By Lorin Enns
Students participated in panels at the annual Sun Youth Forum where they discussed issues and problems surrounding the world and debated ways of solving theme on Tuesday, Nov. 29. Schools from all over the valley turned up at the Las Vegas Convention Center to represent their student bodies and to speak their minds among peers.
“Its purpose is to hear teenagers’ views about various topics, ranging from those around the world to at home in Nevada,” Taylor Dickerson, senior, said. “It benefits students because they have away scholarships and allows our voices to be heard.”
The Las Vegas Sun hosted Tuesday’s all-day program where students were put into different groups to begin their topical discussions. Having previously prepared for the first session, peers were asked to discuss their topics and speak their minds on the matters of which they were assigned.
“The topics could be like ‘What’s going on in America?’ or like ‘What did you think of the Presidential election?’” Mr. Giusto, AP Government teacher, said. “They want to basically understand the opinions of young people as opposed to us old farts.”
Each school in the district chose a total of 35 students to participate in the examinations of controversial ideas and situations that affect the way we live, covering anything from Syrian refugees to cyberbullying laws in our country. These teens dove deep into their thoughts and came together as a congregation of allied pupils to exchange thoughts and ideas, in the hope of conceiving answers.
“I liked all the diversity because it had all races, genders, sexualities, and religions. Everyone had different issues they cared about, which made for interesting conversations,” Avery Hickam, senior, said.
