How to Join Youth and Government 

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Sign Up for the Program!

• To Join: Email our state office for materials. Anyone in Montana and Northern Wyoming enrolled in grades 9-12 may form a delegation according to our guidelines and attend the Montana YMCA Youth and Government Program.
• New delegations are always welcome. Students must have an adult advisor (over age 21), be sponsored by a school, YMCA or other civic organization, and observe the requirements for participation in the program.
• Program fees are $45 per person.
• Preregistration is due February 15, and $10 of the total registration fee is due at that time.
• Meals: Sunday evening Pizza and Tuesday evening banquet fees are included with registration. All other meals are the responsibility of the participants.
• Lodging: We usually obtain the National Guard barracks at Fort Harrison where participants can lodge for a very small charge. They are heated, have bathrooms and all the students need to do is bring sleeping bags, pillows, towels and personal items.
• We prefer delegations to stay at the Fort; however, if delegations want to stay in local motels, they may do so at their own expense.
• Chaperones over age 21 are required, 1 for every 12 participants.
• Delegations are allowed at least one Senator and one representative, regardless of size, unless all participants are Freshmen or younger. All delegations must bring at least one reporter, one lobbyist and one page. (Delegations of less than 5 members only need to have one of the three positions filled.) Legislative seats are allocated based on total estamated participants, and there is currently no cap on the court program.
• For additional policies, our Advisor's Handbook is available for $10.
• If you want more details on ways you can participate in the program, Click here to go to our Roles Page.
• A few basics that need to be done in advance of the session:
  • Legislators (Senators, Representatives, First Year House members) must write or co-write a bill, due March 1.
  • Attorneys must write a legal brief based on the case and postion (appellant or respondent) assigned to them. They must also prepare oral arguments for BOTH sides of the case.
  • Lobbyists must write a one page position paper, due March 1.
  • Committee Chairs, Newspaper Editor and Justices are chosen by applications, due Feb. 15.
  • Reporters are asked to prepare one news article per delegation in advance of the session and submit it by March 15.
• Click HERE for our schedule and deadlines
• For suggestions on meeting ideas and how to prepare for the session, click here.
• For Online Forms, Click Here.
• Click Here to see if your comunity already has a Youth and Government or "Youth Leg" (pronounced "ledge") Club.

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