The 76th Annual Alabama YMCA Youth Legislature Conference in Montgomery
The Alabama State House was full of people this past weekend, but not with those you’d usually expect to see.
The 76th annual Alabama YMCA Youth Legislature Conference took place this past weekend right here in the Capital city. Hundreds of students from across the state of Alabama came to Montgomery for the mock legislature program which gives students the opportunity to work as a state legislator.
Over 360 students participated in debating and voting on different bills that they wrote, all in the seats of actual Alabama lawmakers. While doing this, students learned how much of the political process works.
“So these last couple of days, we’ve taught a lot of procedural ideas about how you talk when it is time to debate, and we’re beginning to go more in depth about debating bills. If someone has been able to pass their bill, then they can move on to another chamber. Hopefully, to get their bill passed into law eventually,” said the 2026 Chief-of-Staff for the Youth Legislature Governor, Shivika Kumar.
The conference is designed to give students the skills and abilities to be successful in their future government careers.
“This program gives people the opportunity to really know and go through what goes on behind the scenes of making pieces of legislation. That’s really important for us today because we’re gonna be the ones making the laws in the next few years,” said Carter Holloway, the 2026 Youth Legislature Governor.
This program also gives young people the chance to showcase their ideas, and spotlight what opinions or issues they believe are most important to the state and country.
“The next thing it allows them to do is to really reach out with their own opinions in front of their peers. That’s incredibly important. So many times our teens are afraid to speak their minds about stuff that they’re passionate about. We provide that opportunity for them here in a safe controlled place where they can have their opinions, and they can be validated, or they could even be argued with about it, and that’s the fun of it,” said State Director for Alabama Youth & Government, Corey Calcote.
The program also allows students to network and meet others from over 30 different schools who share their same interests and love for all things politics.
For more information about the Youth Legislature Conference, you can visit alyig.org.
