What do young people think about voting? What issues would get them active in the decisions that determine the future of our country?
These are the kind of questions that politicians, strategists, and all kinds of people with an interest in democracy wrestle with all the time. And just before the Nov. 6 elections, PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs challenged its more than 100 participating schools to report on those perspectives and share the thoughts of young people from across the country.
For Maine student journalists, that invitation opened the door for an opportunity to share their work with a national audience. Student journalists at Mid-Maine Technical Centerin Waterville, the only Student Reporting Lab in the state, saw their interviews included as part of national roundups on the NewsHour's broadcast two night in a row, Sunday, Nov. 4, and Monday, Nov. 5.
So what would get Maine students to become active in the democratic process? Issues like gun control, taxes, and the expenses of everyday life, to name a few. Click the links to hear what these students and their peers across the country had to say.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/what-would-get-young-people-to-vote-these-teens-have-some-ideas
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/ask-a-teenager-what-are-the-2018-midterms-about
And if you're a Maine student with ideas about how to engage young people in decisions that matter, check Raise Your Voice for suggestions on how to get your ideas heard,
