Youth Summits
A Closer Look at Exemplary Youth Summits: Minnesota
Minnesota: Analyzing Legislation
By Jennifer Bloom
The Minnesota Youth
Legislative Summit on Violence Prevention has a simple goal-if the state legislature
is going to pass laws that affect kids, then it should ask kids what they think about
those laws. Each year, the Youth Legislative Summit brings together 200 young delegates
who represent over 2,000 youth from all walks of life and all corners of the state. They
get involved in the lawmaking process by studying an actual bill aimed at a problem that
directly concerns them. Each year the bill that is the focus of the summit is selected by
the youth planning team. In the past five years, topics have included trigger locks on
guns, locker searches, hate crime, chemical dependency treatment, and graduated driver's
licenses.
After reviewing possible bills, which are presented to the planning team by the
legislative authors, the team members select the one that most interests them. Young
people throughout the state then develop an understanding of the problem from multiple
perspectives and analyze the impact of the bill on their peers and communities. The Minnesota Center for Community
Legal Education provides background materials and teaching strategies to ensure that
the students study the topic in a comprehensive and thoughtful manner. Many schools
conduct classroom or school-wide forums to involve more youth in this educational process
and to provide broader youth voice in the lawmaking process.
After six weeks of "taking stock before taking sides," the 200 delegates
selected by participating schools and community groups travel to the State Capitol on the
day of the summit where they present their findings and make recommendations to a special
committee of legislators. Using actual voting booths, delegates also vote on the bill's
various provisions in the Rotunda of the State Capitol. The results of the vote and the
comments made during the committee hearing are shared with the authors of the bill and the
relevant committee members. Throughout the summit's five-year history, youth voice has
resulted in changes in the language of the bills.
The Minnesota Youth Legislative Summit on Violence Prevention is co-sponsored by the
Office of the Minnesota Attorney General and the Dispute Resolution Institute of Hamline
Law School. It has been supported by grants from the Youth for Justice Program of OJJDP,
legislative appropriation, and private contributions.
Jennifer Bloom is an attorney and the Director of the Minnesota Center for Community
Legal Education.
>>OJJDP and Youth Summits
>>Lawyers Lead, Participate, and Support
>>Young People Across the U.S. Confront the Problems That
Affect Their Lives
>>Profiles: Addressing Concerns of Young Women; Solving
Problems in the Virtual World
>>Profile: The International Youth
Environmental Summit
>>A Closer Look at Exemplary Youth Summits: Delaware
>>A Closer Look at Exemplary Youth Summits: Minnesota
>>A Closer Look at Exemplary Youth Summits: Oregon
>>A Closer Look at Exemplary Youth Summits: Illinois
>>Conclusion: The Future of Youth Summits; Best
Practices
>>Resources and Links
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