Eye on ECCS: Youth in Government

 

NOTE: Occasionally throughout the school year, we will visit a school across Eastern Carver County Schools. Some weeks the plan may be to stop in multiple classrooms by grade, or by subject. Other weeks it may highlight a certain specialist group. The purpose is to give families and our community a glimpse into the every-day learning environment happening in our buildings. A chance to spotlight the incredible work our teachers and staff do on a daily basis for our students, and to showcase the incredible work our students produce as well. So, keep your Eye on ECCS!

Six Chaska High School students were among more than 1,500 students from across the state to attend the 72nd annual Minnesota Youth in Government Conference in St. Paul and Minneapolis last month.

An opportunity to get out of their comfort zone, build leadership skills and have a chance at working on their public speaking, said Sally Diehl, Youth Development Specialist in Eastern Carver County Schools’ Community Education programming.

The opportunity was run through Community Education. 

“I tried to sell it not so much about politics, but as a way to debate with kindness and respectfulness, and to advocate for they believe in,” Diehl said.

The students visited the State Capitol in a full state government simulation. Participants practiced civic engagement and built leadership skills during different programming at St. Thomas Law School and the Minneapolis Hilton where students stayed for three nights and four days.

“My favorite parts of the conference were getting to explore the capital building, performing well during my sessions in the Supreme Court, and spending time with my friends throughout the entire conference,” Chaska High School junior Nathan Edstrom said. “I learned so much about how the Supreme Court functions including how arguments are formed, how justices decide who wins a case, and how the judicial system works with the other branches of government at the state level.”

This was the first year that the district collaborated to send students to the conference. Edstrom found out about the program through Chaska’s National Honor Society. “I was drawn to it because I am interested in pursuing politics in the future and Youth In Government seemed like a great opportunity to learn more about my interests,” he said.

For freshman Kyle Smith, having a father who works in the government, it was something he immediately felt drawn to when he first found out about the opportunity. He learned a valuable lesson during the conference.

"I learned if you don’t jump at the opportunities you are given then you won’t get them.Sometimes it’s not if you're the best at something, it is your character that gets you to the top," Smith said.

Smith said he made countless friends at the conference. He also came away with a special recognition award for being a Trial Court Outstanding Delegate. 

"I became a 'local celebrity' in trial courts for a continuous positive attitude and some 'boingyness.' I was voted to present my defense in front of everyone. That was stressful. My partner Bennet and I had to write a whole new case and stayed up for most of the night," Smith said.

Smith is already looking forward to next year's conference.

“Being the first year doing this, I was a little nervous, I didn’t know what to expect, but I think the students gained a lot of confidence and growth, and showed a lot of resiliency. They really honed in their public speaking and leadership skills and all came away with a better understanding of how their voice can make an impact,” Diehl said.

Diehl hopes to expand the number of participants next year to 15 to 20 students. She hopes that students from Chanhassen High School will get on board as well.

“I’m very proud of them. They exceeded all of my expectations. They presented themselves and their school so very well. They all looked very professional and they left me very hopeful for their future,” Diehl added.

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

Five students from Chaska High School along with Diehl participated on March 3 in Youth Day at the Capitol, spending the day at the Minnesota State Capitol learning how government works and how their voices can make a difference.

Youth Day at the Capitol gives young Minnesotans the chance to advocate for the issues that matter most to them. By meeting with elected officials and engaging in conversations about policy and leadership, students develop advocacy and leadership skills while experiencing the power of civic engagement firsthand.

Edstrom was among the students that had an opportunity to meet with local senator Julia Coleman and advocate for a topic of his choice.

“Speaking with Sen. Coleman was an amazing opportunity. I was able to learn a lot about advocacy and how people from my district are represented while engaging directly with governmental figures. I chose to advocate for an increase in funding to the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program, a program that helps vulnerable families facing an immediate risk of homelessness to be able to pay for basic necessities like rent and maintenance bills,” Edstrom said.

This issue is super important to me. I've volunteered at the His House Warehouse in downtown Chaska for about two years. Through that, I've had the opportunity to directly help struggling families obtain resources that they need. This has really made me realize just how much homelessness and poverty as a whole negatively affects people in my district specifically,” he added.

While Smith did not attend Youth Day at the Capital, he has talked several times with local elected officials about the importance of free lunches in school and adequate funding for the arts.

"Free school lunches have made it so my friends both have access to food and feel alright eating it. With being a teenager in today’s age, eating disorders are common. Many of my peers will refuse to eat at lunch time. I can help them by just convincing them to get the free school lunch and try. They almost never finish the whole tray, but they are getting more sustenance than before," Smith said.

Another opportunity for students is the Minnesota House of Representatives High School Page Program each February. Since 1975, high school juniors from throughout the state have traveled to St. Paul to spend a week in the Capitol building. The program celebrated its 50th year this year.

Chaska High School junior Sean Haga was among the students selected to participate in the Page Program in 2026.