Thursday, January 26, 2012 By Yasmine Bouzid [ArticleImageHyperLink] Advertising Youthful Activism The majority of high school students could not tell you what political policies Mitt Romney stands behind. This is understandable as most teenagers are busy with school, friends, and worrying about college. However, the Progressive Youth League at RHS makes it their mission to be informed about political happenings and discuss them.     Years ago, politically active students initiated the Young Liberals Club with Mrs. Colleen Crowe as their advisor. Students would come together to talk about political issues and find protests to participate in. They debated with the Young Republicans Club and campaigned during the 2004 presidential election for school-wide votes. A couple years after their start, the club’s name changed to the Progressive Youth League and now encompasses all political ideologies. Conservative or liberal, PYL members come together to share their opinions on world affairs. As the future, the responsibility lies on us to be informed to improve the world later on. “It’s important for young people to know what’s going on so they have form an opinion and have their voice heard,” said Crowe. PYL has recently been discussing the Republican primaries--sharing their opinions on the candidates campaign tactics and debating who will give president Obama the most competition in the election. The discussions make for an intellectually enriching environment for the members. “I enjoy discussing political issues in Progressive Youth League because it gives me hope that people of my generation have some idea of what is going on in the world and our country,” said senior Brit Husmann. PYL informs and brings together politically interested individuals into a setting to share their views. The conversation inspires reflection on the issues of our country. “PYL really makes me feel aware of what is going on in the country. It's important to me to know where the future is going, and it's nice to know other teens who care as well,” said junior Amanda Wong. With Mrs. Crowe’s knowledgeable input on political topics, the students have a lot of viewpoints to consider. Everyone brings a different opinion to the table and PYL is here to hear them all. The next Progressive Youth League meeting will be on Tuesday, January 31st in L2 during Plus 6.

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