The Baker School’s mission goes hand in hand with Tennessee’s Youth in Government Programs
Baker School freshman Rami Ammar discovered his passion for politics and policy through Youth in Government (YIG), starting in 7th grade and participating in the program through high school.
“I initially got involved to better grasp policy’s impact on our lives,” Ammar said. Which is exactly what YIG aims to do, giving middle and high school students the opportunity to learn about and experience government.
In 2023 – 2024, the Baker School, in an effort to fulfill its mission and connect with civic-minded student prospects, provided keynote speakers to the Tennessee YMCA Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) YIG’s conferences for the first time. Dean Marianne Wanamaker recruited Heath Schuler, Tennessee and NFL quarterback and former North Carolina U.S. Representative, Isaac Wright, partner at Terrian Media Group, and Ashton Davies, director of External Relations for the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The CCE is a statewide leadership development and civics program designed to allow middle and high school students to gain hands-on experience in the government process through leadership conferences, Model United Nations conferences, and the Youth in Government Conference. Tennessee’s program is the second largest organization in the country, reaching almost 7,000 students across the state.
The YIG conferences consist of mock trials of the general assembly, allowing students to engage in respectful debate by taking the roles of senators, representatives, department commissioners, or lobbyists. In their roles, they create and debate bills with their peers and follow them through the process of being signed into law.
Attending conferences as part of Ravenwood High School’s YIG program in Brentwood, TN, Ammar had the opportunity to write his own bill proposal, pass it through the House and Senate, and get it signed by the governor’s cabinet. Later, his role changed to that of the Chief Engrossing Clerk and then the Lieutenant Governor/Speaker of the Senate, where he got to work with delegates throughout the entire conference, enabling a civically engaged student body well informed of the state’s politics and legislative process.
Before he didn’t think of politics at the individual or state level. “I realized how important action at the local and state level can be,” speaking on how the conferences changed his perspective.
The Baker School is proud to partner with CCE and their Executive Director Susan Moriarty, who some call an unsung hero of the state for her work in getting students interested in becoming civically engaged.
“The work that the Baker School is doing is a continuation of what CCE does with its YIG program,” states Moriarty. “They provide students with the opportunity to take YIG to the next level and learn how to turn those roles they play at conferences into a meaningful career.”
Moriarty attended the Institute of American Civics’ (IAC) Tennessee Civics Academy in June, a 2-day conference on teaching K-12 civic knowledge and engagement, speaking with teachers from across the state about CCE, their conferences, and how to get their schools and students involved.
The Baker School’s partnership with YIG isn’t just statewide. We work to ensure the program is successful locally too. The IAC, which is committed to improving civic knowledge and engagement through student programs, events, and K-12 outreach, plays a significant role in that.
Last year, Hardin Valley teacher and YIG advisor Staci Parvin contacted the IAC to design a special Lunch & Learn program for her students. Hardin Valley’s YIG program was impacted negatively by the COVID-19 Pandemic and didn’t have the funds to send their students to this year’s Nashville conference, and the IAC stepped in to provide them with a unique opportunity. Their YIG students came to the Baker School to get a taste of what college was like, having lectures by Director of Undergraduate Studies Jon Ring, IAC Executive Director Josh Dunn, and Dean Wanamaker on economics, political science, and public policy.
“Youth in Government is an incredible opportunity for our students to become active members of the political process in a meaningful and engaging way that, as students, they can’t get anywhere else,” says Parvin. “I love being a club sponsor of Youth in Government because the students become so passionate about their topics and how they can create change in their state and local communities.”
Her students later nominated Parvin for the IAC’s TN Civics Academy, attending and participating on a panel. Another Academy attendee, Jacob Wheeler from Green Hill High School in Wilson County, spoke personally on how YIG can shape a student’s life. A YIG participant in high school, he continued to volunteer throughout his college years and, when he was hired at Green Hill, became a sponsor for the school’s YIG program.
He believes programs like these are essential to foster curiosity and interest in government and civics. “It is a myth perpetuated by those in the media and in politics that young people don’t care about government, but these conferences stand in direct and open defiance of that,” states Wheeler. “These conferences show that middle and high schoolers can come together, put in work of research, and hold respectful, productive conversations about policy.”
For freshman Sophia Bernard, it was her experience in YIG that led her to the Baker School. “Youth in Government and Model UN are the reasons why I chose public policy as a career path,” she states, having wanted to go into human resources, but changing her mind after her junior year in YIG.
Ammar, who was selected as one of Tennessee’s YIG delegates for The National Affairs Conference, says his own involvement in YIG largely shaped his trajectory, not only in his life but also in his college major decision.
“I now believe that everything in our society can be affected by policy, which has driven my desire to understand it and our government systems at a deeper level.” Something Ammar will be able to continue to do now that he’s at the Baker School.