This weekend, I attended my first Youth and Government conference in Fresno California with roughly 3,500 California high-schoolers. Youth and Government is a model legislature and court program conducted through various YMCA’s all over California. As the first conference of the year “Training and Elections I” mainly has the purpose to elect specific powerful positions and educate delegates on the various program areas they can participate in for the upcoming year.

This is my first year in Y&G and as a senior I felt like I was at a disadvantage because most people begin the program far before the last year they are actually able to partake in it. I must admit I came into the conference a little bit less than enthused because it was the weekend following the election results for 2016’s greatly anticipated presidential race. Many people I talked to said they were dreading the approaching weekend and these views admittedly rubbed off on me. To go into a political event where the majority of participants were upset about the results of this critical election was intimidating, knowing people could be very negative all weekend did not sound like the first experience I wanted from these conferences.

Upon arriving after our roughly four hour bus ride up California, I was met with less negativity and more determination, a pleasant surprise after what I believed would be awaiting me for the entirety of the weekend. This was a group of people determined to make sure that the results of this election didn’t degrade the state of our country. They wanted to ensure that even though we were left almost completely divided as a nation, neither side would end up feeling alienated and would still have their voices heard.

Long ago, when I first heard about Youth and Government, I decided right away it was not for me. Before I had even attended a meeting or allowed a member of the program to tell me about their experiences, I wrote it off because I assumed the program would be a certain way. I thought that all these teenagers would be political robots with no personalities and aggressive opinions; yet after the first few meetings with my delegation I realized that I was wrong. These participants had some of the biggest hearts and most loving spirits I had ever witnessed.

Everyone there preached about how we were the future and we can make a change, regardless of our age or other characteristics of our identities. Inclusive does not even begin to describe the atmosphere because people don’t find it hard to engage with all kinds of people. Each delegate I spoke to throughout the weekend clearly felt passionate about the program, and the program made them feel empowered enough to showcase their passion to the rest of the world and use it to enact change throughout it.

I walked into the weekend anxious and unsure of what my place would be in the program for the remainder of the year. However, I left with a sense of accomplishment and a better understanding of my relationship with politics, Y&G, and various perspectives that I hadn’t previously considered. This weekend restored my faith in the future of our society because I was able to witness the passionate, competent, and intelligent hands that plan on leading it. I know now that there are only greater experiences to come with this program.