In YMCA Youth and Government, students identify social issues and problems and select those they wish to resolve by writing legislative bills. This creates the major content of club program and leads into a process of research and debate. It also makes it necessary for students to examine many of their values, beliefs and attitudes while confronting the practical demands of freedom. On the state level, students conduct election conventions and mock sessions as steps leading to a Model Legislature and Administration Convention in Columbus, OH. Each spring, they literally take over the State Capitol for three days and conduct a model government. Here, their bills and leadership skills meet the test, and they confront the reality of the legislative process. Bills passed into law are shared with those who make the real laws and govern our Commonwealth.