The Exceptional Contribution of the Regular Delegate

KYA is an institution that shapes young ladies and gentlemen into future leaders and stronger characters. And for a select few they may be able to climb the ranks between first time delegate to cherished staff. But what about the rest of the members? What about the average student who is content to be a delegate for the duration of the conference? So many times we seem to think of the normal delegates as a single entity, or even forget them entirely. And while media, lobbyists, officers, and candidates are all inherit and important parts of KYA nothing could be done without the average student.

During this conference I had the opportunity to interview 7 delegates. I wanted to find out how they felt about the conference and what they get out of being apart of the mass majority. A lot of their answers were incredibly thought provoking and inspiring. I shouldn’t have been surprised to find that out though, these are the same delegates who make such passionate speeches about bills and can sway votes with words that were created almost immediately after the first few lines of a bill.

Throughout the conference normal delegates will be listening to the fellow students promote their bills and compete for their votes. All the while forming their own decisions on the different bills, “It’s really important to listen and pay attention to what everyone’s saying…come into it with an open mind.” stated Emma Swain from North Oldham highschool. KYA is special in the way that students aren’t learning government from a teacher in a classroom, students are the main driving forces in the conference, and in some cases they have to learn the process by just watching others and applying their textbook knowledge to the situation. As Brian Snider from Atherton High-School put it, “I think it’s all really well run…we get to enact our own change.” KYA provides countless lessons in a section of government that many people know of but can never fully experience first hand. And while lobbyists, media, officers, and the rest of the conference’s special positions provide their own lessons and involvements, but in those positions you can never really share the same experience of being a voter in a legislation. It’s an honor that many end up taking for granted when they move on to different positions.

Of course it isn’t just academic advantages to being a delegate as well. When you are part of an annexed position it becomes harder to resumbered into the conference dealings, you’re doing your own job and thus you forget about the rest of the happenings. You don’t think of the different kids getting the courage to present their bills, you don’t see the students run from room to room because they might be late, or the students who push themselves out of their comfort zone to give a pro-speech. It’s a different culture of KYA. And that isn’t bad, it’s just different. In the other sections of the conference outside of delegates the atmosphere is more tight-knit and you make friends mostly in the group you’re in because that’s all you have time for. But as a regular delegate you are able to interact with hundreds of different kids at a time, and that can make for some wonderful memories. Samantha Stone and Lauren Camble from Glasgow High-School put it best, “I came back because I thought it was a good environment…You get out of it what you put into it.” This conference can be life-changing for anyone as long as they push themselves into it. And as a regular delegate you have the best opportunity for that change, you are in an environment that was built to help students find the bravery and belief in themselves to speak their mind and discuss issues with people that they never could have at home. Both Elliot Gross and Brian Snider from Atherton High School reflected on this during our interview, “I’ve always had phenomenal experiences in KYA…Introduced me to a lot of new people and even people in my own school, I don’t really get a chance to talk to as much…This is the first time I’ve really actually spoken during debate and honestly you just need to go and get it over with…you feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders and that you can actually contribute to the conference.”

So no these students aren’t doing media or lobbying or working towards being elected governor. The regular delegates that hold this whole conference together are doing everything they can possibly do to give back the conference that gave them so much. They are putting themselves out there, making friends, improvising passionate speeches, and learning about a system of government that every citizen in the state and the nation should understand. They are taking their first steps into something much bigger and greater than KYA with their continued attendance and dedication to this event. I hope that you all continue to push yourself and discover how small your limits of greatness actually are, you should be proud of all you have done here and in the future. And to any delegate reading this, here is a profound and heartfelt thank you for attending this assembly, you are contributing more than you could ever believe and KYA could not exist without every single one of you. Thank you.