Building the Pipeline to Public Service
Our Mission
ENGAGE Youth in Government exists to equip future civic leaders with the skills, knowledge, and experiences needed to excel in government and serve the public good.
Our History
The program that we now know as ENGAGE – Youth in Government was developed in 1919 under the State YMCA of Georgia with the first high school Chapter for boys (Hi-Y) chartered at Fort Valley High School in Georgia. In 1929, at Douglas High School, also in Georgia, the first Chapter for high school girls (Tri-Hi-Y) was chartered. In the late 1960s, the idea of a coed Chapter was born and known as Coed Y Clubs. These Chapters operated under the State YMCA of Georgia until 2021 when they became a part Georgia Center for Civic Engagement and the local school Chapters became known as ENGAGE – Youth in Government. In 2023, ENGAGE – Youth in Government became recognized by the Georgia Department of Education as a Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO) that supports the Public Service and Safety Career Cluster as well as JROTC.
Our Pledge
I solemnly pledge to uphold the values and mission of ENGAGE – Youth in Government, to actively participate in fostering understanding and involvement in governmental processes, and to cultivate the skills and integrity necessary to become a responsible and informed leader in my community.
Our Creed
We, the members of ENGAGE – Youth in Government, pledge to uphold the principles of democracy and civic responsibility.
We commit to engage respectfully in dialogue, seek understanding, and build consensus to better our communities.
With integrity and enthusiasm, we promise to explore the complexities of governance and contribute positively to our society.
We dedicate ourselves to becoming informed, active citizens who lead by example and inspire others through our actions and words.
Together, we strive to shape a just and prosperous future for all.
Our Goals
ENGAGE – Youth in Government equips future civic leaders with the skills, knowledge, and experiences needed to excel in government and serve the public good. To guide the organization’s work in fulfilling this mission, the following strategic priorities have been set for 2025-2030.
Continue to develop and deliver meaningful opportunities to support the public service and safety cluster
- Expand opportunities for students in Middle School, JROTC, and the Cluster
- Strengthen local Chapters, classroom instruction, leadership development, and workforce outcomes
Develop additional competitions and opportunities to support JROTC and Public Service and Safety Cluster
- Create additional competitions to support student learning outcomes and workforce needs
- Partner with business and industry to create and offer student opportunities for industry certification
Ensure engage has the resources and capabilities to fully deliver on our mission
- Identify grant and other funding sources to support ENGAGE programs at the local, state, and national levels
- Align ENGAGE’s staff and volunteer structure to support the student and Advisor experience
By 2030, Expand the CTSO into other states becoming a nationally recognized CTSO
- Have programs established in at least 15 states
- Host national leadership conference and competitions
- have National Student Officers
- Have at least 1,000 Chapters at the middle and high school level
- Have at least 20,000 members nationally
Bylaws
Policies
2026-2027 Policy Updates
All students will be required to be in proper uniform at all conference events (Youth Assembly, Youth in Government Expo, etc.). The national uniform description can be found here. Badges can be purchased on the eStore in your Advisor Portal.
Chapters must register at least one team for all competitions for which they have pathways at their school before they can register additional teams for any other competitions. For example, at the Youth in Government EXPO, a school with the Government and Public Administration pathway and JROTC must have students registered in Governance, JROTC, National Security, and Cybersecurity competitions before they can have multiple teams in the Governance competition. Additionally, the school must have teams in all competitions of the relevant pathways before they can register for competitions outside the pathways offered by their school. In the preceding example, the school would have to fill those listed competitions before they could register any teams for the Police competition at the EXPO.