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Since its inception in Minnesota in 1946, the Model Assembly Session has grown from a simple program featuring only a Model Legislature and a Youth Governor, to an incredibly realistic and complex simulation of Minnesota state government, involving over 1,500 young people every year. Participants have opportunities to serve as legislators, leadership corps members, judges, justices, attorneys, lobbyists, cabinet members, and to work in the offices of the Youth Attorney General and Youth Secretary of State. Students may also choose to spend their time exploring the role that media plays in government by taking part in the production of their own daily newspapers, nightly television news broadcast, or radio station. The Model Assembly program itself is conducted almost entirely by students, so many leadership opportunities exist for interested delegates. The possibilities for discovery are virtually limitless.

This program provides unique, hands-on, opportunities for the young people of this state to learn about their government. Minnesota YMCA Model Assembly has the honor to use the facilities of the Minnesota State Capitol Complex. Very few people have experienced the thrill of making a speech in the Senate or the exhilaration of presenting a case before the Supreme Court. The Model Assembly Session offers students these and many, many more wonderful experiences.

While the primary goal of this program is the promotion of responsible citizenship, students come away from Model Assembly with much more than a greater knowledge of the inner-workings of government. Participants sharpen their leadership skills and improve their problem solving and critical thinking abilities while they become more adept at debate and public speaking. Students' self-esteem is improved as they learn that their ideas do matter and that they can make a difference in their world. As Model Assembly participants experience what it is like to run the State of Minnesota for a few days, they also learn a great deal about themselves - their abilities, their interests, and their responsibilities as citizens of our participatory democracy.