In January, over 1200 students from Minnesota and Western Wisconsin will gather at the Hilton Hotel in Minneapolis and our beautiful State Capitol in St. Paul for a four day, three night mock legislature session. All participants are required to stay at the hotel for the entirety of the event.

Local Delegation

All delegates are connected to YIG through their local delegations or our Statewide group. Each group has a delegation director who facilitates meetings with youth leaders, handles parent communication, relays announcements from the state office and facilitates conference transportation, shirts, meals, etc. Local delegations typically have additional fees to cover these costs. At the conference, delegation directors and advisors are responsible for their delegates, room checks, and an advisor assignment. 

Hilton Minneapolis Hotel

For the event, we are proud to gather the largest hotel in the Twin Cities and largest you will find until you get to Chicago! The Hilton Minneapolis houses our Hotel Legislatures, Leadership Corps, Media, Lobbyists, and some of our Lt. Gov/SOS Staff. We also have an advisor zone for adults to work from and network when not on a shift and our Hotel Directors are on-call 24/7 for any delegate/advisor needs. Our CYV State Office & Swag store are also located in the hotel. 

Sleeping rooms are assigned four delegates to a room. Rooms are submitted by delegation. All sleeping rooms have their own mini fridges but no microwaves. Delegates are encouraged to bring breakfast items along with limited restaurant access in the morning.

Evening Activities run at the Hotel Friday and Saturday night of the conference. 

Capitol Complex

We are incredibly grateful to utilize multiple buildings of the Capitol Complex for the conference. Capitol Legislature, National Issues Forum, Court of Appeals, Supreme Court, Trial & District court, and our Governor's staff program from the Capitol. Leadership Corps groups will tour the Capitol on Thursday night. Maps and lists are provided on the YAPP and in session books to support students as they navigate to their program areas.

Meals

All conference meals are considered 'on your own,' with the exception of Leadership Corps that get a meal during their Thursday Dinner Tour. The YAPP holds up to date restaurant lists for all meal sites. 

Hotel program areas will utilize the skyway restaurants for meals when open or be bussed to an off-site location. We set up a logistics team to indicate boundaries for delegates during mealtimes. Capitol program areas will be bussed off-site for most meals. Our transportation team get students loaded on and off busses. 

Breakfast items should be brought to the conference with limited skyway access and restaurants. The CYV State Office recommends $50-60 to cover meals for the weekend. 

***Meal plans may be subject to change***

Schedule

Our conference schedule will be posted in the YAPP in the fall. Times vary slightly by program area for meals and bussing purposes. Work with your local delegation for more information!

Thursday, January 4th:

12:00 - 2:30PM - Registration at Hilton Hotel

*Between 1:00 - 3:00PM - Opening Session (will be solidified in November)

Sunday, January 7th:

*Between 12:00 - 1:00PM - Conference Adjourns

Transportation

Transportation to and from the conference is organized by delegation directors. Delegates are not allowed to drive their own vehicles.

Shuttle busses travel between the Hilton Hotel and Capitol every 30 minutes during program time for delegates and advisors to utilize. For pick-up locations, refer to the YAPP. Bus fleets will pick up students for any off-site meal times.

Dress Code

During the conference, students and advisors must follow our dress code. During program time, business professional & business casual dress is strongly encouraged. During evening activities, casual wear is permitted.

Evening Activities

Evening activities take place Friday and Saturday night during the conference. Delegates are permitted to wear casual clothing during this time. Some activities you may see include:

  • YIG Fest: inflatables, cotton candy, popcorn, caricature artists, and more!
  • Karaoke
  • Trivia
  • BINGO
  • Movie Room
  • Quiet Space
  • Craft Corner
  • Photo booth
  • Giant games 
  • ...and more!

SWAG & Merchandise

Show off your love for Youth in Government with some of our YIG merch! Items range from $1-$50. A detailed list will be available in the YAPP. Swag will be available for purchase from Thursday registration to check-out on Sunday. Cash and card are accepted. Items you can expect to see in our store include:

  • Sweatshirts
  • T-shirts
  • Padfolios
  • Water bottles
  • Lapel Pins
  • Stickers
  • Hats
  •  

Adults

Youth in Government is focused on the Youth but we could not do this work without the committed adults that support delegates, lead program areas, and are passionate about YIG. 

  • Delegation Directors: Our local delegation leaders. Delegation Directors are responsible for their delegates while at the conference, conference communications with parent/guardians, transportation to and from the conference, hosting local meetings, and more!
  • Program Specialists: We have over 50 adult volunteers that lead our program areas. Many of these individuals are YIG alum, teachers, delegation directors, and YMCA team members that have continued to stay involved with the program.  
  • Advisors: Advisors that come attached with a delegation or as a YIG volunteer. These adults pick up shifts in program areas and keep our delegates safe!
  • Resource Advisors: RA's help lead the Leadership Corps program as well as support in our courts programs. These are all college students!
  • CYV Staff Team: Our staff team is always present at conferences and there to support all the delegate and volunteer needs throughout the season.