The Youth Advocacy and Involvement Office of the N.C. Department of Administration will accept applications through Feb. 23 for the 42nd annual Youth Legislative Assembly (YLA), to be held March 23-25 in Raleigh, N.C. Registrations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.
YLA is an opportunity for North Carolina high school students to write, debate and vote on bills and share their views with legislators and other state government officials. General sessions will be held at the Legislative Office Building, Room 643, with other activities at the Clarion Raleigh Hotel.
Following procedures used by members of the N.C. General Assembly, participants will work in one of 10 committees before gathering for general sessions. Among the items to be considered are an act to introduce anti-bullying laws in North Carolina public schools; an act to establish the legalization of assisted suicide for adults, ages 18 and up in the state of North Carolina (Death with Dignity Act); and an act to ban the sale of alco-pop beverages. The YLA final report will be sent to the governor, members of the General Assembly and other key state leaders.
Presiding over this year’s YLA will be co-speakers Joshua Llodrat, a senior at Ledford High School in High Point, N.C., and Angelica Mack, a senior at Salem Academy in Winston-Salem, N.C.
To download registration forms, visit the Youth Advocacy and Involvement Office website at www.doa.state.nc.us/yaio/youthcouncils-yla.htm. A list of the 10 committees and proposed legislation from each committee is online.
Written notice of acceptance or denial of registration will be provided by March 8.
There is a fee to participate in the YLA. For scholarships or other YLA information, contact YLA Coordinator Cynthia Giles at 919-807-4400 or Cynthia.giles@doa.nc.gov. YLA sponsors include Progress Energy, John William Pope Foundation and the N.C. Sheriffs’ Association.
– article submitted by Jill Warren Lucas