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YOUNG GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING PROCEDURE
The Young General Assembly chose its name because it wants to assist, advise and partner with the United Nations General Assembly in its role to bring about a peaceful, sustainable world. It has no intention of simulating the General Assembly. Therefore, Parliamentary Procedure was not selected as the process by which Young General Assembly meetings are to be conducted because it stifles the spontaneity of young people. This non-parliamentary procedure calls for group members to share the responsibility of conducting a meeting by assuming Group Roles and rotating the Roles so many people have a chance to lead. This non-parliamentary procedure is used in plenary sessions as well as working groups.
GUIDE: The Guide is the main leader of the group. The Guide makes sure that everyone in his/her group understands what to do. The Guide makes sure that all group members share their thoughts and ideas. The Guide also makes sure that the group finishes its task or activity.
PEACEMAKER: The Peacemaker makes sure that everyone’s thoughts, feelings, and ideas are heard and understood. The Peacemaker makes sure that peace is kept within the group and between groups and keeps everything positive. The Peacemaker calls for “check-ins” (each person briefly states what they are feeling and thinking at the moment without comment from anyone).
SCRIBE: The Scribe organizes and writes down the group’s ideas and records the proceedings for official records and for summary purposes at the end of the meeting.
SPEAKER: The Speaker asks the group what they want to share. The Speaker then share’s the group’s ideas with others outside the group. This role is not needed in a Plenary Session when everyone is present.
SUPPLIER: The Supplier makes sure that group members have all the materials they need. The Supplier asks for information for others in the group. The Supplier also makes sure that all the materials are returned.
TIME KEEPER: The Time Keeper helps the group decide how much time they should spend on each task and keeps track of the time and notifies the group five minutes before the meeting is to end so the meeting can be summarized and everyone knows what they are to do before the next meeting.
Voting in the Young General Assembly is done in two ways.
(1) AN INFORMAL TEMPERATURE CHECK is taken to get an idea how the group is feeling about an issue and thus to decide if to continue the discussion or put the issue to a final formal vote. All participants signal their feelings with a thumb.
A thumb pointed upwards means, “I agree fully.”
A thumb extended horizontally means, “I may not agree with it wholeheartedly, but I can live with this decision.”
A thumb pointing downwards means, “I do not agree with this decision.”
(2) A FORMAL VOTE BY AMBASSADORS ONLY in Plenary Sessions is done by the raising of a hand to signify “Yes” or “No” when a vote is called for by the Guide. The Ambassadors, people under 18 who can speak English selected during the Preparatory Meetings, are given time to consult with the delegations from their country before a formal vote is taken.
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