STUDENTS GATHER FOR LEADERSHIP TRAINING

Approximately 85 area high school students are taking part in the Missouri Freedom Forum on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University.

Freedom Forum is a three-day leadership training program for students who have completed the 10th, 11th or 12th grades. The Wednesday-through-Friday workshop stresses American principles of individual freedom, good citizenship, entrepreneurship and limited government.

The forum has been jointly sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce annually since 1986.

"The focus of our program is the idea that if we take economic, political and social freedoms for granted, we'll lose them," said David Lankford, vice president of education for the Missouri Chamber of Commerce. "We want to show how our system works. If we don't get involved in such education, we'll lose what we have."

Lankford, who has directed the Missouri Freedom Forums for 17 years, said he has tried to give balanced presentations at the two forums each year. One is held in Cape Girardeau and one in Mexico, Mo.

"Kids won't sit and listen to extremists," Lankford said. "We try to balance the program as best we can. For example, in this year's program we have state Rep. Mary Kasten, a Republican, and state Rep. Joe Heckemeyer, a Democrat. We try to give a perspective from both viewpoints."

Lankford said that there is an attempt to avoid political labels during the workshops. He said the workshops stress traditional American values.

One of the four main values promoted at the Freedom Forum workshops is the principle of personal freedom. "Philosophically, we believe in individual freedom," said Lankford. "But we also believe in individual responsibility. We believe that if we don't take individual responsibility, then the government steps in and takes responsibility."

A second value stressed at the forums is active citizenship. "We stress the need for active involvement by teaching students to be informed citizens and then to make their opinions known to the right persons," said Lankford. "We also urge the students to get involved in political campaigns and ultimately to run for office themselves."

A third, and very important, aspect of the Freedom Forums is an emphasis on helping young people to understand the American political system. Speakers and discussion groups help the students to understand how it works.

Lankford said one of the activities at the forum is a computer simulation where the students are "elected" to Congress and make day-to-day decisions that a congressman would make.

"What's funny, at first," said Lankford, "is that the kids make decisions that they believe will get them re-elected, just as we accuse current politicians of doing. But eventually the frustration of trying to please everybody causes them to return to their core beliefs and vote their consciences."

The fourth aspect of the forum is an emphasis on teaching entrepreneurship. The students break up into small groups, analyze the business needs of their communities and come up with a business plan. Local businessman Chuck McGinty judges the best plan.

Shawn Nickell, a Sikeston High School graduate headed for West Point this fall, attended last year's forum in Cape Girardeau.

"Freedom Forum helps you learn of the freedoms this country has that other countries don't have," said Nickell, who is a counselor this year. "You also gain a better sense of the political and economic systems of the United States."

High school students interested in next year's Freedom Forum can contact their school principal or school counselor.