60 years later, Sun Youth Forum still advancing the conversation on big issues

By Jesse Granger

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016 | 2 a.m.

Las Vegas Sun founder Hank Greenspun had a theory: Adults could learn a thing or two by listening to young people.

With that concept in mind, Greenspun launched the Sun Youth Forum in 1956, bringing 96 students from five Las Vegas-area high schools to the Royal Nevada Hotel for a day of discussion on issues affecting the nation and world.

The Sun Youth Forum continues to flourish on the same principles. Nearly 1,000 high school students from 52 schools participated in the 60th anniversary of the event on Tuesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, passionately debating issues such as the recent presidential election and police brutality.

“I thought it was very good today, mostly because of the students,” said Brian Cram, a former superintendent of the Clark County School District who has helped run the event for 15 years. “I was impressed with the students. They really looked good to me. I moved from group to group, and I was impressed that overall I thought they were making adult decisions.”

Discussions ranged from global issues such as Syrian refugees to lighter questions on whether schools are sufficiently educating students on responsible credit-card use.

The groups were moderated by 28 community leaders — most of whom specialize in the topic they oversaw.

Forums discussing law and crime were run by retired Metro Police Deputy Chief Jim Owens, District Judge Frank Sullivan, U.S. Magistrate Judge Bill Hoffman, and Alisa Nave-Worth, senior policy adviser at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.

Law and crime topics seemed to conjure the most heated debate, but the students remained calm and articulate.

“I think that fear needs to be taken out of the equation when it comes to police officers,” said Ilana Jader, a senior at Veterans Tribute Career and Technical Academy. “There needs to be more interaction between officers and children. They should bring back the D.A.R.E. programs, that way children can lose their fear of police and see them as a friendly resource.”

The students even had some advice for politicians.

“I don’t think it’s right when they’re just going after the bad things about each other, instead of focusing on what you’re going to do for the country,” Sierra Vista High’s Faith Rose said. “If I’m running for president I would say that I’m here to solve this problem, this problem and this problem, not what the other candidate has done in the past.”

The students showcased their abilities to offer solutions to society’s biggest problems instead of simply complaining.

“I’d say the biggest difference would be that the students seemed dramatically different to me than 15 years ago,” Cram said. “They seemed more mature and seemed to think things out better than they did in the past. They offered very adult solutions.”

A majority of students were displeased with the election of Donald Trump as president. Many of those same students, though, didn’t feel Hillary Clinton was the answer.

“This election was a mess,” Rancho student Brandon Willis said. “I think we should allow third-party candidates to participate in the debates because having just two parties now is doing the same thing over and over again.”

Educators from around the valley were in attendance, whether they were moderating or chaperoning students from their school around the massive convention hall.

“It’s my 43rd year in education and these kids still amaze me,” said Billie Rayford, the Clark County School District’s interim chief educational opportunities officer.

Brian Greenspun, the Las Vegas Sun’s CEO, publisher and editor, moderated a discussion about problems in the students’ home state. You can’t talk Nevada issues without addressing the possibility of the Oakland Raiders relocating here to play in a stadium built using $750 million in public money.

“The NHL arena, which I am super excited for, was 100 percent privately funded and I don’t see why the NFL can’t do the same,” Sierra Vista student JayLynn Petrick said about T-Mobile Arena. “The NFL has a crazy amount of wealth.”

Other notable moderators included CCSD Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky, Deputy Superintendent Kim Wooden, former U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, Managing Partner of Green Gale Publishing Janie Gale, News 3 Meteorologist Kevin Janison and his wife, Terri Janison, who is vice president of community and government relations for the United Way, and former Las Vegas Sun Executive Editor Tom Gorman.

Eventually the students needed a lunch break and some reprieve from the intellectual banter. That’s where world-renowned ventriloquist Terry Fator came in.

Fator and his Elvis Presley-impersonating dummy sang songs, cracked jokes and dressed Kevin Janison up like Lady Gaga to the delight of students.

The youth forum has provided top entertainers throughout its 60-year history including Woody Allen, Nat King Cole, Louis Prima and others.

For a lucky few, this year’s forum presented them with some much-needed college funds.

Drawn from a barrel, Elena Marcos, Jillian Prescott and Elliot Silveira were awarded $1,000 scholarships from UNLV. Conrad Palor won a $1,000 scholarship from Touro University, and Francisco Barajas Jr., Mikayla Cifuni and Faith Rose all won $1,000 Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum scholarships.

The event's success is credited largely to the ongoing partnership between the Sun and the Clark County School District. The forum has been the recipient of the Golden Press Award from the American Legion Auxiliary as America’s best local newspaper program for youth and has received a community service award from the Nevada Press Association.

And it all started with a vision by Hank Greenspun and a few bright ideas by Nevada’s youth.

“When I first heard about the concept I was impressed with the fact that the Greenspuns really wanted to listen to kids’ opinions,” Cram said. “There was nothing artificial about it. They thought that kids really needed to be listened to and I completely agreed.”