Virginia YMCA

Kyle Fisher is going to be a senior at Spotswood High School in this coming fall. This will be his first year at CONA and this was his third year at MGA. His proposal is regards “reducing the marketing of doctors by banning all payments towards doctors by pharma companies,” which would in turn reduce the amount of name-brand drugs that are unnecessarily prescribed by doctors. Kyle is looking forward to meeting politically-active students from across the country. He believes programs such as CONA and MGA are important because it allows students of America the opportunity to become better acquainted with views that they don’t hold themselves. When asked what the title of his “life movie” would be, Kyle responded: “A Life Around The South.” He explained that he has lived in four separate southern states within his lifetime: North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Alabama. He further said that these experiences have allowed him to be provided with a wide variety of worldviews, “I lived in a...

Paine Gronemeyer is going to be attending H-B Woodlawn as a senior this fall. This will be his first year at CONA and this was his second time at MGA. His proposal is “top-secret,” so secret, in fact, that he said he was unable to disclose any information on it at the time. Perhaps Paine will let you in on his secret if you’re able to gain enough of his trust. Paine can’t wait to meet people from all over the country and he’s excited to have some awesome times with the VA delegation as well. He believes programs like MGA and CONA are important because they allow students to gain experience in a possible career path of politics. When asked what the title of his “life movie” would be, Paine responded: “On Your Marks.” Paine explained that he is very involved in track and field and is always willing to try new sports, events, and experiences. From small races like his town’s 5k all the way to the U20 Nationals (which he just recently participated in), he says the command “Runners/Walkers ...

Cameron Mears is attending Nandua High in the fall as a Junior. This was his first time at MGA so it will also be his first time at CONA. His proposal regulates artificial intelligence, restricting AI from spreading personal information without the consent of the owner. This also means that personal information cannot be put out to the public or sent out to various sources without the owner of the information allowing, which would positively impact the US because it would mean that the citizens’ information would be safe. Cameron is most excited to meet people from all over the country, which is convenient because CONA allows a wonderful opportunity for that. Cameron believes programs and events such as MGA and CONA to be important because they show a representation of the people who will be in the government in the future, and it also helps youths exercise their passion for politics. When asked what the title of his “life movie” would be, Cameron responded: “You Deserve What You Earn....

Parker Boggs is attending Broadwater Academy next fall as a Senior. This was his third year at MGA and will be his second time experiencing CONA. His proposal raises the federal smoking age from 18 to 21 in an effort to protect America’s youth from nicotine addiction. Parker is looking forward to seeing his old friends back on the mountain and meeting even more new friends as well as working solo on his proposal this year because last year he combined and it didn’t end as well as he would’ve liked (you can ask him for further info). Parker believes that programs like CONA and MGA are very important because they allow so many teens to become involved and interact with important and pressing issues within our nation, and Parker firmly believes that kids our age can fix issues by spreading awareness and advocating for change. When asked what the title of his “life movie” would be, Parker answered: “My Positive Note.” He explains that with the unpredictability of life, it’s always best to ...

Joseph Clark is attending Benedictine College Preparatory as a Junior in the fall. This was both his first year at MGA and first year at CONA, kinda like me actually. His proposal allows for the lowering of the federal drinking age from 21 to 18 in an effort to create a drinking culture where binge drinking isn’t so heavily praised by the youth. He’s trying to move America’s drinking culture closer to that of a nation like France, which Joseph happens to have just returned from. Joseph was there with his school as they were marching in the 75th D-Day Anniversary, a crazy awesome opportunity in my opinion at least. Along with being excited to meet all the new people at CONA, Joseph also looks forward to being acquainted with the other side of arguments that he hasn’t yet heard before. He believes events such as CONA and MGA to be important because it allows the opportunity for students to establish an interest in participating in the political system as well as learning how to properly ...

Olivia Klein is going to be attending Yorktown High School as a Senior in the fall. This will be her first time at CONA, but she’s been participating at MGA her entire highschool career. Her proposal, Proposal #298 in Committee F, works “to establish federally regulated stem cell therapy clinics in America,” which would allow for an alternative method of treatment for those dealing with a variety of illnesses including cancer. This treatment could work as a replacement for chemotherapy or be used in addition to chemotherapy to help combat cancer within the US. Like a lot of the delegation, Olivia is excited to bond with the people within our delegation as well as expanding outwards and meeting all the new faces that CONA brings together. She thinks that MGA and CONA are essential because they serve to educate the young people of America about what the legislative process is and how it works, along with how our government works in general. It’s also important, she says, for the kids wh...

Irene Thornton is going to be studying Political Science with a double minor in Spanish and Leadership at Christopher Newport University in the fall. This is going to be her first year at CONA, though it was her second year at MGA. Her proposal, Proposal #206 in Committee L, allows prisoners on death row the opportunity to donate their organs as one last act of redemption before their step into eternal slumber. As of right now, there are over a hundred thousand individuals on the organ waitlist and her proposal could help better the lives of some of those people in need. Irene, like most, is excited to meet all the delegates from around the country as well as to listen to and debate their varying proposals. Irene believes programs such as MGA and CONA are important because they allow young citizens to become involved with politics which allows them the opportunity to become aware of what’s going on within our nation as well as our world. When asked what her “life movie” would be called...

J. Trent Pettus is going to be attending UVA as a freshman this coming fall. This will be his first year at CONA. He is bringing a practical proposal to CONA which allows for the gradual integration of the Metric System in an effort to reduce the millions of tragic casualties that occur annually within our country because of a common misunderstanding of the system. Trent is most excited to meet everybody in the delegation, as he only really knows Irene, though he has also acquainted himself with Parker and Tommy as well. He believes Youth and/in Government programs are important as they teach kids why they shouldn’t become involved with Government, said in jest with heavy sarcasm of course. He then answered that it’s important for young citizens to understand the process of how everything is done as well as the magnitude of the national issues that are being discussed. When asked what instrument he would like to become skilled with, Trent answered “a keyboard drum pad combo.” To go...

Mckenzie Green is going to be attending Faith Christian School as a Junior in the fall. This is her second year at CONA. Her first CONA proposal allowed prisoners in solitary confinement more recreational time in an effort to stabilize declining mental health rates within that population. However, this year she’s reinventing herself by bringing awareness to animals, specifically circus animals, and the harsh conditions they must endure for the public’s entertainment. At what cost to the animals should the public cause for their own joy? If any of this interests you, I know she’d be more than willing to converse; or, if you would like to glance over her proposal again, it’s #197 in Committee E. Mckenzie is most looking forward to reentering the CONA atmosphere, as it’s one that she describes as full of passion for both the topics being debated but also for each other. She believes programs and events such as CONA and MGA are important because they serve to sharpen kids’ public speaking...