Leaders are developed by doing, and the Wisconsin YMCA Youth in Government (YIG) program seeks to foster the next generation of thoughtful, committed, and active citizens. The program aims to enable young people to prepare for leadership through participatory training in the theory and practice of determining public policy.

There are two ways to learn about government:
The first is to read textbooks about what others have done.
The second is to take that theoretical knowledge and apply it in an actual government setting.

The Wisconsin YMCA Youth in Government program provides middle and high school students with a unique opportunity to learn how to be civically engaged by acting as state legislators, lawyers, and members of the Press Corps. The students simulate all phases and positions of the actual state government and are challenged with many of the same issues our real legislators must face in their elected offices.