These are questions that some ambitious high school students will be finding answers to over the next several months, as part of the YMCA-based Youth and Government Program designed to give younger generations a comprehensive understanding of governmental processes.

During this intense six-week program, 50 students belonging to the Southwest YMCA, in conjunction with more than 1,000 delegates from across the state, will be tackling some of California's toughest issues and writing up bills that may have the potential of becoming laws. They may also propose to amend or abolish existing laws.

According to Russell Wright, the teen program director at the Southwest YMCA, the real work starts in November during a three-day Training and Elections Conference, one of two held at Camp Roberts, an old military base in Paso Robles. Here, all 2,000 delegates receive specific training on debate and parliamentary procedures. In addition, they will learn about some of the values and ethics associated with politics.

A critical purpose of the program is to give students greater insight as to what it is like to hold an office. During the conference, delegates have the opportunity to vote for their elected officials and choose a position they would like to role-play. Once positions are determined, students keep these roles until the end of the program.

"There are plenty of positions the students can choose from," Wright said. "Some may be interested in the research aspect of the program, while others may be more inclined to debate. There's a bit of everything for everybody."

These positions that Wright is referring to include a senator, an assembly member, a supreme court justice, a national issues commission member, a lobbyist and a legislative analyst. Students interested in the media aspect may vie for spots as newspaper editors, reporters and news anchors.

The program culminates in a five-day visit to the state capitol, where students get the opportunity to demonstrate all that they have learned and to showcase their speech and debate skills.

This was the highlight for many of this year's returning participants, such as Saratoga resident Shealyn Villamil, a senior at Presentation High School who acted as a page in her previous year during the final debate, delivering notes from speaker to speaker.

"It was interesting being in the same room where many of our laws get passed," she said. "It made me feel important, even though my job there was not as significant."

During these five days, which happen to be when the actual governing body is on vacation, students—or the elected senate and assembly members—discuss and debate bills that they've created and researched and decide whether to pass or reject them. If accepted, a bill gets passed to the actual assembly, which ultimately decides whether it should be made into an actual law.

According to Wright, of the bills that were presented by members last year, which included requiring annual behind-the-wheel tests for senior citizens over the age of 75 and reducing foreign aid to Israel, two were considered and passed by the state, one of which was an amendment to the existing seatbelt requirement and the other making it legal to test the alcohol content of beverages in bars and restaurants.

Students did not wait to brainstorm some bill ideas for this year. They came up with several, such as eliminating the sale of cigarettes at supermarkets and legalizing gay and lesbian marriages.

"These kids are truly dedicated to making a difference," Wright said. "It's amazing how many ideas they can come up with."

Villamil said she was amazed at how much she learned from her first experience in the program, and at how much fun she had in the process.

"It took a lot of time and effort researching issues and trying to get bills passed, but in the long run, it was worth it. It's worth fighting for something you believe in," she said.

Like Villamil, Los Gatos resident Aaron Miller is a returning member who said he learned not only how politics work, but also how to keep an open mind.

"Politics is not everything that the media portrays," he said. "Once you see the work that's involved and what actually goes on behind the camera, you start to have a greater appreciation for our government. Not everything about the government is bad business."