Did you know a kid helped you get a dime every time you recycled a bottle can at the store? Well as a matter of fact a kid who joined Youth in Government thought that not enough people were recycling bottle cans, so he wrote a bill stating that the amount of money per bottle can you turn in should be raised. A congressman saw it and decided it was a great bill so he brought it to the court and it got passed. If you want to be at the state capitol building, sitting in a chair, making bills that could actually get passed and making the world a better place, you should definitely join Youth in Government (YIG). YIG is a program at Clague Middle school. 

“I love YIG because it gives students the chance to learn about government and lawmaking and the chance to take on the role of a legislator in Lansing,” teacher for YIG,  Mr. Weins said. “My biggest passion in social studies is encouraging students to get involved, think critically, and speak their minds. This is a great kickstart to that.” 

At YIG students make bills and get to go to Lansing for three days to experience what it’s like to be a legislator. Students come up with our own bills and go into committees, senate and house.

 “I love seeing students rise to the grandness of the Lansing conference,” Weins said. “They never cease to amaze me with their level of maturity and sophistication in the House and Senate chambers.”

Students can also run for chair and clerk. The chair is the person who runs the meetings, which includes the speaker of the house. The clerk reads the bill and takes care of attendance. When a bill is brought up, everyone has the chance to tell their opinions, make amendments and at the end we vote whether or not the bill should be passed.