Children’s Services Council Funded Program Shines at Annual Youth in Government Convention

LAUDERHILL – The Children’ss Services Council of Broward County (CSC) is committed to providing support for youth advocates from Broward to give a voice to issues relating to children and families at the local, state and national level. With funding from the CSC, 35 students in the YMCA Youth In Government program attended the 57th Annual Florida YMCA Youth In Government State Assembly in Tallahassee where they received top honors.

Participants in the youth advocacy program have the opportunity to serve as part of a youth-run, youth-led model government process. Thirty-one of the 35 Broward representatives attend CSC-funded 21st Century Community Learning Centers and LEAP High programs, including Blanche Ely; Boyd Anderson; Deerfield Beach; Hallandale; and Northeast high schools.

The two student law firms and 29 legislators took 19 bills to the Assembly and had 47 percent of the bills make it to the chamber floors. Their advocacy ideas ranged from requiring psychological evaluations before the sale of a firearm to raising the state sales tax to eight percent for education.

In the end, several of the students received the following recognition and awards:

• Looghermine Claude – Lookout Award in Sullivan Senate

• Arnelle Etienne – Best Bill in Sullivan House

• Cody Sklar – Best Bill in Sullivan Senate

• Simran Vyas was one of 10 students selected to represent Florida YIG at the National Judicial Competition in Washington D.C. this summer

• Evan Randall, Carlos Estephan Sanchez and Simran Vyas were selected as CONA (Conference on National Affairs) alternates for Florida YIG

• One of the student law firms — Simran Vyas, Abby Afsahi and Ikel Commock – was selected as finalists to present to the Student Supreme Court in the Supreme Court Building