Over 80 Nebraska high school students are expected to head to Lincoln to be part of the 15th Nebraska Capitol Forum on America's Future.
The forum is designed to get students talking about the future of the United States in the ever-changing international environment.
This year, 21 teachers and their students are taking part in the discussion.
The
day will begin at 8:20 a.m. with a greeting from Governor Dave Heinemann and
from Secretary of State John Gale who is cosponsoring the event with Humanities Nebraska.
During the morning, students will meet in break-out
sessions in which they will discuss U.S. foreign policy topics including:
terrorism, immigration, global environment, trade and nuclear proliferation.
That afternoon, students will move to the Warner Chamber, where they will
present and deliberate options related to the future of U.S. foreign policy.
"Capitol
Forum has been an incredibly successful program that has reached over 20,000
Nebraska high school students," said Gale. "The students study, debate, and absorb the
breadth of American foreign policy. With the globalized world we live in, that
is extremely important for this generation."
The day will end with a
question-and-answer period in the Warner Chamber involving U.S. Senator Mike
Johanns and U.S. Representatives Jeff Fortenberry and Lee Terry.
"A strong
democracy requires informed, engaged citizens," explained Chris Sommerich,
executive director of Humanities Nebraska. "Capitol Forum is helping high
school students understand different perspectives and share their own voices on
issues that matter to Nebraska."
The program is funded by the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the State of Nebraska.
For more information, visit the Capitol Forum page at http://humanitiesnebraska.org/.
