By Gene Johnson
Associated Press Writer
SEATTLE — Mayoral candidate Greg Nickels got into politics at age 16. Liz Weller didn’t.
But Weller, 17, is following politics now, as part of a national program that has brought Nickels, rival Mark Sidran and other mayoral candidates into high schools around the country.
Seattle is one of five cities in the Student Voices project, directed by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center. The project aims to instill a sense of civic duty in students and maybe, in the long run, boost the anemic turnout of voters ages 18 to 24.
"I’ve never really been involved in any of this before," says Weller, a senior at Holy Names Academy. "It’s kind of cool because I feel like I have a say. Of course, I don’t, because I’m not legal, but I’m definitely going to pay more attention now."
Dozens of high schools — in Seattle; Detroit; New York; Tulsa, Okla.; and Newark, N.J. — are taking part in the project this year and next. Students attend debates, ask questions, research issues, analyze campaign advertising and organize mock elections.
In New York, the project has taken on a new dynamic since the Sept. 11 attacks, with students discussing the next mayor’s priorities, such as rebuilding lower Manhattan and ensuring public safety. One poll question asked whether school funding should be increased at the expense of recovery efforts.
In January, students in Tulsa and Newark will begin following issues pertinent to their mayoral elections next year. In Detroit, students have been asking candidates Kwame Kilpatrick and Gil Hill what they would do about outdated school supplies and overcrowded classrooms.
A second phase of the project next spring will involve students discussing constitutional issues such as school vouchers, affirmative action, zero tolerance policies and the death penalty.
"There’s lots of evidence that experiential learning works better," says Lance Bennett, who is organizing Seattle’s program.
Bennett, the director of the University of Washington’s Center for Communication and Civic Engagement, notes that many young people who have done volunteer work feel positively about it and continue doing it. The idea behind Student Voices is to see if similar experience with government and civic issues will also pay off in the long run.
After the federal voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, 43 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted in the 1972 presidential election, when Richard Nixon beat George McGovern in a landslide. Since then, the numbers have dropped. Less than one-third of 18- to 24-year-olds voted in 1996, the most recent presidential election year for which data is available.
It was in ‘72 that Nickels, at age 16, volunteered to work on then-state Rep. Jim McDermott’s campaign for governor. McDermott has served in the U.S. House since 1988.
"For me it’s very important to see young people getting involved," Nickels said after speaking to students at Franklin High School. "That’s how I got started in politics. Young people have the most to gain or lose by the policies that are made."
Asked how effective the program would be in sparking an interest in politics, Sidran said: "Well, one can always hope. That’s the whole point of school — to open minds."
Robert Leitzell, a 17-year-old senior at Lakeside School, said many of the teens involved in the project were already good students with some interest in politics. But he marveled that about 250 students showed up for a forum with the candidates on a recent Wednesday night.
"If the focus of the program is to put some sense of civic responsibility in the kids, it’s got to succeed," he said.
The University of Washington’s Center for Communication and Civic Engagement received a $400,000 grant to run the program. Student Voices is funded by the Annenberg Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts.
The five-year project was started in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Baltimore in 1999. By the time it is completed, 22 cities will have taken part.
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