Where I Stand — Kirsten Garlock: Valuable resources

Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003 | 9:20 a.m.

Editor's note: Nearly 900 students from 41 high schools participated in the 48th annual Sun Youth Forum on Nov. 25. The students were divided into groups to discuss various topics. A spokesperson was chosen from each group to write a column about the students' findings. Kirsten Garlock of Green Valley High School writes about issues covered by her group for the topic, "Home Means Nevada."

THERE WAS only one true consensus at the Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum: Students of Las Vegas care. They have real opinions about real issues, and they are more than willing to share. From water conservation laws to regulations concerning proficiency testing, today's youth are concerned about what is happening in their valley.

The students in my discussion group truly recognized their responsibilities as members of a growing community. On the issue of water conservation, even students who most wholeheartedly defended individual rights to have the most luscious of lawns and take the longest of showers eventually realized that we, as residents of Las Vegas, live in a desert.

We realize that the same right to choose, which some so ardently defended, is in fact what places all of us in this desert. We don't complain because there isn't snow, and by the same logic can't complain because we don't have a surplus of water. We agreed that limitations need to be placed on valley residents regarding water use, even if that would require a sacrifice of some degree of liberty.

Students of Las Vegas not only care about the issues within our community but they also care about how our city is viewed on a national level. Regarding the recent "What happens here, stays here" advertising campaign, students recognize that economic prosperity needs to be balanced with the integrity of our community.

While we recognize that tourism is a fundamental component of the Las Vegas economy, there are perhaps better advertising alternatives that glamorize more than the sinful taboos of the Las Vegas experience. Even teenagers are willing to admit that maturity comes with age.

And because maturity is a prerequisite to being a safe driver, we are concerned that you do not even have to be 16 to test for a driver's license. A couple more years of life experience, and some more extensive driver's education classes with behind the wheel experience, would make us all a little more comfortable on the Las Vegas roadways.

Opinions were divided on the issue of Yucca Mountain. The general consensus was that even if the project puts the safety of valley residents in jeopardy, someone has to shoulder the responsibility of storing the byproducts of nuclear power. In my view, it might as well be us; after all, we are the city of lights. While we were willing to approve the proposal, we would like to see better transportation regulations that place the health of citizens above efficiency.

Among the group of high school students, the topic of proficiency testing really hit home. Each student in my room either had been or knew someone who had been negatively affected by proficiency testing.

We acknowledge schools need some method of accessing the effectiveness of the educational system, but as a group we feel far too much emphasis has been placed on passing them. It is possible to be a successful member of society even without an understanding of algebraic functions, but it is far more difficult to achieve any degree of success without a high school diploma.

Without hope of graduating, all incentive is lost to attend school, and we feel anything that deters students from going to class is not consistent with the purpose of education, to educate.

It was truly a pleasure to be surrounded by so many young people willing to do their part in ensuring a prosperous future for Nevada. Too often the opinions of students are discounted because we lack the experience of the generations before us. The Sun Youth Forum is a testament to the fact that my generation is perhaps the most valuable resource that Nevadans can look to for fresh perspectives on hard-to-resolve issues.

The Sun Youth Forum helped us to realize that we are Nevada, that our lives are not dictated by government officials, but that we choose how to make our home in Nevada.