South Bay teens worry that democracy is under threat

Editor s Note This article was written for Mosaic an independent journalism training campaign for high school and college students who account and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists The explosive national debate over the state of democracy is hitting home among South Bay teens A random survey conducted by Mosaic of nearly local students determined that the bulk believe democracy in the U S is under threat from censorship political polarization and executive overreach The South Bay is one of California s the bulk politically operational and left-leaning regions Even so a multitude of teens who live there expressed frustration that their voices aren t being heard The First Amendment to me means that you are able to voice your opinion without any restrictions disclosed Naithik Viswajith a freshman at Santa Clara High But there has in recent days been lots of violence this has made a lot of people scared to voice them Survey respondents pointed to fears about unchecked executive power ICE immigrant raids and an unprecedented partisan division Their concerns track with national surveys like CIRCLE s Youth Poll citing teens growing political awareness We re seeing multiple warning signs and early beginning stages of fascism which has been taught to us in World History declared Catheleen Chirinos a Santa Clara High junior For the survey teens responded to questions about free speech immigration crackdowns and the upcoming California balloting They voiced major concerns about ICE immigration roundups in the Bay Area Theodore Nguyen a freshman at Mission College questioned whether ICE respected immigrants constitutional rights ICE cannot infringe on those rights yet mistakes like detaining a legal veteran show policies need revision It s abhorrent disclosed Nguyen Olivia Nelson a senior at Highland High warned the issue goes deeper than initiative We are a country built on immigrants Nelson reported Can we even call ourselves the melting pot if we cut out everyone not white The informal survey exposed that greater part teens get their news from social media or family not school or fact-based news media leaving gaps in their political knowledge Only five of the surveyed students had heard about the upcoming California ballot to redraw congressional districts the results could shift which party controls Congress I haven t heard of an voting announced Nguyen But I ve heard of the proposal to redraw districts I don t think it ll affect party control much Santa Clara High senior Nishita Viswajith believes the lack of reliable information contributes to democracy s decline An ongoing threat is the sharing of misinformation especially with social media increasing and more people getting their news from third-party sources declared Viswajith Efforts to curtail free speech sparked strong reactions Extreme hate and cyberviolence should be regulated commented Ophelia Lee a senior at Abraham Lincoln High in San Jose But the governing body or platforms shouldn t overstep into limiting criticism based on their biases Students also are disturbed by the nation s deep political polarization The constant divide makes it hard to trust administration decisions stated Nathik Viswajith a freshman at Santa Clara High It seems like parties care more about themselves than the people Even though they can t vote yet several teens explained they want to get more civically involved One organization San Jose Youth Changemakers shows them how to achieve social change by teaming with others We want young people to know that they have power even if they can t vote disclosed Vivian Kuang a youth organizer with the group While youth strength is high experts say schools often fail to nurture it They want to be educated in a way that invites them into the political system yet schools are not doing enough to prepare them explained Jennifer de Forest director of research at YouthTruth a nonprofit organization that helps schools improve by collecting attendee feedback through surveys The organization s national survey revealed deep gaps in civic instruction Less than of kids stated that it s critical to vote mentioned de Forest School has become more about personal achievement than about learning to contribute to the common good Still multiple South Bay teens remain determined to participate in democracy s future Jovana Bierman senior at MacDonald High in Santa Clara echoes that sense of responsibility The core pillars of our democracy are under attack reminding me the more I vote the more power I have to change things disclosed Bierman Sonia Mankame is a member of the class of at Santa Clara High School