Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022 | 2 a.m.
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Editor’s note: About 450 Clark County high school students participated in the annual Sun Youth Forum on Nov. 8 at Liberty High School. The students were divided into groups to discuss several topics. A spokesperson was chosen from each discussion group to write a column about the students’ findings. Anne Marie Jean-Baptiste, a senior at Del Sol Academy of the Performing Arts, tells of the students’ opinions in the session entitled “Potpourri.”
Student representative Anne Marie Jean-Baptiste, of Del Sol Academy of the Performing Arts, poses during the 64th annual Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum at Liberty High School in Henderson, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
The room had a slight chill to it, or maybe it was just my nerves. I was shivering and yet I felt warm. Judging by the muffled clicking of pens in the background, I wasn’t the only one who felt this way.
“So, the top three issues that most concern us: … Anyone want to take the floor?” And so the debate began …
From a kindling flame to a passionate blaze, a spark lit within each student in the room. The hunger and drive within our eyes grew stronger as we dove deeper into the controversies surrounding our chosen discussion topics. Issues such as rising inflation and teen homelessness were discussed within our groups, but the question of whether controversial figures should be deplatformed was first to initiate an intense debate. Each side of the argument interpreted the question differently.
Some students thought the question was asking whether controversial figures should be deplatformed because they’re controversial. Others believed the question to be asking whether such figures should be deplatformed based on the things they do that make them controversial — a very different question.
No matter which interpretation a particular student took, the undeniable domination of technology and the ongoing presence of social media in our lives make questions like this important to ask. The rules governing who gets to have a platform on the internet and how they are allowed to behave on that platform affect our daily lives and will only become more important as we get older.
Yet the laws that govern our existence in the real world are not equipped to handle the internet age. The idea of “free speech” alone cannot identify the difference between people who have different viewpoints versus those whose sole purpose is to spread hate and undermine the rights of others. How to regulate online spaces is an important discussion to be held not only for today’s generation, but for all generations yet to come.
The question of whether social media is a detriment to society was yet another question that sparked debate. Some believed it is a detriment to society, as it can spread false information and further divide people. Others argued that it brings people closer together, as those who live within small communities can connect with other people worldwide who share the same interests. And yet others argued that social media promotes unbiased information and first-hand accounts of events going on around the world. Although we all had differing opinions, we all agreed that it depends on how a person chooses to utilize social media. Multiple things can be true at once, and personal responsibility matters.
As the day was coming to an end, our final discussion focused on the question of “What is a good leader?” Many stated that a good leader is someone who is a good listener, includes everyone in their group, has a voice for themselves and for others, and someone who not only leads, but also knows how to follow.
As this discussion continued, I realized that we were describing characteristics of one another. We were all leaders in our own right. Our leadership styles may be slightly different, but we all came willing to listen, learn and express our opinions, even when they differed from another opinion in the room.
We are all socially aware individuals advocating for what we believe in, no matter what other people may think. And most of all, we are passionate, caring people trying to represent a diverse society. Some of us may go on to become attorneys, politicians, nurses, writers and many other professions, but no matter what job we pursue, we are the future leaders of the world.
