Month: March 2018

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–Youth In Government Press Corps video editor Chasity Chambers and video producer Amanda Nolan, along with their student team of on-air talent, are documenting the daily events at the 65th Annual Youth In Government General Assembly, a program of the Tennessee YMCA Center for Civic Engagement, at the State Capitol with daily video newscasts. Nolan, a senior at Mt. Juliet High School, comes by her interest in media production naturally. Her father, Davis Nolan, is the long time weather forecaster at WKRN TV in Nashville. Nolan will be attending Vanderbilt University in the fall. Chambers, a veteran of the Youth In Government Press Corps, attends Smyrna High School. The General Assembly, which runs for three full days and one half day, began here in Nashville early Thursday morning, and wraps up at noon on Sunday. The Press Corps team delivered daily video newscasts and Thursday and Friday, and will finish up with a third newscast late Saturday. The Tennessee Star sat down with Chambers and Nolan at the temporary headquarters of the Press Corps in Hearing Room 4 of the Cordell Hull Building late Friday to hear how the leadership duo puts together their newscast. “It’s been a super…

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–In an era where hard copy newspapers are shrinking in size and, in many cases, disappearing from the scene entirely, the student journalists who form the Press Corps at the 65th Annual Youth In Government General Assembly held this week in Nashville are bucking the trend. Led by Press Corps print editor Emeline Sharpe, the crew of nine student journalists are writing, producing, publishing and distributing at least one edition–and sometimes more–a day of The Ledger, a 6 to 8 page hard copy newspaper that documents the events making news at the conference. The Tennessee Star spoke with Sharpe Friday afternoon at the temporary headquarters of the Press Corps in Hearing Room 4 of the Cordell Hull Building at the State Capitol to hear the behind-the-scenes details of this student-run media operation. “I definitely couldn’t do it without everyone in the Press Corps. We have a bunch of members this year,” Sharpe told The Star. “I work with InDesign” to produce the paper, she added. “Thankfully, we have a format from years past, so the startup isn’t too bad. I go through Google Drive, and make sure there’s lots of organization and no one’s confused and all my articles…

By Emeline Sharpe Print Press Editor 65th Annual Youth in Government General Assembly, Nashville, Tennessee NASHVILLE, Tennessee–Stella London, Governor of the 65th annual Youth In Government conference, is a senior this year at Mt. Juliet High School. She has participated in the program every year, growing from a scared freshmen to the confident governor we all know in four short years. “I remember being at the governor’s banquet my freshmen year and seeing Tyler Dorr (2015 governor). From that point on I knew that I would run for governor,” says London. Since that moment her freshmen year, the program has done so much to change her life for the better. Stella says, “It changed my career path and set me up to do want I want to do in life, I’m doing political science and music business in college because of Youth In Government.” The program has opened up many other opportunities for London as well. Last summer she was invited to attend the Conference On National Affairs, and next week she will be in Washington, D.C. to advocate for the YMCA Center for Civic Engagement and Tennessee Youth In Government. As governor, Stella is responsible for working with her…

by Magdalena Perez Student Journalist 65th Annual Youth In Government General Assembly, Nashville, Tennessee NASHVILLE,Tennessee–As a first year delegate you may be nervous, scared, or worried, but trust me, you are not the only one. Every delegate has been in the exact same place, even the most confident Gubernatorial candidate. Don’t let nerves get in the way, Youth In Government is truly an amazing experience and you will want to enjoy every second of it. So how do you? Here are some tips to know for a successful year at Youth In Government. Don’t be afraid to talk to other students just because you don’t know them. Meeting new friends through the conference is a great opportunity and you may have more in common than you think. It is also helpful to get to know people from other schools at the conference. Whether it be speaking pro for your bill or helping you decide to run for office, a simple hello could change everything. Although it may seem scary, raising your placard is not too bad and it’s a great way to start speaking up. Don’t be scared to ask a question or start debate. Chances are, your comment could…

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–More than 500 high school student delegates from across Tennessee gathered in Nashville on Thursday to attend the first day of the 65th Annual Youth In Government General Assembly, a Tennessee YMCA Center for Civic Engagement program. Susan Moriarty, executive director of the Tennessee YMCA Center for Civic Engagement, who, along with associate director Elise Addington Dugger runs the annual event, told The Tennessee Star that more than 2,500 Tennessee high school students in grades 9 through 12 participate in Youth In Government events scheduled throughout the year. On Thursday, delegates met at the Nashville First Baptist Church. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday they will meet at the House Chambers, the Senate Chambers, and the Cordell Hull Building of the State Capitol. The closing ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on Sunday in the House Chambers. Delegates are assigned specific roles, either as members of the General Assembly in the House or Senate, judges on the Supreme Court or lawyers arguing before the Court, lobbyists, members of the Governor’s Cabinet, or members of the Press Corps. The 30 member press corps this year publishes two to three editions of the newspaper each day, as well as a daily video…