Editor’s note: About 1,000 students from high schools throughout Southern Nevada participated in the 61st annual Sun Youth Forum on Nov. 8. The students were divided into groups to discuss a variety of topics. A representative was chosen from each group to write a column about the students’ findings. This essay addresses the issues covered by the Potpourri group.

Angela Duckworth, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and CEO/founder of the Character Lab, launched a “behavior change revolution” in which the world’s renowned social scientists gathered to converse and collectively create a behavior-change program focused on promoting health, education and personal finance. Issues were clearly outlined, ideas were exchanged and common initiatives were established by the team of erudites.

Duckworth emphasized that if it weren’t for the valuable feedback from the participating scientists, many important questions and ideas regarding their study design wouldn’t have existed to support this potentially world-changing initiative.

The process presented in Duckworth’s initiative is analogous to the student-led meetings of Sun Youth Forum. Since our room was labeled “Potpourri,” we found ourselves posed with many questions that touched on unique themes. As a member of the discussion, I took it upon myself to learn by listening and to educate by speaking. As a representative of my room, I carry the duty to convey the valuable ideas formed by our collective compromise.

First, the laws regarding gun ownership have never been so relevant today in this year’s forum. Our room posed a clear divide as two factions comprised of Second Amendment gatekeepers and anti-firearm zealots. The former utilized the fallacious argument that violence would inevitably occur whether firearms are outlawed or not, while the latter advocated for the immediate abolition for gun ownership based on Australia’s successful policy. Regardless of our differences, we came to a consensus that there is a lack of background checks and enforcement as volatile people have ease of access in acquiring lethal weapons. The U.S.’s recent shootings, most notably the Oct. 1 massacre, produced mass fatalities due to our lack of policy limits and enforcements on firearms, and if actions aren’t taken to deter needless gun acquisition, more innocent lives will be lost. We may not be able to change the minds of the ill-intended, but we are capable of deterring crime by enforcing it in the first place.

Replacing the Internal Revenue Service proved to be a divisive, hot topic. Once again, two factions formed. The right wing advocated for the flat tax and justified this by highlighting the hypocrisy posed by America’s foundation on equity when some citizens get taxed at higher rates than others. The left wing advocated for the IRS as they believe the rationale found in taxing the rich at higher rates only serves to make the country run more efficiently.

Maintaining the IRS superseded establishing a flat tax. Especially in our country that faces debt in the trillions, pragmatism must be our main focus, and if that means letting the rich take mere dents to their revenue, then that route must be taken. Ideally, maintaining and, perhaps, reforming the IRS to a concrete system of income-based tax would not only be the most efficient in our economy but wouldn’t pose as much hardship to already-struggling low-income workers as compared to the affluent citizen.

Just like the “behavior change revolution” led by Duckworth and her team of social scientists, we outlined our biggest issues on the two topics mentioned, exchanged our unique perspectives and established an initiative to implement our compromise-reached solution. Being introduced to this professional process not only proved to me the importance of diversity in collaboration but enriched us student participants to be well-informed and involved in our broader scope of community. From Duckworth’s initiative to a forum of like-minded high-school students, the power of many have massive implications for the benefit of all.

Russell Ro is a senior at Advanced Technologies Academy.