YOUTH GOVERNMENT DAY:

Youth Government Day (YGD) is held every year to give Greater Milwaukee Area students an up-close-and-personal look at government. Participants select scenarios on local, state, federal or international levels that address realistic and timely issues.

Past issues include:

whether a foreign-born naturalized U.S. citizen could be deported after a closed hearing with no evidence;
what is a reasonable excuse for a minor to be out past the city curfew;
whether the U.S. should end the death penalty for 16 and 17 year old minors, which violates the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child;
and if a student writing a creative essay in which a teacher is killed is protected by free speech or is a “threat” and deserves a disorderly conduct charge.

Participants are briefed by technical and youth advisors to prepare them for an uninterrupted session during which they use proper scenario-specific procedure and conduct.

Technical advisors are real-life judges or justices, legislators, and executives or their advisors or assistants. Past technical advisors include:

former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske;
Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler (then Milwaukee Municipal Judge);
Milwaukee Municipal Judge Jim Gramling;
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker;
Celia Smith-Robertson, advisor to Senator Russ Feingold;
Special Agent Brian Manganello of the FBI Milwaukee Field Office;
Linda Hanold, Chairperson of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin;
and Kim Murphy of Fox 6 News.

YGD is coordinated by the ACLU of Wisconsin Foundation as part of its extensive outreach to youth. It is co-sponsored by Marquette University, Marquette University Law School, with additional support by Urban Underground, Inc. and the City of Milwaukee Election Commission.