The League of Iowa Human & Civil Rights Agencies

(Des Moines, IA) --- The 5th Annual Iowa Youth Congress will be held Friday, November 12, 2010, 9a-4p, in the House Chamber at the Iowa State Capitol. The Iowa Youth Congress (IYC) is a civic leadership development opportunity for Iowa high school students, administered by the Iowa Department of Human Rights (DHR), with a special emphasis on the recruitment of students of color and students with disabilities. The event was created and is presented by DHR’s Office of Latino Affairs.

The program reaches out through regional meetings to teach students about developing policy issues from grassroots ideas, collaborating across diverse populations, and contributing to public life. “Congress members” represent 35 high schools statewide. The November 12th session is a mock General Assembly for 100 students from all over Iowa. Students will prioritize issues from previous regional meetings, introduce and debate bills. Three bills will be selected by the IYC to be recommended to legislators to be introduced as actual bills in the 84th General Assembly, which convenes January 10, 2011.

“The Iowa Youth Congress is an authentic exercise in democracy that teaches kids lifelong lessons and can result in fresh, new ideas for consideration by the Iowa General Assembly,” said Department of Human Rights Director Preston Daniels. “These students are tomorrow’s leaders who are already developing an awareness of how laws and policies affect the world around them.”

According to the United States Census, Iowa’s minority population will increase to 25 percent of the state’s total population by 2030. This growth will represent the largest generational increase in Iowa since 1880.

To learn more about the Iowa Youth Congress, visit http://iyc.latinoaffairs.iowa.gov/index.html.