Miramonte students discuss the Israel-Palestine conflict during lunchtime at the newly formed political discussion club, Centerpoint, created by sophomore Charley Matthews.
I’m a sophomore at Miramonte High School, and with so many national and global political events in the news, I decided to create a discussion forum on campus called Centerpoint, to help students not only voice, but also broaden their perspectives.
Last year, I noticed some of my peers and I were cautious and even afraid to talk about various viewpoints for fear of judgment from teachers and students. We found news topics were often polarizing and divisive, which wasn’t helping anyone.
Knowing that we would value an outlet of discussion inspired me to create Centerpoint.
It’s a political unity club for students to have all-encompassing political and social discussions on all sides of the aisle in a safe space. Another purpose of the club is to find common ground in recognition of our shared sense of humanity.
I’m hopeful participants will be inspired to take actionable steps on topics that matter most to them.
Centerpoint has over 60 active members who meet every other week during lunch. It’s so popular, it can be standing room only, which indicates kids want to be involved in community-related conversations through inclusive discourse, learning from each other and rounding out the depth of their knowledge.
Covering topics that are difficult – but important to discuss – has been a main focus. Topics on abortion and the “Don’t Say Gay” bill have been the most attended and energetic meetings.
The complexity of the Palestine-Israel conflict was another timely and controversial topic we recently covered.
With the help of teacher/advisor Joel Compton, we’ve structured discussions by breaking students into small groups of three to four. All groups then share their outcomes with the larger club. We use this process because smaller groups lead to higher levels of engagement and enhanced participation, while sharing with a larger group fosters a better understanding of different perspectives.
Olivia Barakeh, a sophomore and Centerpoint vice president, feels safe to express herself in this club.
“Centerpoint has given me insight on people’s opinions, as well as given me the opportunity to express genuine thoughts – knowing I’ll still be respected as a person, no matter if I’m agreed or disagreed with,” said Barakeh. “For the same reasons, it’s given my friends an outlet and an opportunity to respectfully talk about issues.”
Ultimately, it’s important our community continues to give its kids a voice.
I’m thrilled that Centerpoint is attracting differing viewpoints on all sides and giving a voice to those who might otherwise not have felt comfortable sharing their thoughts and having provocative conversations.
If you haven’t already, I suggest the next time you have an opportunity to talk about current events, ask the kid(s) in your life, “What do you think?”
Their answer just might surprise you.
Charley Matthews can be reached at charley.matthews2008@gmail.com.
