>> It's messy.
It's freedom and it's rules.
>> It's rights
and responsibilities.
>> It's conflict and resolution.
>> Both empowerment
and compromise.
>> It is justice.
>> It is individual.
>> And it's collective.
>> It is fairness.
>> Respect and values.
>> It is equality.
>> Equality.
>> It's truth.
>> It is government.
>> And it's choices.
>> It's passionate.
>> It's problem solving.
>> It's action.
And it's possible.
It's me.
>> My family.
>> And my community.
>> Democracy it is!
>> Hi, I'm Ashley.
>> I'm Ulysses.
>> My name's Alli.
>> My name is John.
As we grow older,
we all begin to get
more privileges.
>> And we get more power
to make decisions
for ourselves, too.
>> What if we could make
even bigger decisions?
What if we could change
the rules in our community?
>> It turns out
we have that power
even as teens.
>> For example, think about
making cars slow down.
>> At Wright Middle School,
it all started with some signs.
>> Then some important people
started noticing.
>> The speed limit is 20.
And cars always
seem to go faster.
So, we've been putting up signs
and trying to get everybody
to slow down so that
when kids come to school,
they don't have to worry
about getting hit by cars.
>> Because cars
are just speeding by.
>> They're probably
going 50 or 60.
>> I had one close encounter
as I was trying
to cross the street.
>> And this green car
just went straight by me.
>> I call them
the crazy speeder,
just zoomed by and nearly...
>> Luckily, it was
in the other lane,
or I'd have been a pancake.
>> We wrote letters to people
who we thought would be
influential in this project.
We wrote to Art Rainwater.
>> This is a great school.
It's always a pleasure
to come here.
>> We're doing this because
one day we just
looked out the window
and we saw that Fish Hatchery
has a lot of problems
with speeders there.
>> I almost got hit by a car
once, because they didn't want
to stop for the stoplight.
>> Sounds like a great project.
Are there questions
that I can answer?
>> Do you have any
plan of action to stop this?
>> We really don't have
a plan of action, because
we can't take any action.
>> The superintendent,
Art Rainwater, can only
change things at the schools.
>> The school district
has absolutely nothing to do
with anything that happens
on the streets.
>> I am kind of disappointed
about that, because
he can't really do anything.
>> Traffic safety, the way the
traffic streets are designed,
all those kinds of things
is really under the authority
of the city.
>> His lack of power
sort of disappointed me.
>> What would you suggest
for us to do?
>> What's important,
when you want action,
is to be sure that you know
where that action can happen,
who has the responsibility
for it and the authority
to make it happen.
And then deal
directly with them.
>> He couldn't help us,
but I guess it's good
that he shows
that he is listening to us,
that other people can hear us.
>> What do you think?
We haven't heard one word
from him.
What would we do now?
>> Maybe we have to get
more letters to them,
because if only like
three people wrote to them
they're not
going to really listen.
Maybe we should get more,
so they can see
that we really need their help.
>> I think the more
they hear us,
and the more they see us,
they can't ignore.
Go ahead.
>> Target a specific person,
like kind of a leader
that will set an example
to get the issue across
to the rest of them.
>> It might take a while,
but we will try to kind of
keep on doing what we're doing
till people notice
what's going on.
>> We made signs.
I'll be out there
carrying a sign in the morning
and afternoon.
>> I think the mayor
can be a lot more influential.
>> Mayor Dave Cieslewicz
is the mayor of Madison.
This is the letter
that Mayor Dave sent to me
and some other kids.
It was as a reply
that we wrote to him.
>> I was invited by the students
and their teacher
to talk about traffic safety
on Fish Hatchery Road.
Why don't you just tell me
in your own words
what you think
the problems and issues are.
>> People running
the red lights over there.
>> There's a crosswalk
right there,
and it has the little sign
with people walking,
but they don't pay attention
to it.
>> Let's talk about solutions.
>> We just have the cops
sit out there.
>> If they added a stoplight.
>> What are we doing
in the area of enforcement?
>> What we could ask them to do
is get out here
as often as possible
so we can have them work on
some speeding enforcement.
>> We're going to move
the crosswalk back a little bit.
Whenever you want to cross
the street, there'll be
a button that you push.
When you push the button,
flashers will go off.
>> We're definitely going
to be doing the crosswalk
with flashing lights.
We're going to do the signage.
And we're going to work on
an enforcement strategy.
>> Well, I think that
it's finally getting noticed.
>> Now we can actually see
our progress.
>> It kind of seems like
people actually care,
and that they're listening
to our voices.
>> Something that we've changed
in our community.
>> Driving is a privilege,
but speeding can be dangerous.
>> A problem like speeding
only gets fixed
when people hear about it.
>> Have you ever written
a letter to your mayor
like the students
at Wright School?
>> Writing and meeting
with public officials
can get their attention.
>> Especially when you have
the facts on your side.
>> The members of FACT
want to expose, empower
and understand.
>> They're truly passionate
about fighting
corporate tobacco.
>> Today in the classroom,
we were really educating
the students on a lot
of the dangers of smoking.
>> Now we're going to go over
how many chemicals
there are in a cigarette.
There's about 4,000
known chemicals.
>> One ingredient
is formaldehyde.
>> There's acetone.
>> Ammonia.
>> Hydrogen cyanide.
>> Methanol.
>> D.D.T.
>> Rat poison.
>> Cadmium.
>> Carbon monoxide.
>> I really want to make sure
that they just know the facts.
>> When they sell it to us,
they don't tell us
all this stuff.
>> I'm not going to smoke,
because I could get cancer
and die at a young age.
>> Every time I walk in here
and I talk, I could be
changing someone's life.
>> Smoking is bad.
And I'm going to tell my
Auntie she's got to stop.
>> Because it's bad.
I don't want to die.
>> FACT is fighting against
corporate tobacco.
>> We have three key messages.
>> Expose, empower,
and understand.
>> Expose means that we're going
to expose big tobacco's lies.
>> Empower you to stand up
and fight against big tobacco.
>> And understand that
we're not against smokers.
We're against the way
that we get targeted.
Our ads are actually playing
in the movie theaters.
>> State the stats
and fight with facts.
A revolutionary movement.
And even the blindfolded can see
the truth behind tobacco's lie.
>> The tobacco industry
has tons and tons of money.
But if you unite as one group,
they see you as a threat
to them.
>> Hi, I'm Judy Robson,
your Senator.
Glad to meet you.
>> Senator Robson represents
our area in the state.
>> My role is to support them
and to encourage them
in any way I can.
You're up against a huge
industry with lots of money
and devious ways.
>> From the Joint Finance,
I want them to know that
we do want the tax increase.
>> The Joint Finance Committee
won't just be focusing
on the tobacco tax.
So, it'll be kind of a potluck
and kind of a smorgasbord
of comments.
>> Is there anything we can do
to like make sure
our point gets across?
>> They want to hear
your stories,
just your own personal stories.
Just relax and enjoy it.
And know that you're
really having an impact,
because they are listening.
>> I think that it is
very good for you to,
like, just be supporting us.
So, thank you.
>> I think they will be
successful, yes.
>> The Joint Finance Committee
is the budget writing committee.
Any bill that spends any money
has to go through the review
of this committee.
>> When you come
to these hearings, you sign in.
You're given a ticket.
>> I have 7430.
>> You have three minutes
to talk.
>> Number 366.
>> We'll be here
for a couple more hours.
>> I'm going to tell my story
so kids like me
don't fall in the same trap
that I did.
>> My uncle also died
of cigarettes and smoking.
>> It's almost time to speak.
I'm excited
and a little nervous.
>> Number 430.
Meg?
>> If people would've asked me,
"Oh, you want to go
talk to somebody?"
I'm like, "No."
I would've been shy.
>> Whoa.
>> Are you testifying
as a group?
>> Yeah.
>> But this program
has brought me out.
>> I joined FACT because
I wanted to help fight a cause
that is bigger than me.
I wanted to prove
to the industry
that I can make a difference.
>> My grandmother got emphysema
and was told
she had to quit smoking.
>> More work still needs
to be done to prevent youth
from smoking and
helping those addicted to quit.
>> She passed away
my freshman year of high school
which motivated me even more.
>> I started smoking
at the age of 12.
I am committed to FACT.
And I will do everything I can
to empower other teens
to stand up against tobacco.
>> They have learned
how to utilize the process.
>> It was kind of like
the first experience for me.
But I think it
kind of went good.
>> How to become engaged.
>> My heart was pounding
the entire time I was talking.
>> And not be intimidated
by elected officials.
>> I can't vote yet,
so I can't vote on the issues.
>> This is part
of the legislative process.
This is part of democracy
at work.
>> We are the people
and they are representing us.
>> The importance
of participating,
having a voice, speaking up.
It's the kind of thing
that will make us think about
what we're doing.
>> We got what we came to hear.
We got our message out
and they listened.
>> The students in FACT
found the right people
to talk to.
>> They may need patience,
but their quest for empowerment
may lead to new laws.
>> But what if the laws
already exist
and no one pays attention?
>> Then we have to speak out
so the laws are followed.
>> But sometimes silence
is the most powerful way
to make a point.
>> It may be the only way
to make a point.
>> I knew that I was gay
when I was a freshman
in high school.
>> One problem we have
in our school is like
if you bring up anything about
like homosexuality, or like
anything along those lines,
you'll pretty much
get in trouble.
>> I got in trouble
for coming out, you know.
>> And the whole class
was picking on me because of it.
>> The girl who came out
as being a lesbian, and
they threw her out of school.
>> It being okay
to harass somebody, and
not allow them to join
the group because of their
sexual orientation.
>> Coming out is like
a good thing, in that
people should accept it.
>> The phrase, "that's so gay,"
is heard daily in high
school hallways and classrooms.
I had a teacher once who said,
"That's so gay"
twice within like ten minutes.
>> Instead of saying, "gay,"
you're going to have
like a whole bunch
of other words you can use?
>> So, today our workshop
is on the Wisconsin Statute
11813.
I was trying to let them know
how they're protected legally.
>> Well, the laws are in place.
But people,
unless they are educated,
will continue to break them
and discriminate
against the people.
>> The entire community should
be told about the Pupil
Non-Discrimination Policy.
>> It is protecting groups
who often face discrimination.
>> Another good way
to make this enforced maybe
would be to build alliances
with other diversity groups
on campus.
People are power in numbers.
Governor Doyle proclaimed today
a "Day of Silence"
for the state of Wisconsin.
On this day, we use our silence
to be even louder.
>> It focuses on the silence
that they have to hold
in order to feel safe
in their jobs,
or in their schools.
A few people,
when they found out
that I was not speaking
for the entire day, they said
that that was really stupid.
And they questioned
my sexuality.
I identify as a straight ally.
And the biggest thing was
people said, "Oh, you shouldn't
care about them.
It's not a big deal."
I think a non-violent protest
against discrimination
will achieve things.
>> It shows that the people here
really care.
>> All right, we're going
to start the march
for Day of Silence.
>> The Day of Silence
is meant as a memorial
for those who have been
harassed or killed
for their sexual identity,
and who are forced to be quiet
about who they are.
>> We come here
and we look at these numbers.
This is powerful.
And this makes a difference.
I'm a straight ally.
And I'm here today
for my good friends
that are or are not straight
and have chosen
to be silent today.
>> Welcome everyone.
Thank you for coming out today
to our Breaking the Silence
rally.
There are thousands
of students participating
all across the U.S.
(applause)
>> All right.
We have
our official countdown.
(cheering)
>> Remember all the times
that your sexuality
was harassed, and remember
your silence during that.
Remember your feelings
and your thoughts,
and how doing this,
taking this vow of silence
showed that we will stand
and fight for the things
that everyone else has.
Our rights.
>> It's my right to be happy.
My right to be mad.
My right to stand up
whenever I've had revelations
when something's
not right in the world.
I think that like, everyone
should be treated like the same,
and everyone
should be loved the same.
(cheering)
We have the freedom
to be straight,
the freedom to be gay.
Without our freedoms,
we could never be
the people we feel
we were all meant to be.
Please let us bring
a song to sing, a freedom ring.
♪ Let freedom ring ♪
(cheers and applause)
>> Breaking the silence.
>> Making streets safer.
>> Fighting bad habits
and thinking for yourself.
>> These are all ways
we have power to make changes.
>> Changes that matter,
that's our privilege
in a democracy.
>> Democracy it is!
For more information about our program visit our Web site at: democracyitis.ecb.org