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YMCA Ohio �Youth & Government

2026 State Assembly

Advisor Briefing

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Today’s Agenda

  • Welcome and Introductions
  • Child Protection
  • Advisor Conference Role
  • Conference Overview
  • Communication
  • Q&A

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Welcome!

  • Introductions
    • Staff
    • Advisors
      • Name
      • Delegation
      • Experience

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Child Protection

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OHYG Child

Protection Policies

  • No tolerance policy for abuse, bullying or harassment of any kind
  • Outside relationships not appropriate (social media policy)
  • Adults should not be alone with students at any time (rule of 3)
  • Adults should not have students in their room and vice-versa
  • Adults MUST be in assigned supervision locations. If they can’t be they MUST find a replacement and notify their specialist.
  • Students may only leave the conference early if they are signed out of the office by a parent/guardian and the advisor/staff have been notified.

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Reporting

  • All adults are mandatory reporters and are required by law to report any suspicious incidents.
  • Encourage your students that if they see something, say something!
  • How to report:
    • Incident reporting form
    • Speak with your program specialist or lead advisor
    • Text Mary - 517-819-9172
    • Escalate if issue is not being addressed

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Health Protocol

  • Any student with high fevers (100 degrees or more) or severe illness symptoms should stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours.
    • If it is determined that a student is severely ill or has a fever of 100 degrees or higher, they will be asked to stay in a quarantine room at the hotel. The parent/guardian will be notified by their advisor and will be asked to pick their student up.
  • First Aid assistance will be available on site. If students become ill at the conference, need band aids, feminine products or any health related help; they should consult with staff at the OHYG office.
  • If OTC medications (ex: aspirin) are requested, the first aid staff will call parents for verbal agreement to dispense the medications if the student is under 18.
  • Please follow district guidelines for storing and dispensing medications. Students are encouraged to bring their own basic medications (ex: aspirin) that they may need. The YMCA OHYG staff is unable to dispense medications without parental/guardian consent.

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Safety Expectations

  • Students must stay in their assigned hotel room between 11pm and 6am. Students will be sent home if they are discovered out of their room unless there is an extreme emergency.
  • Students may not visit any other hotel room besides their own assigned room. If a student is discovered in another delegate’s room, that student and anyone present in the room they are visiting will be sent home. Please talk to your students about not visiting other rooms and not allowing their friends to visit their room.
  • Students may not leave the hotel or downtown building unless there is an emergency or assigned transition in the schedule.
  • When transitioning between buildings or going to eat meals downtown, students are expected to be in a group of at least three people for safety.
  • Students may not be alone with adults at any time in a secluded location.
  • Students are expected to listen to hotel staff, OHYG staff, Statehouse staff, teacher advisor and bus driver directions.
  • Please encourage your students to be respectful of others and the buildings that we use. We can lose access to the Statehouse if any damage occurs, so this is very important to review.

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Safety Expectations

  • If students are approached on the street or at the Statehouse by ICE please:
    • Remain calm. Make sure they have an adult with them. If they do not, calmly approach and stay with the student as long as possible.
    • Let the officer know the student is a minor in your program and you are there to supervise them.
    • Document everything as safely as possible via taking notes or recording the incident.
    • Make sure to get the name and delegation of the student being approached.
    • Text or call Mary immediately at 517-819-9172 stating the incident and your location.

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Visitor Policies

  • Visitors must report to the office and sign into the guest book.
    • Senate Lounge (state house)
    • 2nd FL, Champaign Room (hotel)
  • They will receive a guest badge that they must wear at all times.
  • They may visit students between the hours of 8:00 am - 5:00pm.
  • They may not be alone with students at any time (ex: taking a student to lunch), unless they can prove they are a parent or guardian and notify the advisor and staff.

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Working with Students

at OHYG

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YMCA Core Values

  • We always strive towards leading with empathy and exemplifying the YMCA Core Values with students and fellow adults alike.
    • Caring
    • Honesty
    • Inclusion
    • Respect
    • Responsibility

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Inclusion Through Empathy

  • Cultivate a safe space by welcoming diverse experiences
  • Promote genuine exchange of ideas, emphasizing the value of recognizing perspective as individual and unique
  • Actively promote inclusion and equity
  • Actively care for one another
  • Keep in mind they are high school students, and might need you to explain things a few times or show them an example!

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Mentoring Teens

  • Listen
  • Lead with Hope & Optimism
    • Encourage/Reward positive behavior (5:1 ratio)
    • Build confidence
    • Foster student voice/ideas
    • Encourage learning from mistakes
  • Think “with” not “for”
    • We are a student-run, student-led program
    • Allows students to cultivate thinking and make choices
  • Create a judgement-free space
  • Be a student
    • Teens have things they can teach us too!

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Advisor Conference Role

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Advisor Role Overview

  • Demonstrate & teach YMCA Core Values
  • Assist with general supervision/child protection
    • Program Area Assignments
    • Evening Event Supervision
    • Curfew Supervision
  • Delegation Support
    • Delegation meetings - Required
    • Delegate supplies
    • Guide by the side
    • Address behavior issues
    • Communicate with parents

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Program Area Assignments

  • Advisors will each be assigned to monitor a program area.
  • Where are you assigned?
  • Please be on time to your assignment. If you have any questions or issues with attending, contact your program area specialist immediately.
  • Assist your specialists in choosing program area awards (there will be a form for you to complete).

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YMCA Staff

Committee Specialist

House & Senate

Specialists

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Senate Advisors

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House

Advisors

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Committee

Advisors

Hotel Dean

State House

Specialist

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Committee Chairs

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Speaker of the House

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President of the Senate

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Media Specialist

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Lobbyist Specialist

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Media Editor

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Head Lobbyist

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YMCA Ohio Youth & Government

State Assembly Structure

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Judicial

Specialist

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Chief Justice

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Governor's Cabinet

Specialist

Media Advisors

Judicial Advisors

Gov. Cab Advisors

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Lobbyist

Advisors

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Youth Governor

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Evening Events &

Curfew Supervision

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  • Evening Events
    • Thursday - Attend Town Hall and monitor students for respectful behavior. No booing or harassing candidates.
    • Friday - Help supervise Mandatory Fun
      • Everyone will have at least one assignment - 45 mins in length on Friday.
      • Sign up here for your preference of location to be assigned!
  • Curfew
    • Takes place for 30-45 mins after curfew
    • Advisor (at least one per delegation) on duty monitors their student rooms.
    • Knock on doors if rooms are very loud.
    • Instruct any students opening doors to shut their doors. Students should not open their doors between curfew and 6am unless there is an extreme emergency.
    • Contact staff if you need assistance with a student or room of students.

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Conference Overview

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Hotels

  • Hotels
    • Hyatt Regency Columbus - 350 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215
      • Breakfast available for purchase at hotel or in convention center. All rooms have mini-fridges.
    • Sonesta Columbus Downtown - 33 E Nationwide Blvd, Columbus, OH 43215 (only 2 delegations are her and they already are aware)
      • Breakfast available for purchase at hotel or in convention center. All rooms have mini-fridges.
  • Hotel Room Notes
    • Students will not have access to their hotel rooms during program hours.
    • Students will be housed 3-4 to a room. This may require your student to share a bed with another student from their delegation.

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Meals at Conference

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  • Thursday Lunch (Provided) - Taco Bar
  • Thursday Dinner (in groups of 3 or more)- Eat at a downtown Columbus restaurant.
    • Lobbyists will go to dinner together with mentors at Dua Amici. This meal is covered.
  • Friday Breakfast (in groups of 3 or more)- Eat at the hotel, convention center, or local restaurant or eat items you brought in hotel rooms.
  • Friday Lunch - (in groups of 3 or more)- Eat at a downtown Columbus restaurant.
  • Friday Dinner - Pasta Buffet (Provided)
  • Saturday Breakfast (in groups of 3 or more)- Eat at the hotel, local restaurant or eat items you brought in hotel rooms.

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Schedule

  • Schedule Link
    • Middle School Schedule

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Dress Code

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  • Thursday - Business Casual
    • Evening - Maintain Business Casual
  • Friday - Business
    • Evening - Maintain Business Casual for dinner, change to casual w/conference t-shirt after dinner
  • Saturday - Casual

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*Dress Code Guide*

*Packing List*

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Packing

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  • Packing List
    • OHYG Staff recommends that all students bring a water bottle with their name somewhere on it.
    • Make sure students bring a coat as it is winter!!
    • Comfortable shoes for walking.

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Required Paperwork

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  1. Student Code of Conduct
  2. Advisor Code of Conduct
  3. Background Check

-Emailed to address on registration records via Praesidium

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Arrival

  • Buses - Arrive to the Hyatt hotel between 11:00 am and 12:00 pm on Thursday, February 12th.
    • Buses should drop off here
  • Registration - There will be a location to register with our program on the 2nd floor in the County Foyer. Room Keys will be provided by YMCA Staff, there is no need to ask the front desk.
    • Rooms not guaranteed until return from State House in the evening.
  • Lunch starts promptly at 12.

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Departure

  • State Assembly will conclude around 10:30am on Saturday, February 14th.

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Helpful Tips

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  • Set up a delegation contact mechanism
  • Prepare for cool weather
  • Lots of walking, so comfortable shoes a must!
  • Review etiquette/behavior expectations in hotel, State House, and restaurants

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Misc.

  • Double check assignments/bill submission on your roster! Any changes, let us know!
  • Running for office (check out guide here)
    • One student per delegation may run for each office
    • Youth Gov, Speaker, Pres. of Senate, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Chief Justice.
  • Continuing Education Credits
    • We will supply you with a letter to give to your local district for approval.

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Conference Tools

  • Guidebook
    • Conference app with schedules, maps, and other important information.
  • Airtable
    • Track bills
    • Help clerks take attendance and manage bill actions

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Conference Tools

  • Slack
    • Join for important announcements throughout the conference. One of three methods

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Conference Support

  1. Ask an experienced volunteer!
  2. Ask an experienced advisor!
  3. Ask a specialist!
  4. Ask a staff member!

We recommend this be a last step, as the staff gets a little busy during conference and aren’t always going to be able to help quickly.

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Helpful Links

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  • Schedule
  • Bill Book
  • Visitor Policies
  • Emergency Procedures

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Helpful Links

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Contacting Staff

  • Mary - 517-819-9172 (my cell)
  • Email: yg@ohioymcas.org

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