White Plains Youth & Government Achieves Historic Success

White Plains, NY – YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester (YMCA OF CNW) White Plains Youth & Government made history this past weekend by sending its largest delegation ever—64 students—to the New York State YMCA Youth & Government State Conference. This year's conference was the largest in history, with 750 students from across the state participating. Our delegation included 10 bill teams, 13 attorney pairs, four students serving as Conference Justices, and one student serving as a Presiding Officer.

Legislative Successes

In the legislative branch, all 10 of our bills were successfully passed in their respective chambers, with nine earning the Youth Governor’s signature. Four of these bills ranked in the top 5% and advanced to joint sessions, where they were also passed. Notable individual achievements include:

• Nathan Beck – Awarded Outstanding Debater in his chamber.

• Bill 143 (authored by Nathan Beck, Nate Bartlette, Asher Nerenberg, and Alex Porcelli) – Awarded Outstanding Bill for its innovative proposal on Patent Law.

• Layla Hanbali – Recognized as Outstanding Delegate.

Judicial Achievements

Our judicial participants also excelled, with all of our attorney pairs ranking in the top 10%. Additional recognitions include:

• Olivia Amador & Maya Roldan – Awarded Best Brief.

• Daniel Appel & Olivia Amador – Awarded Outstanding Attorney.

• Lance Anthony – Awarded Outstanding Justice.

Community Service Recognition

This year’s conference introduced a Service Learning component, emphasizing community engagement. White Plains Youth & Government stood out among all delegations, earning the Stronger Community Service Award for completing the most service hours per capita.

Elected Leadership for 2025

At the conclusion of the conference, four of our students were elected to key leadership positions for the 2025 conference:

• Charis Choi – Public Defender

• Francis Fokoue-Nkoutche – Chief Justice

• Layla Hanbali – Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Freedom

• Nathan Beck – President Pro Tempore of Senate Freedom

National Conference Selections

Each year, top-performing students from the YMCA NYS Youth & Government Conference are chosen to represent the state at prestigious national events. The following White Plains students earned invitations:

• National Judicial Conference (Minneapolis, MN) – Francis Fokoue-Nkoutche, Lance Anthony, Sydney Brumberg, Charis Choi, and Ben Battistini.

• Conference on National Affairs (Asheville, NC) – Asa Hamlin and Layla Hanbali.

“This year’s delegation demonstrated extraordinary leadership, civic engagement, and excellence in debate, law, and service,” said Mat Bruno, Assistant Director of Camp and Teen Services of the YMCA OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN WESTCHESTER. “We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and look forward to another successful year ahead.”

About YMCA CNW Youth & Government

White Plains Youth & Government is a student-led civic engagement program that prepares young people to become responsible and informed citizens. Through hands-on participation in the legislative and judicial process, students develop leadership skills, public speaking abilities, and a deep understanding of government operations.

For more information, please contact: Shannon Sullivan Director of Camp and Teen Services YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester ssullivan@ymca-cnw.org