Students Shadow City Officials for Annual Youth in Government Day

Dozens of students got up close and personal Tuesday with city government when they shadowed police and firefighters, the city attorney and school principals at Youth in Government Day.

The annual event, which is more than 10 years old, welcomed 70 students this year from Amador Valley, Foothill, Horizon and Village high schools.

The participants ranged from freshmen to seniors. For many, it was their second, third or even fourth time at the event.

Julie Duncan, coordinator of career and technical education for the Pleasanton Unified School District, has helped put on Youth in Government Day for five years.

She said Tuesday's was the best one yet. "I know I say that every year," she said, but added that organizers take participant feedback to heart and continually improve the event.

For example, students were involved in the planning process for the first time this year through the city's Youth Commission. It suggested participants hold mock city council and school board meetings in an effort to give students insight into how local government operates and how they can get involved .

The change turned out to be a hit. "It was so much more engaging," Duncan said.

As students made their final preparations (many had written and practiced their speeches before the event), she said she saw them immerse themselves in their roles. One student who shadowed her was quiet throughout the day, but shined during the performance. "She had a transformation," Duncan said.

When the day began, students introduced themselves and were paired with the city official whom they would shadow for the next three hours. They then had lunch at the Veterans Memorial Building downtown and then moved on to the role-playing.

For the council meeting, students used an old draft master plan for Bernal Park from 2003 as the subject matter on which to vote. For the school board meeting, they tackled the subject of homework, a relevant topic since that night the Pleasanton Board of Education heard comments on the district's.

The subject came out of last year's Youth in Government round-table discussions, during which teens vented their frustrations about the amount of homework  today's students receive and said they related to the documentary "Race to Nowhere."

Last year, about 80 students participated, but Duncan said this year's slightly lower number worked out because the goal was to have as many as possible take part in  the meetings.

The event has grown more popular over the years. Duncan said when she first began organizing it, only about 20 students participated.

Amador Valley senior Rahael Borchers has participated in the event for four years and agreed with Duncan. "Today's Youth in Government Day has been one of the best yet," she said, adding that she hopes the program "keeps on getting bigger and better."

Rahael is vice chair of  the Youth Commission and serves on the Youth Master Plan Implementation Committee. She told her fellow participants that she "hoped it wasn't just another day off from school" and urged them to talk to their classmates about their experiences.

It's too early to tell how much of an impact the day will have on students' local political involvement, but Duncan said she has glanced through this year's evaluations and the feedback has been positive.

"I think it was just a great day," she said.

A student who participated in Youth in Government Day last year and now attends UC Santa Cruz dedicated two detailed blog posts last spring to her experience shadowing Community Services Director Susan Andrade-Wax.

This year's participants will be recognized for their involvement in the program during a ceremony Monday.