Students to take part in Youth Legislative Day

By Krystin Nichols
Western Herald

Western Michigan University has selected 11 students to participate in Youth Legislative Day Thursday, Nov. 18 and present bills before state lawmakers.

Youth Legislative Day is a project put on by the WMU occupational therapy 4780 class, Michigan’s Children, the Michigan House of Representatives and other policy advocacy organizations.

“Michigan’s Children is a non-partisan voice for children and families. [It] teaches young people about the legislative process by immersing them in it through role-playing,”  Angelique Day, a WMU graduate student , said.
The students involved in YLD receive training in drafting, researching, debating and voting upon legislations.

Students will also participate in the committee hearings in the actual House committee rooms and a full debate of the mock bills on the House floor.

Students were challenged to read, write and critically analyze Michigan’s health care policies.

“WMU submitted seven bills for consideration for the Youth Legislative Day event to a committee comprised of representatives from Michigan’s Children, the school-based health alliance, and the Michigan House of Representatives,” Day said.

“Hope College and Michigan State University students also were invited to submit bills.”

Day said the three bills selected for debate were all bills created and analyzed by WMU students from the OT 4780 class.

The selected bills were judged on relevancy to adolescent health and the student’s ability to accurately summarize the bills and analyze them in a nonpartisan manner.

“The bills being introduced were designed to provide a learning experience for youth and are faux,” Day said.

The bills being debated will include SB 232, a nutrition bill that was introduced last year in the Senate but has not seen action from the legislature.

Two bills were created by the students will also be debated.

One of them addresses gang violence and bullying in school.

The other requires the creation of crisis stabilization programs in schools for students who are struggling with depression, contemplating suicide, and for students struggling with other prominent mental health issues.

“I encourage Michigan’s Children to partner with universities to provide an opportunity for students to not only experience YLD as an event, but to increase visibility of the event as a model that is truly created by youth for youth,” Day said.
WMU participates in YLD because Day is employed at Michigan’s Children and is primarily responsible for coordinating the event.

“Our college students draft the bills and provide leadership at the event, including educating high school students about issues that will directly impact them,” Day said.

“This is truly a great honor because I know all of my fellow classmates created great legislative bills for the day at the capitol,” Christina Hartmann, WMU student and YLD participant, said. “It’s extremely exciting that legislators are actively participating with the local youth.”

A full agenda for Youth Legislative Day is available at michiganschildren.org.

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Posted by kleonard on Nov 17 2010. Filed under Breaking, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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