EDITOR'S NOTE: The Chamber Alliance of Lake County, in an effort to help develop leaders among local youth, hosts an annual essay contest to inspire political thought among young people. A panel of community leaders chose the following essay by Stuart Palmer as one of the three best from a field of several dozen.

Considering the current climate of public education, "It's a wonder I can think at all." There have been countless numbers of educational philosophy changes that have left little room for creative classroom opportunities. This is where political discussions belong. There does appear to be apathy among youth today, but as evidenced by the Bernie Sanders campaign, it is not because young people cannot get excited about such issues. If given the opportunity to affect a change, I would encourage social studies classes to discuss these political topics, not to simply choose a political party, but to understand each party and its beliefs.

The first thing we could do to further political involvement among youth would be to have an open forum or a discussion. A discussion would help further the students' knowledge of politics and possibly answer any questions they might have. Discussions are a great way to let all of the students interact with each other, and if the teacher posed a question and let the children answer it collectively, it would then further their understanding of the subject. Many teens and young adults were very excited about former Democratic nominee Bernie Sanders' campaign trail, which shows that they had already been shown how to follow and support their political views.

Another possible idea to foster enthusiasm would be to hold mock elections for political offices, such as senator, governor and president. After discussing political parties and other roles in politics, a mock election would be a perfect opportunity to further let students understand how much of a contribution voting is, what their decision would do and how it would affect the economy. When the teacher polls the votes and tells the children who won, they could explain exactly what changes the students made in the political world and what the political nominee would do in our society.

A third opportunity would be to have the current political candidates for local offices into the classroom to answer questions and explain their job responsibilities. A great way to teach children about politicians is to show them directly. If a politician is running for a city council role or other similar job, they could explain to the students what they did, what they had to earn and what they had to sacrifice in order to get to where they are now. In doing so, this would teach students the political process of becoming a successful politician.

The youth of today are showing apathy toward politics, not because they dislike it, but because they do not understand it and are not encouraged to learn more about it. Teaching students in the classroom about politics, political parties and politicians will further help develop their understanding and their enthusiasm. This alone lessens apathy toward political involvement. There are many sides to politics, and teaching students about them and just how important their views are can determine who will be elected in the future.

Stuart Palmer is a student at Umatilla High School