MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The House and Senate chambers were full of life Friday afternoon.
There were robust discussions about legalizing medically assisted suicide and cannabis as well as setting up a state lottery. Senators and representatives negotiated amendments. Lobbyists charmed members. The press questioned officials about tough policy decisions.
But this Friday was different from the other 17 legislative days we’ve had so far this session: all of the members present were high school students.
Friday marked the start of the 77th annual Alabama Youth Legislature Conference in the State House. The event, hosted by the YMCA, brought more than 400 students and chaperones to Montgomery from all corners of the state.
Corey Calcote, state director of Alabama Youth in Government, said the mock legislature is a good opportunity for students to speak their minds in a safe space.
“We love, love, love this program for what they get to do because it’s a space that they can come in and have opinions that are their own, and then express those opinions to their peers without any fear of animosity or anything like that,” Calcote said.
Students at the conference participate in various parts of government and related entities, including the legislative chambers, supreme court, press corps and various lobbying organizations.
For Youth Governor Carter Holloway, the conference is a way for students to understand how the “sausage gets made” in government. This is Holloway’s fourth year attending the conference.
“This program has given me an opportunity to have a voice, and not only that, it’s given me a platform to feel comfortable enough to share my voice,” Holloway, 17, told ADN. “I just want that to be the same experience for everyone else.”
Holloway is from Hoover and previously served as House Floor Leader, a step he said is common for student governors. He said talking to people and listening to their priorities also helped him get elected.
As governor, Holloway was tasked with picking a special order of bills from the hundreds submitted by students. His process involved selecting an agenda to “make sure everyone was feeling alive and ready to talk about some heated topics.”
This agenda includes bills to legalize cannabis and repeal a state holiday celebrating Robert E. Lee.
Above all else, Holloway said his experience with the Youth Legislature has taught him how to be a patient leader.
“Of course, patience, but learning that just because you hold a position, that doesn’t mean you’re above everybody else,” Holloway said. “The big thing with the YMCA is servant leadership, so just making sure that you’re a servant to others, that’s the best way, really, in my opinion, to lead people.”