Teaching Youth How to Dissent is an Essential Part of Democracy
The past three months have been remarkable with students taking to the streets and to the media, corporations and Town Hall meetings in protest over gun practices and policies. Responses to our youth have been mixed. Some celebrate their actions, their passion, their intelligence and courage and, of course, the capacity to organize and lead!
Others exclaim that they are immature, manipulated by left-leaning adults, and that they don’t yet grasp critical issues surrounding the Second Amendment, let alone the First. Still others question the “voices” of the teens....
Like many in our congregation, I/we believe that an informed and educated response to senseless gun violence is essential. Churches and schools must prepare students to activate their civil rights, especially in the face of tragedy. Our young people have a right to engage in political dissent. But they need education that enlightens their ability to do so in a persuasive way.
Our laws enable us to disagree peacefully. When our well-being is in jeopardy, however, we have a duty to speak up. Only with this opportunity to dissent can we determine if our laws are working, and whether they are good and just. Our democracy requires consent of the governed. As maturing citizens, our children and youth are entitled to understand how democracy works. I am grateful for our high school youth program (YRUU) and for schools that teach conscious decision-making, coalition building, debate skills, persuasion, and how to track government processes in order to effect change.
All youth need opportunities to learn about the responsibilities of citizenship. This includes recognizing and supporting just laws, recognizing the difference between rabble-rousing as opposed to peaceful, informed dissent, and how to protest while not infringing on the rights of others, particularly those with opposing views.
In a flourishing democracy, informed and active citizens speak up and speak out when faced with unjust practices.
In Service