows some students to become (State) Supreme Court Justices and Justices of the Court of Appeal.” He added that other students become attorneys who are petitioning the courts, legislative analysts, lobbyists and news reporters who write articles or broadcast closed-circuit TV reports on what the state legislature is doing.
Deukmejian explained that he has also participated in other programs that teach California students. “Those are very good programs, but they are nowhere near as comprehensive as the YMCA’s Youth in Government program,” he said. “When the students in this program carry out their role, they are very serious about it, and they approach it in a very mature manner.” He stressed that the students prepare and present themselves very well. “They develop a lot of good skills and it helps them to grow and mature.”
The former governor noted that when they are not working in their roles, the students have a lot of fun. “My wife and I have been in the Hyatt Hotel with all the delegates,” he said with a chuckle. “I can tell you, they’re having a ball. There is a lot of good social activity involved with this program.”
He added that according to surveys taken, compared to the general population, a much higher percentage of students who have participated in the Youth in Government program end up participating in leadership, decision making and voting in their own communities. “It really helps the communities,” he said. “It also helps the young people to know what is going on.”
Later, 54th District Assembly member Bonnie Lowenthal took the microphone. She too expressed her strong support for the program, noting that her son Josh received valuable training during his years as a Youth in Government delegate. “It really enriched his life and our lives,” she said. “It is important for every generation to know that you can have control over your lives by participating in government.” Josh Lowenthal is now a Superior Court judge.
About 80 people attended the event, including Long Beach Vice Mayor Val Lerch and City Auditor Laura Doud.
Fairfield YMCA Executive Director Victor Dominguez was there too, acting as master of ceremonies. The six students who have been selected so far to be Long Beach delegates for the Youth in Government program are Scott Baker, Genesis Mora, Steve Ramos, Amanda Hoskinson, Michael Jones, and Edith Suarez. During the next few months, 14 more students from the Long Beach Unified School District will be included as delegates.
After presentations by the various speakers, including youth delegate Hoskinson, the event culminated in the formal presentation of $10,000 donation from the Tesoro Corporation.
For more information or to recommend a student as a delegate, phone Dominguez at (562) 423-0491.
