FROM the YOUTH ADVOCACY AND INVOLVEMENT OFFICE of N.C.
Students from across North Carolina will get an idea of the challenges faced by members of the General Assembly this session when they arrive in Raleigh on Friday for the 42nd annual Youth Legislative Assembly (YLA). The mock legislature is sponsored by the Youth Advocacy and Involvement Office of the N.C. Department of Administration.
A total of 225 students from 36 counties and 80 schools are scheduled to participate and will be sworn in during the opening session at 12 noon Friday in Room 643 of the Legislative Office Building. Presiding over this year’s YLA will be co-speakers Joshua Llodrat, a senior at Ledford High School in High Point, and Angelica Mack, a senior at Salem Academy in Winston-Salem.
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 Friday and Saturday at the Legislative Office Building. The closing session and other activities will be held Sunday at the Clarion Hotel in downtown Raleigh. The Annual YLA Awards Banquet will be held from 6-8 p.m. Saturday at the Clarion.
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 the introduction of anti-bullying laws into North Carolina public schools, eliminating the marketing of alcopop beverages to minors, and the legalization of assisted suicide for adults aged 18 and up in North Carolina. A YLA final report will be sent to the Governor, members of the General Assembly and other key state leaders.
YLA 2012 sponsors are the N.C. Cable Telecommunications Association, the John William Pope Foundation, Progress Energy, the N.C. Sheriff’s Association, and The Longmire Group.
Visit the Youth Advocacy and Involvement Office website for a list of the 10 committees and proposed legislation from each committee. For additional information, contact YLA Coordinator Cynthia Giles at 919-807-4400 or Cynthia.giles@doa.nc.gov.
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