Maine Students Gain Political Insight at YMCA Youth and Government Program

Maine students occupy statehouse for YMCA Youth and Government program

“If you want change, you’ve got to be the one to make the change,” said David Shaw, a student from Presque Isle High School, as he participated in a simulated legislative session. Nearly 200 students recently took over the Maine State House to participate in the Maine YMCA Youth and Government Program, WGME reported.

The takeover occurred just days after Maine residents cast their ballots in the midterm elections, providing a stark contrast between the official political cycle and this hands-on educational simulation. While the actual state legislature processes the laws that govern the lives of millions, these students spent their weekend researching, debating, and voting on bills from the very desks used by real policymakers.

The program is designed to bridge the gap between textbook civics and the messy, high-stakes reality of political negotiation. Rather than simply reading about how a bill becomes a law, participants are tasked with drafting their own legislation and defending it against peer opposition.

The mechanics of student-led legislation

Lonney Steeves, the Director of the Maine YMCA Youth and Government Program, noted that the structure of the weekend relies heavily on student autonomy. The participants are not merely observers; they are the architects of the session’s agenda.

“All the people that are running the show this weekend are elected by their peers. All the issues that they’re debating are written by themselves. We as adults kind of stand back, we train them how to do it, and then watch them go and see what young people are thinking about politically,” Steeves said.

This peer-led model forces students to grapple with the complexities of the amendment process. David Shaw observed that the legislative evolution of a bill can be intense, noting that some pieces of legislation undergo more than 10 amendments as they are reshaped to accommodate different viewpoints. He described the process of watching bills move through the House and Senate as a way to see how ideas “evolve to fit everybody’s wants and needs.”

For many participants, the experience is as much about personal development as it is about political science. Mustafa Muhee from Deering High School, who was elected as one of the House chairs, reflected on the transition from initial hesitation to active leadership. Muhee noted that while many students begin the program feeling nervous, the environment serves as a platform for building future leadership skills.

Building a foundation for future civic contribution

The timing of the program—occurring immediately following a major election cycle—underscores the importance of long-term civic engagement. While elections often focus on immediate partisan shifts, programs like this aim to instill a deeper understanding of the institutional framework that persists regardless of which party holds power.

Stella Martinelli from Erskine Academy emphasized that the program provides a necessary window into the mechanics of representation. According to Martinelli, the experience helps students understand who is representing them and, more importantly, how they can personally contribute to the democratic process.

By stepping into the roles of legislators, these students gain a practical understanding of the friction inherent in governance. The tension between individual interests and the collective good is not something they read about in a classroom; it is something they experience firsthand as they debate the merits of their own drafted bills.

“It’s learning how to speak up for yourself,” Shaw said.