Executive Summary
The State YMCA of Pennsylvania runs youth and teen programming in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for middle school, high school, and college students. The flagship program is Youth & Government, a civic engagement and service-learning program in the United States that offers students the opportunity to serve in a model government process at the local, state, national, and international levels. The Youth & Government program was established in 1936 in New York by Clement “Pete” Duran, then the Boys Work Secretary of the Albany YMCA. As of 2026, the program currently operates in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia, serving nearly 50,000 students around the country. The motto of the program is “Democracy must be learned by each generation.”
Pennsylvania’s Youth & Government programs currently serves 800 students across Pennsylvania. The students simulate in various facets of government throughout the year. Unique to this program is the gathering of students from various regions, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds and the ability for students to meet in the hallowed halls of our Commonwealth’s Capitol.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides facilities and volunteers from various staff who act as resources for the students while they debate the issues. The volunteers help guide the students through mock committee meetings. The students debate and vote on the bills that they themselves have written and presented. Bills that pass in committee are then taken to the floor of the House or Senate for a full debate and vote. Students are also selected to act as Lobbyists and Press Corps further mirroring the functions of the state government. In addition to high school and middle school legislative chambers, the students also participate in the Executive Branch through a student-elected Governor and the Judicial Branch through a student-selected Supreme Court. The Youth & Government program is a one-of-a-kind full mock experience covering every branch of government and simulating a real-life experience for the student participants.
The State YMCA believes in developing a deep sense of servant leadership in young people. Students in the PA YMCA Y-Corps program design and execute individual community service projects and raise money to fund a mobile service trip across the Commonwealth each summer.
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