Candy bribes are not democratic, but they are the main form of incentives that clubs at Jackson-Reed use to meet new freshmen. A couple weeks ago, freshmen strolled around the club fair on a Wednesday at lunch time; some were confused, some were excited, and some had no idea what they were doing. But that’s the past, and in the JRYAG (Jackson-Reed’s Youth and Government) club, members are working hard to change the future.
The club is entering its third year at JR, and it’s 25th in the DC area, and is run by sophomores Emma Britton, Avani Patel, and Jordana Sloane. It is a delegation through a little known YMCA program, and focuses on improving the DC community. YMCA is a nationwide group that focuses on improving youth education and opportunities. The club attends DC wide programs at the second tier of YAG, allowing them to advance to nationwide competition. At Legislative Weekend, their two day long convention, there is a formal dinner at the end followed by an awards ceremony. Here they give out awards, inform members of bills that passed, and issue invitations to nationwide competitions. Members of the club spend the year working on writing bills that focus on issues affecting the local DC area. Towards the end of the school year, participants attend a two day long convention where they argue their bills, attempting to have them passed so that they can lobby them to Congress. In the absence of a JR Model Congress club, JRYAG has stepped into its role.
In May of last year, three bills written by JRYAG members were lobbied to Congress-abortion financial support, gender-free bathrooms, and decriminalization of sex workers. But not all bill topics have to be controversial. Co-leader Avani Patel helped chair Legislative Weekend and oversaw debate on less controversial DC issues such as lowering the permit age, installation of safety measures on hiking trails, and more.
However, this club isn’t simply a model congress through the YMCA, because it is also a Mock Trial club. In late January, members participate in a local DCYAG Mock Trial competition, and if they do well, they receive an invitation to represent the DCYAG at the Appellate Court and Mock Trial, which is held in Minnesota this summer.
The goal of the JRYAG club is to teach members the workings of the US government, as well as helping them develop a formal way of speaking and writing that is required within courts and Congress. But above all, the leaders of JRYAG simply want to expand the club while adding onto the successful time they had last year.
JRYAG leaders are very enthusiastic, encouraging members to participate to their best level, while also supporting them in figuring out their comfort level when learning many new concepts. Above all, the JRYAG leaders are simply sophomores that fell in love with the world of Youth and Government they discovered last year, and want to help other JR students find the same passion they have.
