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Youth Legislative Engagement Initiative

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The Youth Legislative Engagement Initiative (YLEI) is designed to promote dialogue between youth and state legislators and help students learn about and engage in the legislative process. It is a partnership of the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Trust for Representative Democracy (NCSL) and the Education Commission of the States’ National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC), to use the design of the Michigan House Civics Commission (MHCC), created by Michigan State Representative Doug Hart, in seven states. The Michigan commission is a bipartisan effort where legislators travel the state and conduct hearings with students about issues of concern to young people. The project exists in more than 50 Michigan public school districts, as well as private and charter schools. The initiative challenges youth to behave and take responsibility as citizens. It encourages students of all grade levels to fulfill their civic responsibilities now, building a foundation for civic engagement in the future. The project helps students and state policymakers communicate through curriculum and direct engagement in the policymaking process. The initiative gives students the opportunity to bring their ideas to a real legislative body, with the possibility that they might become actual law. The components of the MHCC include:

• Students sharing legislative ideas with policymakers through written testimony, public hearings and direct interaction with state lawmakers. Students prepare written testimony in their classes, submit the testimony to commission members at a school-based hearing, verbally present their legislative ideas at the hearing and follow-up with potential legislative sponsors.
• Curriculum aligned with the Michigan Curriculum Framework ensures that students gain the social studies knowledge and skills expected at each grade level.
• MHCC Web site provides information about the commission, resources for students and directions about how teachers or students can request a hearing.
• Online legislative updates for students and teachers on issues pertinent to them.
• Online poll questions for students.
• Capitol Speakers Bureau to engage individuals knowledgeable of the Michigan legislative and governmental processes in classrooms throughout the state.

For more information on the Youth Legislative Initiative, contact Jan Goehring, NCSL, (303) 364-7700, jan.goehring@ncsl.org or Terry Pickeral, NCLC, (303) 299-3600, tpickeral@ecs.org.

The Youth Legislative Engagement Initiative is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Posted 3/17/2006