Sun Youth Forum

Cracks in the foundation of our future, the struggle of motivation

Dec 31, 2023 (2 a.m.)

By Kaylee Daniel

My peers and I agreed that academics and mental health shared an intimate connection. As one student in my peer group put it, “It’s nearly impossible to focus on school when you’re struggling to survive.” While the expression “struggling to survive” might be an overstatement for some students, survival is a legitimate concern for others. This is especially true for students who are expected to navigate and fulfill adult responsibilities with limited social or familial guidance or support.

Sun Youth Forum a topic for Vegas PBS’s ‘Inside Education’

February 20, 2020

By Las Vegas Sun Staff

Participants in the 2019 Sun Youth Forum will offer their perspective on the annual event during a segment of …
Immigration stirs emotional responses for students

December 27, 2019

They could teach political leaders — and all of us — how to have a compassionate and constructive discussion on immigration. They see a critical need for more mental health services in schools. And they’re bursting with ideas about how to improve schools.
Guns, impeachment spark debate among teens

December 26, 2019

Students reported strong consensus for such measures as a ban on assault-type weapons and high-capacity magazines, universal background checks and red flag laws that allow authorities to confiscate guns from people who’ve been legally deemed a threat to themselves or others. There was also support for …
Voters don’t want a sham trial

December 26, 2019

By Paul Gary, Las Vegas

Moscow Mitch McConnell and golf-happy Sen. Lindsey Graham abandoned their oaths of office, having declared themselves …
Las Vegas area high school students tackle weighty topics

December 25, 2019

Here’s a message to any climate change denier who thinks he is influencing younger people: OK, boomer. The topic prompted impassioned discussion during the forum, students said, which led to …
Hope for our future: Youths at forum prove civility still has place in society

November 17, 2019

By Brian Greenspun

Unlike their parents and grandparents who refuse to acknowledge any opinion different from their own, these young people were all too eager to engage, no matter how divisive …
Students at forum tackle climate change, gun control and vaping

November 17, 2019

By Miranda Willson

About 1,000 Las Vegas-area high school students participated last week in the 63rd annual Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum, an opportunity for juniors and seniors from ...
At Sun Youth Forum, productive discussions on difficult issues

November 13, 2019

By Kelcie Grega

High school students bustled out of mock classrooms Wednesday morning at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where they spent the day discussing solutions for issues facing the world — topics such as gun violence reform, inadequate funding for public schools and the power of social media. When some ...
Every child needs and deserves love

January 11, 2019

By Mykel Broady

In a discussion about how perceptions of sexuality have changed from past generations and what teens are concerned about in this regard, several individuals in our group shared their stories of coming out and the stresses they …
Student bios: A look at some of the Sun Youth Forum participants

January 10, 2019

By Las Vegas Sun Staff

The students selected 28 representatives from their discussion groups who they agreed helped spark spirited debate. Here’s a look at some of those students ...
Two topics seem to have no middle ground

January 10, 2019

By Gregory Balov-Madrid

On abortion, the group divided along a dispute over whether abortion was a responsible choice made by a mother or was the act of prematurely ending a life. On guns…
Change only happens when we fight for it

January 8, 2019

By Amanda Chambers

In our discussion, students expressed distrust of leadership and frustration at the lack of progress on improving our education system. One student said it felt as if the issue was out of students’ hands — that no matter how much we tried, the young people of Nevada couldn’t …
Students have plenty to say when asked their opinion

December 31, 2018

By Jacob Caldwell

When I walked into the room full of fellow students at the Sun Youth Forum, it was so quiet that I could hear the scratching of pens on notepads and a girl’s fingers pat against her phone as she typed. It was clear we were …
Sun Youth Forum: Youth can lead the way on civil debate

December 30, 2018

By Noah Ahmed

Young people are sometimes perceived as caring little about the issues of our time.