CONA Wrap-Up

The YMCA Conference on National Affairs could not have wrapped up any better for the Tennessee Delegation.  Evan Ford, from Brentwood Academy, passed his proposal on banning collective bargaining for teachers in Plenary, which is the highest a bill can be ranked.  Taylor Norton, also from Brentwood Academy, presented in General Assembly with an outstanding performance on allowing firearms on college campuses.  The entire delegation was very outstanding the entire week!  We received Premier Delegation as a state for our timeliness in preparations for the conference and outstanding performance at CONA.  Nicola Shorten of Evangelical Christian School and Evan Ford won Outstanding Statesperson; only 24 out of the 570 students from the conference received this award.  Evan Ford (can you tell he's pretty awesome?!) was also named third alternate for Presiding Officer, the highest award possible.  Presiding Officers serve as the leaders of next year's conference and are picked based on their outstanding performance at the conference, outstanding performance with their delegation at home, and their evidence of servant leadership.  He will have big shoes to fill as Ryan Ray, now a student at University of Tennessee- Knoxville, did a great job as Presiding Officer this year.  We could not be more proud of Tennessee!  Congrats guys on a great week!

CONA Update

Team Tennessee has been busy at CONA this week! We have spent the past few days debating, presenting, and spending time getting to know students from across the US. We had 12 students move from first committee onto second committee, an honor that less than half of CONA delegates receive. Out of these 12 students, four students moved onto third committee, a feat that less than a sixth of delegates receive. At the moment, we are in General Assembly. We are proud to announce that Tennessee delegate, Taylor Norton, made the General Assembly docket. He is one of forty students out of the 560 proposals that were chosen. He will present his proposal on legalizing firearms on college campuses tomorrow so be sure to check back to see if his bill passes. Otherwise, Tennessee students have stood out in debates and enjoyed catching the Blue Ridge Spirit. Wish us luck as we move into tomorrow's events!

Tennessee Heads to CONA!

Our apologies for the lack of posts about our Plan Padrino trip.  We will have posts soon, but with all the learning and fun that was being had (along with limited internet access), our blogging schedule didn't work out as planned.  

That said, this Saturday, we are sending 23 of our most outstanding delegates to the Conference on National Affairs otherwise known as CONA. The YMCA Conference on National Affairs is the highest honor that a Tennessee Delegate can achieve. The top delegates from the state are selected by a committee during the two Youth in Government conferences. These delegates are the best from the conferences not only in presentation and statesmanship, but also in overall attitude, adherence to the conference rules, as well as parliamentary procedure knowledge and debate skill. Once the delegates are selected, they are invited to join other statesmen from throughout the country for a week-long conference of ideas, where the nation's future leaders come together to share their ideas for strengthening America at the beautiful Black Mountain, North Carolina Blue Ridge Retreat Center. Once on the mountain, participants will catch the "Blue Ridge Spirit." Don't worry, this isn't an infectious disease, it is the sense of respect that the delegates have for one another as they share their ideas to further strengthen the nation and promote the development of democratic ideals throughout the world. The delegates promote their ideas by writing national level proposals and presenting them at the conference as they work to pass the proposals through the various committees, similar to the committee process in the state conference. Tennessee has an outstanding record at the conference and has achieved Premier Delegation for the past several years. 

This year, Ryan Ray, Former Governor from the 2010 Conference B Youth in Government Conference, was selected to be a Presiding Officer for the 2011 Conference on National Affairs. Only four Presiding Officers are selected from all of the states attending the conference. Ryan attended Brentwood Academy and is attending the University of Tennessee at Knoxville at this time. 

We will keep you updated on our happenings so be sure to check back often.  In the meantime, learn more about CONA on their website found here and leave us a comment with your favorite CONA memory if you had the privilege of going in previous years!

Day 2 in Colombia

Hello from an awesome Colombian computer here at the Y in Ibague, which we have discovered contains fun symbols like Ñçç¡¿ Other than having fun with the new symbols on the keyboard, we have had a lot of fun getting to meet the staff from the YMCA, Adrianna, Consuelo, Jaime, Luzayeda, and Nelly. After the five hour bus ride through the beautiful Colombian countryside, we were treated to a delicious native lunch at a local restaurant, consisting of plaintain soup with fresh bananas, chicken and rice and their version of banana-nut bread. Following that, we met our homestay families and settled in before arriving at the YMCA to tell the staff about the Model United Nations and Youth in Government conferences and Plan Padrino.

We`ll update soon with pictures and video! More adventures to come!

Taking a Trip to Colombia!

We are excited to announce that two of our MUN high school participants, Associate Director, and a volunteer will be headed to Ibague, Colombia next week to learn more about the Plan Padrino Program which we support through our Model United Nations program.  The Plan Padrino Program (translated God Father) provides sustainable funds for school, school supplies, and school uniforms for under-served students in Colombia.  Every other year we have had the privilege of bringing a group of students from Colombia to our MUN conferences and this year, we are pleased to take a group of American students there.  We hope that the trip will provide participants with a deeper cultural understanding and awareness that will aid in teaching our MUN students and the students in Colombia about the world and the many perspectives of those that inhabit it.  Be sure to follow our blog over the next two weeks so you can stay up to date on our trip with pictures, videos, and stories as we travel to Ibague and Bogota!

What's up with press?

Press Update!

We are currently working on the first paper of the day-- almost ready to print! Be sure to check it out.  In this issue, we covered things such as the dance, gubernatorial speeches, organic food, unusual bills, music and movie reviews, and fun polls!

Pictures from Governor's Banquet and Officer Auction