April 30, 2010— Chicago, IL. Over 150 high school students representing 15 schools from the Chicago Public Schools and the metro area convened at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago for the 16th annual Illinois Youth Summit to discuss hot button issues selected by students months before the rest of the nation began filling in their policy agenda.

Discussions centered on school funding, immigration reform, and student speech rights. Students prepared for the Summit by studying these three policy questions:

• Should the Illinois General Assembly enact a law committing the State to fund fully public education before all other state programs?

• Should students be subject to school punishments for posting material on their personal websites that does not violate the First Amendment?

• Should Congress provide undocumented high school students the opportunity to gain permanent resident status if they qualify to attend college or serve in the armed forces?

At the Summit student delegates from 15 Illinois high schools exchanged ideas and presented their proposals to policymakers and each other as part of an annual program coordinated by the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago.

Polling results from over 1,600 students at participating schools showed that students are passionate in their positions on these focus issues: clear majorities of students favor committing Illinois to fund fully public education before all other state programs (61%) and for Congress to provide a path for undocumented high school students (58%). Not surprisingly, 72% rejected the proposal of schools punishing student speech on personal web sites.

Students enjoyed the opportunity to discuss these issues with their peers from other schools as well as policymakers. A Lakes Community High School student said, “It was a breath of fresh air to meet people who were very engaged in learning. I was especially surprised to see how much they cared about what people from the other side had to say.” A student from Downers Grove North commented, “My favorite part of the Summit was talking about the issue with the policymakers. I felt like my opinion, as a student, was heard.” Students at Gage Park High School stated, “this experience has allowed us to say what we feel on issues that are important to us. The Illinois Youth Summit allowed our voices to be heard.&fdquo; Prior to the Summit, students were able to present their views on each of the three focus issues by preparing position statements. More than 130 position statements were posted online for all three Summit issues.

“These students are passionate about making America work,” said CRFC Executive Director Carolyn Pereira. “Although they have different answers to these questions, they share a commitment to the importance of discussing and deciding them so we can move forward as a nation with respect for the democratic process and each other.” The 2010 Illinois Youth Summit is hosted and co-sponsored by the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois. Major funding is provided by the McCormick Foundation and the Stuart Family Foundation.