On the recordMay 12, 2010
As I travel across Kansas, I frequently visit classrooms to speak with high school and college students about the importance of civic engagement and to let young people know that their thoughts and opinions matter. Today, the House of Representatives is considering legislation that in many ways is the result of civic engagement among young people, including hundreds of Kansans. We have before us S. 1067, the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. It is important legislation that requires the President to create a strategy to deal with the 24-year-old conflict in central Africa that has killed thousands and disrupted the lives of an entire generation. Many young Kansans have passionately advocated for vulnerable children and defenseless communities in Africa. They have participated in events like the Rescue and met with government officials. They have signed petitions, written letters to the editor, and educated others about the terrible violence committed by the LRA. They have done all of this and more knowing that they will not benefit in any material way-- they have done it simply because it is the right thing to do. The hundreds of thousands of young Americans that have advocated for this cause demonstrate to their peers and those younger than them that the voices of young people matter, that young people can make a difference.
