We, the young people....

• Author: Gordon, Dianna
• Position: Includes related articles on Project Citizen and how politicians can participate in the project

Lawmakers can take note of the way that eight budding policymakers and future voters made a difference in their small community.

You don't have to be big to be mighty! Nor do you have to be aged and wise. A small band of concerned citizens, no matter how young, can move mountains.

As the eight eighth-graders of Taylor, Neb., found out last year with their Project Citizen civics lesson.

The small class not only proposed a "minors in possession of tobacco" ordinance, which their village council passed, but won a national award for their efforts.

Spurred by the success of addressing a public policy problem and helping resolve it, those bright-eyed middle-school students will probably be the voters and legislators of tomorrow. And, as adults, when they do tackle a public issue, it is a safe bet they will do so in an informed manner that provides constructive solutions within the system of government. They've learned early how the process works. It's a valuable lesson for the students as well as future citizens and policymakers.

Younger or even smaller (as in the case of the tiny Nebraska school) doesn't seem to make a lot of difference when it comes to solving public policy problems. Karl Kurtz, National Conference of Legislatures (NCSL), says that students involved in Project Citizen, ranging from grades six through nine, have the "knowledge, energy and enthusiasm necessary to develop innovative public policy solutions to problems in their communities." NCSL is a co-sponsor of Project Citizen, which encourages hands-on government experience for young people.

There's a growing sense that America's traditional volunteerism and civic involvement in local communities are deteriorating. Kurtz says NCSL believes that the "best long-term solution to these problems is education - not just book learning but hands-on, experiential education - about state and local government and how to get involved in solving community problems. Project Citizen is the ideal tool."

Project Citizen teaches middle-school students how to identify and deal with a public policy problem in their community. Students gather information, conduct interviews with key players, develop an action plan and encourage elected officials - from the school board to the state legislature - to adopt their proposed solutions.

In Nebraska, the two boys and six girls in the eighth grade class took a look around their small farming community of 186 and selected an area they felt they could...