On November 3 , students from New Manchester High School participated in the 80th Annual Georgia Youth Assembly sponsored by the Georgia Council for Civic Engagement (GCCE). During the three-day event, students from across the state gathered at the state Capitol to debate and vote on bills written by their peers and gain insight into the lawmaking process.
A bill submitted by Dominic was among hundreds of bills submitted to the GCCE staff for use in the mock House of Representatives. Dominic’s bill successfully passed in a House committee, but was a few votes shy of passing in the House.
Chioma Nketeh, Starr Allen and David Anezi also participated in the Legislative Program as members of the mock Senate. They actively participated in debates in both committee meetings and on the floor. They also proposed amendments to several pieces of legislation.
Camryn Attis-Jones and Ayana Njau participated in the Media Program, where they learned more about the role of the media in state government. Ayana Njau conducted interviews with members of the mock General Assembly, candidates for youth governor, and other attendees about bills and the overall experience at the Capitol. Cameryn Attis-Jones helped to use her social media expertise to develop a TikTok platform for this year’s event.
Ann Iwelu-Ebi participated in the Lobbyist Program. As a lobbyist, Ann was assigned three bills to research and develop a position in favor or against. After developing her position, she spoke in House committee meetings. Members of the committees used Ann’s expertise to decide whether to move forward with bills that were under consideration.
The students consider the real-world experience gained at the Georgia Youth Assembly to be invaluable. The students look forward to participating in next year's event to reconnect with friends from across the state.