Chhabra Earns Youth & Government Promotion

Junior Arjun Chhabra has been appointed Special Rapporteur of the state for the International Affairs Committee, a prestigious position in the Youth and Government program.

Youth and Government is a state-wide program that allows high school students to participate in a simulation of government processes. It is sponsored by the YMCA.

Participating students attend 3 conferences during the year to partake in mock government legislation and business. 2 of the conferences are hosted in Fresno and the final conference takes place in Sacramento after weekly meetings to discuss policies and politics on the state level. Students in the program can also apply for special appointments through an interview process.

While Chhabra ran for Chief Rapporteur, he was selected for Special Rapporteur for the International Affairs Committee (IAC) along with 2 other students out of 15 candidates from across California.  The Special Rapporteur oversees and organizes meetings.

Chhabra said the IAC proposes legislation to “solve international issues” as well as ones focusing on diseases. “It’s a coincidence that international issues are very prevalent right now as even in APES [AP Environmental Sciences], we’re learning about diseases…people are seeing real time what a pandemic is and how a pandemic affects people,” he explained.

The IAC also focuses on improving education access and providing specific education on birth control and other female medical issues in developing countries.

Junior Katie Strohmeyer said that Chhabra’s position is “more visible with more responsibility.” Strohmeyer added that Chhabra helps make sure the meetings are organized and run smoothly.

While junior Sahaana Rajesh believes that Campolindo does not talk about politics “because it is so polarized,” Youth and Government helps bring about discussions and one can “explore leadership in the delegation and worldwide.”