Center hosts Capitol forum on teen issues

Sherri Herman
Special to the Hornet
Published October 28, 1999

The Center for California Studies at CSU, Sacramento held a town hall meeting for high school students statewide called "Teen Health Issues: Tough Choices and Troubling Trends" at the State Capitol on Tuesday.

The meeting, broadcast live on the California Channel, gave students the opportunity to speak with elected officials about current teen health issues.

A panel of six high school students and four legislators led the discussion as hundreds of students in the audience watched and participated.

"The purpose of the Town Hall Meetings are to get young people to be better citizens," said Kolleen Ostgaard, Legischool and special projects coordinator.

The Legischool Project is a civic education program administered by the California Legislature in collaboration with The Center for California Studies at CSUS.

The four panelists were Sen. Patrick Johnston, Director of Senate Republican Fiscal Office Mike Gehest, Assistant Deputy Director at Department of Health Services Catherine Camacho, and Policy Chief of Tobacco Control at Department of Health Services Doug Robins.

Tobacco use, the rise in HIV/AIDS among teens and young adults, and sexually transmitted diseases were discussed in terms of the government’s involvement in the stopping of teen smoking, the teaching of abstinence, peer pressure and decision making, and AIDS education.

So far, the Legischool project has sponsored and produced more than 15 Town Hall Meetings. The topics have ranged from affirmative action to teen pregnancy. Each year an estimated 10,000 California high school students participate in the Legischool activities through the Town Hall Meetings, via the California channel, or by watching the videotapes provided by the Project.

The next Town Hall Meeting will be the first of two meetings discussing hate crimes on Dec. 7 at the Simon Wiesenthal Museum in Los Angeles. The second hate crime meeting is scheduled for Feb. 1 at the State Capitol.

The Legischool project was founded in 1994 to give high school students the opportunity to discuss issues with members of Legislature concerning the citizens of California. It allows for students to learn about government and the legislative process while debating issues directly affecting the lives of California’s teenagers.

"The meetings are conducted on issues important to high school students in order to get them involved," said Ostgaard.

The Legischool project also has a Video Curriculum Library that features videos from the State Legislature’s video archives. Each segment contains footage of the hearings, floor debates, and public testimony. "Day in the Life of the Legislature" and "Day in the Life of the Secretary of State" are new additions to the video library. The videos are free for California teachers who want to bring state government into the classroom.