SHS YOUNG POLITICIANS DEBATE IT OUT

Renee Sang

The Young Politicians club at Seminole High discusses many controversial topics.

Sameeha Rashid, Reporter

Young Politicians is a club at Seminole High School that is dedicated to engaging students in national and international political issues and to bring awareness to the importance of voting. They want to show the true facts and not everything that’s trending on Twitter.

Sophomore Amrita Kapat says, “Young Politicians makes me less biased. It allows me to experience multiple sides of a topic. It gives me the opportunity to argue for something I strongly believe in.”

Before, there were two separate clubs: one for Democrats and one for Republicans. They used to have debates together, but the sponsor for Young Democrats left and the two clubs joined together to form Young Politicians. Now the club mostly consists of Democrats, but are always looking for right-winged students to join.

Learning about politics provides students with a better understanding of the world. Many seniors will be able to vote in this year’s election; by having a background on politics, seniors will be able to make educated votes.

Senior Nicole Wills, President of the club, says, “The purpose of the club is to educate teens on politics and current events while sharing opinions and improving debate skills because respectful debating is an important skill to have in life. Teens need to be aware that the politics of today have an effect our lives in the futures.”

Most meetings are centered around group discussions or debates about a current event or issue. Discussion topics are chosen the week before by all members and voted on. Typically, debates take place bi-weekly. The following week, members express their opinions and arguments about the subject. Some issues that have been consulted are college tuition, universal healthcare, and human rights.

Sponsor Ms. Patricia Thomas says, “The club encourages students to become politically involved so that when they are able to vote they are able to make choices based on facts presented from both political parties. We feel that everyone in our society should be involved in the political process and that the decisions made by our government affect all Americans.”

Young Politicians tries to stay involved in the Seminole community by participating in events such as the Club Expo and Donate a Gift, as well.

This club is open to any student interested in learning more about the government and politics of this country as well as foreign affairs.  Young Politicians meets every Tuesday after school in Ms. Knorr’s room in 14-003.