With the next generation of voters around the corner, will America be educated enough to keep the country running? Voters hold a huge responsibility in their hands, determining the future in the way the country will be led.
Madison Laue, senior, began the Future Leaders Club at Lake Ridge to help students have a voice, after a nationwide political movement.
“I got the idea to start the club after the walkout last year because there was so much debate about gun control and I realized we don’t really get an opportunity in classes to talk about things, so I decided to make a place where students can talk about it,” said Laue.
The Future Leaders Club is a safe space to talk about real-life problems happening in the world today. In current times, political situations can leave a negative impact on students. In school, we learn about the history of voting and in some cases our teachers own political opinions, but outside the classroom, opinions aren’t accepted in the same matter and it seems no one cares to actually listen to each other anymore. The Future Leaders Club is a more productive way students can learn how to be more involved in their country. Thomas White, the club sponsor, sees the club as a way to express their opinions in a respectful way.
“Our club is a place where students can come in, express their views about current events and we really try to get different views whether it is more liberal or more conservative. We want to open up a dialogue. There’s so much division among our country today because people won’t listen to each other,” said White.
Political views can be influenced by either parents or social media. Having your own opinion about how you see the world is important too. The Future Leaders Club shows students they are able to have their own opinion and standpoint. The club teaches students how to communicate in a respectful manner while throwing their views both politically and socially into the discussion. The club is also a place to learn. Laue believes her club should be more welcoming to underclassmen, so they can learn through these discussions about what is going on around them.
“I want people to come to sit and watch. Especially underclassmen, those are the people I want to be here because seniors can have the discussions because they are a lot more in with the world right now, but the freshmen and sophomores, don’t really get these kinds of discussions in the classrooms or on their social media. I want them to come in and really be a part of it, then eventually discuss things with us too,” said Laue.
As more people join the club, information begins to spread and ideas reach more people. Throughout each meeting the club’s main goal is to educate and learn more about what is going in the world around them. Jean Cook, senior, believes the Future Leaders club is a new way to get new ideas to people that can benefit them once they are able to vote and take part in the future of their country.
“I think students can take away that no matter what you’re in a safe environment and that its okay to discuss different political views, even if people disagree with you they aren’t always going to be disrespectful and that it’s okay to have your own opinions,” said Cook.
The Future Leaders club is a new way students can learn more about the world around them and a unique way to have their voices heard. Even though political views aren’t always encouraged in school, prompting discussions like those in the Future Leaders Club can be the new way to America’s future.
