Donations raised following the Palisades fire allowed the Palisades YMCA’s Youth and Government (Y&G) delegation to eliminate its yearly fee of nearly $3,000 for individual participants, a spokesman said.
In an email announcing the change, YMCA Associate Executive Director Nick Vairo explained his excitement for Y&G being free this year.
“After the fires, a lot of families had already begun facing financial hardship,” Vairo said. “We got donations from other delegations after the fires and we didn’t want the cost to affect someone’s participation in the program. By making it free this year, we’ve opened the door to a lot of students who maybe didn’t think they’d have this opportunity.”
Palisades Y&G Vice President Lana Shargani noted how the yearly fee made it difficult for interested students to join the program.
“For the first three years I was in the program, one of the main barriers between the students actually being able to participate [in Y&G] was the price… and it just kept going up over the years, until now,” Shargani said.
Parliamentarian Lucas Alderson explained that there was a spike in interest this year due to the reduced price.
“Last year we had around 70 delegates, but this past week we’ve had well over 100 delegates at the meetings,” Alderson said.
According to Y&G student officials, the increased interest resulted in a 25 person waitlist for the program, as there are not enough adult advisors available to take every interested delegate to conferences at National Guard Base Camp Roberts and Sacramento.
Alderson expressed how excited he is about the diversity of people participating in the program this year, believing that this new expansion of the Palisades Y&G delegation will enrich its culture.
“I had a lot of friends who didn’t have the means to afford Y&G last year, and the year before that, and now they’re coming to Y&G saying how much they enjoy it,” Alderson said.
Still, there are questions about the program’s financial future. Alderson and Shargani both said they were concerned that Y&G’s price may return to normal next year.
“I really don’t know if next year is going to be free,” Shargani said. “I doubt that it is [going to be free], or even reduced.”
At least for this year, Palisades Y&G will have no fee, allowing delegates who previously could not participate in the program for financial reasons to have the ability to join.
“A lot of our students lost homes and stability after the fires,” Vairo said: “For some of them, even before the fires, $3,000 was unimaginable. After the fires, it became impossible. Removing the cost is more than just financial relief, it’s a statement that every student deserves access to these opportunities.”
