Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023 | 2 a.m.
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Editor’s note: About 550 Clark County high school students participated in the annual Sun Youth Forum on Sept. 11 at Clark 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. Ethan Bull, a senior at Southwest Career and Technical Academy, tells of the students’ opinions in the session entitled “Law and Crime.”
Student Representative Ethan Bull, Southwest Career and Technical Academy, poses during the Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum at Clark High School Monday, Sept. 11, 2023.
With Americans appearing more divided than ever, I never could have imagined that a classroom of high school students from a variety of backgrounds could come together and reach an informed consensus on how to address some of our nation’s most pressing issues.
Yet, at the 2023 Sun Youth Forum, that is exactly what we did.
I, along with hundreds of other student delegates, had the rare opportunity to engage in debates, discussions and the exchange of ideas about the state of democracy and civil rights in the United States.
The topics we discussed ranged from constitutionally protected abortion rights to federal prison reform, sparking passionate yet respectful debate that is too rarely modeled in the halls of our government.
One issue that triggered debate concerned the statute of limitations for violent crimes. While some argued that it was a necessary element of the justice system to prevent false accusations, unreliable evidence from years past and court congestion, others contended that known criminals should not be allowed to go free simply because they ran out the clock on prosecution.
In other subject areas, such as the decriminalization of drugs, our group reached the consensus that criminalizing low-level drug users did little to benefit society. These conversations left a profound impact on all of us, as some group members shared their own vulnerabilities, including the impact of drugs and the justice system on their friends and family members. These stories not only broadened the scope of our discussions but also injected an element of humanity that is often missing in more structured conversations in more formal settings.
The day culminated in our final topic: prison reform. I thoroughly enjoyed engaging with the group as we deliberated how the current system in the United States could be modified to provide incarcerated individuals with a real and meaningful second chance. Often, formerly imprisoned individuals struggle to find employment after their sentences, and while work programs do exist, they are few and rarely provide former prisoners with dignified professions.
For these reasons, our group determined that it was essential for prisoners to undergo mandatory education and skills training to give them a promising, productive future to look forward to.
Each of these conversations fostered an environment in which diverse opinions were welcomed and participants were encouraged to share their thoughts honestly. There is nothing more valuable than a community that encourages intellectual diversity in this way.
The forum participants are lucky to have experienced a refuge from the noise of divisive political theater and to engage with each other in a diplomatic and constructive manner. It inspires me to see so many passionate young individuals interested in actively participating in our democratic system. As the leaders of the future, I am confident that the lessons we learned at the youth forum will help us create a more hopeful future — one marked by compassion, understanding, and positive change.
