>> 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 Ulysses.
>> Hi, I'm Ashley.
>> My name's John.
>> And I'm Alli.
When you think about democracy,
you probably think elections.
>> Yeah, like for governor
or president.
>> But you can take part
in our democracy
even before you can vote.
>> Young people have the power
to do a lot.
>> We're about to see
some amazing stories
about democracy in action.
>> Stories about youths
like you.
For example, Kyle Corbin.
>> Kyle was only 17 when
he decided to run for office.
>> That's why it says
"Write in" at the top
of this homemade campaign sign.
>> You may be surprised
what happened next.
( cows mooing )
>> I live
in Union, Oregon.
And I'm 18 years old.
Union has about 2,000 people.
It's a beautiful community
with lots of historic buildings
and open-ness
and hills all around it.
( train whistle )
I was born
and raised here.
I've grown up seeing people
I looked up to, friends
of my parents, friends of
my grandparents that are
in city government, arguing
and yelling at each other
during council meetings
and things like that.
And it's kind of disheartening
to see that in your community.
So when I finally
became old enough
to do something about it,
I decided what better way
to do that than to try
to run for city government.
How's it going, guys?
>> It's goin'.
>> This is Union High School.
I went to school here
for six years.
Four years of high school
and two years in junior high.
>> My mom used to baby-sit him,
and that's how
we became friends.
>> I had him first of all
in junior high,
and definitely saw
that he had potential.
>> And then last year, he was
the student body president.
Kyle was a go-getter
when he knew he wanted
to be in politics.
>> I knew that
he would do a good job.
And I really hoped
he would get it.
>> We know what kind of kid
he is.
And when he sets his mind
to something,
he makes it happen.
>> I ran as a write-in
for mayor.
At the time to file
for candidacy, I wasn't 18.
Therefore, I was ineligible
to put on the ballot.
If somebody wanted
to vote for me,
all they had to do
is write my name in.
We hand-painted
my campaign signs.
I made my brochures
on the computer.
We went door-to-door
and talked to as many people
as we could talk to.
I automatically voted for Kyle.
Not just because he's my friend,
but because I thought
he was a positive influence.
>> I looked it up on
the Internet right afterwards.
And I said "Kyle,
it really looks like
you won the election."
He goes, "Yeah, I did."
I walked out of my house
that day and looked around and
went, "Wow, there's 2,000 people
that are now counting on me
to do what's best
for the community.
That I will
faithfully perform...
>> The duties of mayor...
>> To the best of my ability...
>> So help me, God.
( cheers and applause )
Thank you.
>> Nobody thought Kyle would be
even student body president.
So now that he's come
all the way to mayor of Union
when he was 18 years old,
it just shows
how much kids can do.
>> Congratulations.
>> Thank you.
My function as the mayor
is going to be oversee
the day-to-day business
of the city,
to preside over
the council meetings.
All the city counselors
are three times my age,
probably.
The key to having respect
is to give respect, I think.
>> I think very highly of him.
>> I'm going to be busy.
I have a part-time job
at the local gas station.
I work every other day.
I think this is
definitely a new beginning
for the community.
>> Kyle's the one, if anybody
will ever be able to do it,
it'll be Kyle.
>> Besides being
the mayor of Union,
I'm going to go to school
at Eastern Oregon University.
It's about 15 miles away
to the college.
>> Why don't we go around
and introduce ourselves.
>> I'm studying, basically,
it's a political science major.
I want to concentrate
on public administration.
>> So, quite a political
atmosphere out there.
>> Yeah.
( laughter )
>> You know the mayor,
don't you?
>> Yeah, I do.
( laughter )
>> For those of you
who don't know, our classmate
is the youngest mayor,
I believe in the history
of the state of Oregon.
? ?
>> Right now, I'm in
the Chamber Choir
at the college.
This is a new day.
Anybody can make a difference.
It doesn't matter who you are,
how old you are.
I'm a testament to that,
I think.
But if you really care
and you're really concerned,
do something about it.
>> What makes us proud
is that other young kids
can see what he has done.
>> Hopefully, he'll inspire
the younger generation
to care and vote.
>> I think our country's
a testament to the fact
that democracy works.
>> Recently, Kyle went
on a big concert tour
with his school choir.
>> For two weeks, they performed
in cities throughout China.
>> Imagine what they thought
of an 18-year-old mayor
from America.
>> But you don't have to be
a mayor to have influence
in your community.
>> Teens can also be
a part of the justice system
and serve in court.
Check this out.
>> These kids
actually serve on a jury.
>> We see many different
sorts of cases.
>> There's stuff like fighting,
disorderly conduct.
>> Truancy and shoplifting.
>> Tobacco-related usage
in minors.
>> Vandalism.
>> Underage drinking.
>> Possession of drugs
and drug paraphernalia.
>> There's a lot
of different cases.
>> Peer courts, in general
were started because
somebody had the vision that
teens needed a second chance.
Everybody makes mistakes.
>> And some people may think
that Teen Court
is just a free pass.
They get completely off
scott-free.
But you have to follow
the sanctions.
>> That's what we're here
to show them.
>> It's easier for a kid
to talk to another kid, I think,
than to try and go up
in front of a big judge,
and his power and everything.
>> I do not have the ability
to override
or change anything they do.
The jurors function together
as a group.
They reach a decision
and carry it out.
>> Here,
and you can sit here.
>> My mom encouraged me
to come to Teen Court.
>> My son manufactured a pipe.
>> I would've gotten
a $249 fine.
>> And he's expelled
from school.
>> The cops came in.
>> And it's to go
before the court.
That's why he's here.
>> You, Jesse Johnson,
elected to plead guilty
to your violation
of the manufacturing
or delivery
of drug paraphernalia.
>> Since Jesse was only 16
when the event happened,
he was able to participate
in Teen Court.
>> If he hadn't been here,
it would go on his record.
>> If he did it 20 years
down the road,
he could've gone to jail.
>> So, in your own words,
please tell us what happened
that day.
>> I made a pot pipe
in shop class, on the lathe
out of aluminum.
I made it for a friend of mine.
My teacher seen it
and he confiscated it.
>> So why do you think
you made it?
Did he pressure you into it,
or did he pay you?
>> He was going to give me
ten bucks for it.
>> Do you think it was worth it?
>> No.
I assumed I was wrong
in making it,
but I didn't think of
the consequences at the time.
>> Who do you think
this episode,
you making the pot pipe--
Who do you think
that has all affected?
>> Me, my mom, my family,
and my shop teacher too.
>> Do you respect him?
>> Yeah.
>> Do you want him
to respect you?
>> Yeah.
>> At this time, the escort will
show you back out into the hall
while we deliberate.
>> In the deliberation process,
they're in charge of leading
the deliberation,
coming up with the items
that they're going to sanction
the person to.
>> Two weeks
on the apology letters.
>> Yeah, two weeks.
>> They can impose requirements
about community service,
apologies,
assistance to others.
>> Like during the winter,
they can shovel snow.
They can pick up litter,
plant flowers.
There's tons of stuff
that they could do.
>> And then, how about
visiting the jail
so he can see what will happen
when he gets older
if he does this kind of stuff.
>> I would say it's definitely
a democratic process
to deliberate.
>> Everything
needs to be written down
so the respondent has a copy.
So, they write the sanction,
the reason and the due date.
>> Clark County Teen Court
has decided
on the following sanctions
for you to complete.
We want you
to write a goal list.
We want you to do two goals
for the next month.
>> They were understanding.
>> Yeah, they were
pretty understanding about it.
It was fair.
I'm going to say I'm sorry
to my teacher, my teachers
and my principal about
what happened and everything.
>> The successes come about
as a result of lower recidivism
rates than regular processes.
>> Recidivism means
the amount of kids
who actually re-offend.
Our rate is a lot lower
than actual juvenile court.
>> I want to help these kids
make better decisions
so that their future
looks brighter.
>> We're here
to help you do that,
not give you another lecture
from yet another adult.
>> It shows them,
"Hey, I screwed up,
but I've still got time
to fix it."
Whereas if they had to go
through the regular court,
you're maybe thinking, "Well,
I'm already down this path
and there's no way out."
>> You can be
on a teen court, too.
See if there's one in your area.
>> Ask a teacher
or call your local courthouse.
>> Our democracy
depends on the justice system.
>> And the free press, too,
like "Shape of Voice."
>> When we're fully informed,
we make better decisions
for ourselves
and our communities.
>> Freedom of the press means
speaking out on important issues
like the authors
of "Shape of Voice."
>> Santa Barbara,
it's a beautiful place.
I go to the beach every day.
I work right next to the beach.
>> Santa Barbara,
it's right on the ocean.
>> Anywhere I go,
I usually grab my skateboard.
>> Tourism is a huge part
of this economy.
You're going to see
all the fancy shops.
>> Like Juicy clothing,
and like Lucky,
and all those rich brands.
>> It's such a pretty town
so people tend to
try to ignore what's going on.
>> What you don't see,
oftentimes, is the working class
kind of behind the scenes
of Santa Barbara.
>> We have a grey majority
of low-income families.
>> They're living
month by month
just struggling to pay bills.
>> There aren't as many homeless
people as major cities,
but there are some that
are just completely ignored.
>> If you're walking
on State Street,
you'll at least see
maybe ten or 15 homeless people.
>> How do you think things
have changed for you?
>> Oh, well, I quit drinking.
That's the main thing.
I'll see ya later.
>> All right.
>> This is our weekly meeting
for "Shape of Voice."
It's a youth newspaper
that I write for.
"Shape of Voice" is a quarterly
bilingual youth newspaper
in Santa Barbara.
Its purpose is to offer
a venue and a forum
for the under-served youth
in our community.
>> Minority students, mostly,
are kind of just
forgotten about.
>> And we have tons
of creative students
that come here and write.
They just get
to speak their mind.
>> It's really possible
with "Shape of Voice."
I was first published
when I was 17.
>> The poetic opportunities,
the writing opportunities.
>> Mostly go to concerts
and shows for local bands
and take photos.
>> You can read about it
in other newspapers,
but there's a restriction
because you don't
necessarily always hear it
from people of your own age.
>> Our school newspapers
aren't enough.
Those are censored.
We can't write about what
really matters in our lives.
>> The truths of their life,
of their experiences
as they see it.
>> What it means to have
freedom of the press.
"Shape of Voice"
has a distribution
of about 15,000 copies.
You can find us
in the coffee shops,
in the local high schools,
junior highs, libraries.
Anywhere where youth will be,
that's where
we're going to be.
Students can submit topics
on drugs, on gang life.
>> From political issues
to environmental issues.
We've done a lot
about the graffiti
that goes on in the city.
>> I was looking for something,
and someone told me that
that march was coming up.
And I went and photographed it.
There were a lot people marching
for immigration rights.
It was just, you know,
"We're here.
We don't want to be kicked out."
I just wanted actual emotions
to show through,
and specific people, faces.
>> A month or two ago, we had
a stabbing out on State Street,
where a young boy, 14,
stabbed a 15-year-old.
>> That 14-year-old is
going to be tried as an adult.
>> But nobody
really wants to talk about it.
So we express it
through our paper.
>> We went out and were asking
what they think about it.
Did you hear about that, too?
>> Yeah.
>> What do you think?
>> I hope it wakes people up
a little bit.
There's a definite lack
of caring or understanding.
Because someone had to die
for it to mean something?
Okay, just read our paper
when it comes out.
It's going to mean something
to you.
It's going to move you.
>> I write poetry.
It's a good opportunity for me
to show my artistic side,
and being able to be heard
by the people.
Money brings everything
Fame and recognition
Keys to the ignition
Family brings some things
Compassion and connection
So, money isn't everything.
( applause )
>> One of the principles
of democracy is speaking out
about what you think
is important.
>> Just like running for office.
>> Or helping decide
what's right and wrong.
And even helping reduce crime.
>> You are a full-fledged
owner-operator
of this democracy.
>> We all have the right
and the power
to make a difference.
>> Democracy it is!
For more information about our program visit our Web site at: democracyitis.ecb.org