Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Moderators find ‘this generation is OK’

58th annual Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum

Steve Marcus

Alexis Toone of Desert Oasis High School gives an opinion on marijuana legalization during the 58th annual Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum at the Las Vegas Convention Center Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014.

58th annual Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum

Justin Cornett of Arbor View High School poses during the 58th annual Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum at the Las Vegas Convention Center Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014. Launch slideshow »

The Sun Youth Forum brings nearly 1,000 students together under one roof to discuss current events and issues touching their lives. The goal: through their sharing, to help an older generation better understand what’s on the minds of our youths.

To that end, participants are separated into smaller groups of between 30 and 40 students, for discussions moderated by community leaders. These moderators volunteer their time for the opportunity to listen to what’s on the minds of today’s teenagers.

The moderators include business executives, civic leaders, judges, educators, media representatives and members of the Las Vegas City Council, Clark County Commission and Clark County School Board.

Here are the thoughts of three of the moderators, edited for clarity and brevity:

Bob Stoldal

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Bob Stoldal

Retired, executive vice president of news operations at Channel 3

Years as a moderator: 20+

Once a year I get a chance to listen to, and ask questions of, 30 to 40 teenagers. It’s a wonderful insight into the minds of each of these generations.

One topic that sticks out is that they were adamantly opposed to putting a nuclear-waste dump in Southern Nevada. They felt it wasn’t safe, and that it threatened the tourist-based economy.

Another topic I remember from several years ago was about gay marriage, and remarks that there was no reason to not allow marriage between two human beings who loved each other.

Every year the topics change, but the consistency is in the thoughtfulness of students. It shouldn’t surprise me, but I’m always leaving these things feeling emotionally excited about the future.

You just come out feeling like, ‘OK, we can fix things. This generation is OK.’

Eddie Escobedo Jr.

Eddie Escobedo Jr.

Eddie Escobedo Jr.

Publisher of Las Vegas Spanish-language newspaper El Mundo.

Years as a moderator: 4

I showed up that first year as a moderator and just let the kids talk.

I was taken aback by the enthusiasm and involvement of each group I participated with. It seems they’re more engaged every year when it comes to politics.

These kids, and I don’t even want to call them kids because they are so advanced, they know about a lot of topics and they are opinionated. There is no apathy with these young people. They are engaged.

One year there was this young lady who was really into politics. It was just amazing that at her age, even though she couldn’t vote yet, she was volunteering for Democratic campaigns. She was so involved. To me, this is the future. They are going to be our future leaders.

I have a picture of me with her because I was so impressed. Twenty years from now, I know that young lady is going to accomplish all that she set out to do.

Jim Owens

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Jim Owens

Deputy chief, Metro Police, Homeland Security division

Years as a moderator: 6

As a police officer, our interaction with the public isn’t usually positive.

People don’t call us and say, “Things are going great, come on by.” So I appreciate the opportunity to speak to 30 high school-age kids and nobody is in handcuffs. These are good scholars and good students.

My favorite moments come with the honesty these kids have in conversations. It’s always kind of surprising to me they’re like a bunch of young Republicans. I wasn’t expecting to see so many kids say, “no, marijuana is not good.”

But what I really like is that I’m in a room full of kids and nobody is accused of doing anything wrong. They feel comfortable saying what they like.

It gives me faith in the future generations.

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