Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016 | 2 a.m.
View more of the Sun's opinion section
View more of the Sun's opinion section
About 1,000 students from high schools throughout Southern Nevada participated in the 60th annual Sun Youth Forum on Nov. 29. The students were divided into groups to discuss a variety of topics. A representative was chosen from each group to write a column about the students’ findings. This essay addresses the issues covered by the group America.
I was honored to attend the Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum for the first time on its 60th anniversary. On that day, I witnessed many inspiring things. Walking around, I overheard multiple conversations about the many issues that face our country today. Hearing such opinions prepared me for the debate ahead.
I was placed in the “America” group, which discussed a variety of issues. The discussion started with how to improve election cycles. The majority of that debate was spent assessing the latest presidential election. Ultimately, we agreed that there was an undeniable desire for election reform in the latest cycle. The real issue was: How do we give that to the American people?
Within a few minutes, the answer was clear.
We must lead the effort in breaking up the partisan system our government pushes during elections. Our generation must birth a political system that reverses the oligarchic direction our nation has shifted toward and restore it to the democracy that it once thrived in. A democracy is best represented by a system that encourages a diversity of opinions and backgrounds, not one that suppresses them. More so, we should be improving the voting experience, removing money from politics and welcoming third-party competition. We all agreed that those few things could drastically improve the future of election cycles.
The conversation then veered toward whether America was the greatest nation on Earth. Some felt it was quite obvious that our country was the best, while others felt we could do better. For those who believed our county was the best, their argument centered on the fact that we have the freedom to speak our minds and enable change as we feel necessary. For those who felt otherwise, they agreed but made it clear that we are simply not perfect. Eventually, we came to a significant realization: Each country’s goal should not be to outdo the other but instead to work together to be the best for humanity’s sake, not just our individual nation. It’s fine to identify the many great things about our country, but the moment we feel we are the best and there is no need for progress, that is when we lose sight of our nation’s fundamental devotion: to continuously strive to form a more perfect Union.
Finally, we touched on a rather broad topic: unification. Now, more than ever, we have a divided country. And from that, the objective is clear: We must come to terms with the reality that our nation faces for the next four years and work together to ensure that whatever happens, we do what is best for the welfare of each other.
We debated many more issues, but one thing that particularly caught my attention was that in a group of about 30 students with many different backgrounds, we were able see past our own narrow perspectives of the world and come together in a civil debate. There was no attacking or backing out of a topic because we disagreed with someone else. Instead, there were respectful suggestions and a unanimous understanding that we must work together to move forward.
My group proved that people from opposite sides of the political spectrum could work together to form solutions that would only strengthen our nation, unlike the politics practiced today. I am confident that as long as my peers keep this cooperative ideology in mind, my generation will be prosperous in transforming America.
June Navarro is a senior at Basic Academy of International Studies.
