PLANO, Texas — It’s no secret that civil discourse in America lacks civility.
But there may be a solution, not in the halls of Congress, but in the halls of Plano West High School.
“There is that feeling of we need to change things, we need something better,” Plano West senior Rizwan Khan said. “There’s a hunger for something like this.”
Khan said despite the usual rhetoric from politicians on both sides, a lot of people want to find common ground. It’s something he discovered while trying to discuss politics with his classmates.
“And I just felt like the response wasn’t as positive as I thought it should’ve felt like,” Khan said. “It didn’t resonate with me that we’re not allowed to talk about it in a civil and discourseful [sic] manner.”
To achieve that he started a club called, “Politics for Teens.”
It’s a non-curricular student-led club. They meet twice a month and discuss everything from the economy to immigration.
There’s no shouting and no berating, just talking. They’ve even met with local political leaders to better understand the political landscape.
“We focus on finding the middle ground,” said one student.
“Some of our biggest and best legislation has been formed by uniting both sides,” another student said.
They may be on to something. Politics for Teens has evolved into a nonprofit with 37 chapters around the world and nearly 5,000 students in less than a year, many who aren’t even old enough to vote.
“There’s no reason, when something is an issue already, why wait five more years, 10 more years to make a difference,” said one student.
“When a lot of policies in the world affect us directly, our voice matters,” added another student.
“I just feel like you’re never too young, never too old to try to make change, make an impact,” said Khan.
Because although there’s hope for a better future, these kids aren’t waiting.