The Student Y Club, run by the YMCA, is an amazing community throughout every school in the U.S. But here at South Oldham, it is one of the best. Y-Club is a model student government, and there are 2 main conferences held throughout the school year. One of which being the Kentucky Youth Assembly (KYA), and the other being the Kentucky United Nations Assembly (KUNA). We are soon approaching KUNA, which will be held from March 6th through the 8th of 2024. KYA is always sometime in December for South. Some may be asking, “Well what do you do at these conferences?” At these conferences, students are debating, meeting new people, and possibly even running for a Presiding Officer position or a Supporting Officer position. There are also different conferences held through the YMCA (not held through South), like Go For It, which is a weekend retreat, and even service trips like Y-Corps over the summer. Although KYA and KUNA both have some of the same amazing activities, there are some major differences between the 2.
As we approach the month of March, and although that symbolizes the (almost) start of spring, more importantly, it means KUNA is coming up. KUNA, The Kentucky United Nations Assembly is a more modern type of Model UN. This year, South was able to take Canada, Greece, and Iran. Students from South will each work together to either create a resolution (which is like a law) for one of the three countries, a campaign to be a presiding officer from South, or to create a World Expo presentation, meaning they will research about the said
country and create a poster board to present on the first night! Resolutions are carefully crafted and presented to members of Y-Club to be voted on. If a resolution gets enough votes from South, it will be taken to the conference, if not, those who worked on the resolution will go to the conference to debate other resolutions. Those who are not doing a special program or activity as stated above will still debate and represent South in the best way possible. South takes KUNA very seriously, and even won an outstanding delegation award at KUNA 2, or as South likes to call it, KUNA Tuna, in 2023. If students are interested in learning more about different countries, debating nationwide laws, and even earning awards, KUNA is the right place.
If students have a more creative mind, in the sense that they feel strongly about certain issues about themselves and Kentucky, and would like to create a bill with essentially no restrictions, the Kentucky Youth Assembly would spark their interest. When prepping for KYA, students who create bills- bill authors, are able to come up with anything their heart desires, as long as it is made to better Kentucky. KYA includes bill authors, presiding officers, and is more of a student government rather than the United Nations. South can even choose someone who wants to run for a PO position. In 2022, Cross Dutton (12), Sam Ray (12), and Blaine Kimery (10) all ran for a PO position and won! Cross won the governorship of KYA 4, meaning he led the conference the next year (in 2023). Sam won Secretary Of the Cabinet, and Blaine won Lt. Governor! They went on to be the leaders of the next conference and so many opportunities were presented to them in doing so. South also won the “Outstanding Delegation” award at KYA 4 in 2022. KYA is a place for students to foster their love for politics and the government, and a way to become a leader, either on the podium or in conference rooms debating.
The Student Y-Club here at South is one of the most fun, engaging, and overall best places for those who love debating and meeting new people. There are tons of other opportunities throughout the YMCA, not just KYA and KUNA. If you have any interest in joining the upcoming events (KUNA registration is closed), talk to Ms. Heineman in room 105; we would love to have you!
