YMCA’s Youth and Government program will host a barbecue at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at the YMCA located on Ross Road for students interested in joining.

Involving high school students from all over the state, YMCA’s Model Legislature and Court strives to educate and build students into responsible citizens, according to its Web site.

“This year we’re hoping to expand the size of our delegation, as there is power in numbers,” said Priya Ghose, president of the Palo Alto delegation. “There are over 2000 kids who participate in this program, and we are hoping to become a bigger delegation so that we can have more influence in the program.”

The Model Legislature and Court attempts to give students a firsthand experience with the California state government through a nine-month simulation program which prepares them for a mock legislature held in Sacramento for four days in February, according to Ghose.

“Our delegation’s goal is to get more kids active in government and to have the opportunity to participate in a legislative process,” Ghose said.

Not only does Youth and Government teach teens about government, but it also tries to create friendships between students from around the state and open students’ minds to different ideas from various communities, according to its Web site.

“I have been in the program for the last two years and it’s been an amazing experience,” Ghose said. “I’ve made friends from all over the state, gained public speaking skills and learned a lot about government. Also, a lot of my opinions have changed as a result of listening to different points of views from all over the state…Palo Alto can be pretty homogeneous in its opinions.”

Ghose is looking forward to the year ahead.

“We also just want people to be able to experience this program and learn about government,” Ghose said. “We also want everybody to have a fun year.”

Youth and Government meetings are held at 7 p.m. every Wednesday at the YMCA at 3412 Ross Rd.