Overview

Since 2004, Keystone Science School (KSS) has partnered with the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology (NCSSSMST) to conduct Seven successful Youth Policy Summits (Summits) addressing the topics of Sustainable Energy in Transportation, Energy Efficiency, Childhood and Adolescent Nutrition, Obesity in America, and Sustainable Fuels.  The seven various Summits that have taken place from 2004 to 2008 have involved more than 260 students from high schools throughout the nation.

 Keystone Science School's Youth Policy Summits (YPS) provide students with a unique training and preparatory experience that engages a contemporary, science-intensive policy issue. Their experience provides them with the research, negotiation, problem solving, and policy analysis skills they will need to be successful in their future endeavors as scientists, lawyers, doctors and business professionals.

In the various Summits, Keystone will work with the NCSSSMST to select 40 students from 10 different schools around the nation to participate in this program. Participating students will be asked to negotiate consensus-based recommendations to the President, the Congress, and to America’s business and NGO sectors.

Starting in 2009, the Youth Policy Summit Program will add five new and innovative components to its current agenda.  They include; Regional Program, Single School Model, College Model, Intern/Alumni, and Teacher Professional Development.
     ·Regional Program component-This pilot program will focus on recruiting students from one small geographic area and discussing local relevant issues.
     ·Single School Model component-This pilot program will involve of 25-40 students from a single school. The focus will be on a local and challenging topic affecting their community.
     ·College Model component-This pilot program will consist of one or more Universities concentrating on a topic that will ultimately lead to the conduction of relevant research. One important factor pertaining to this model is that the research will take place at the designated campus.
     ·Intern/Alumni component-This program will develop an opportunity for YPS alumni and Interns to stay connected and in touch with one another, the staff of Keystone and expert panelists. In addition, it will allow them to continue discussions about past YPS topics between alumni groups as more students participate each year.
     ·Teacher Professional Development component-This program will provide teachers the resources needed to expand their knowledge on mediation and facilitation as well as inquiry based learning techniques.
 

The Process

Students will report the results of their independent research before coming to the Summit online in the forum section of this website and discuss their own personal views on the issue.  Once in Keystone, students will present research to each other, staff of Keystone Science School and The Keystone Center as well as a panel of experts experts at the week-long Summits in Keystone, Colorado. The students will learn mediation, problem solving and negotiation skills from Keystone’s experienced staff. 

A panel of experts is convened for one day during the summit representing different stakeholder groups (e.g., industry, government, academia, public interest).  These experts act as a sounding board for student questions providing a better understanding of the issues at hand, offers the students insight into  real-world conflicts while providing a glimpse of potential future careers.

Finally, the students are assigned different stakeholder roles, and participate in a mock policy dialogue, where they are challenged to arrive at consensus recommendations on the appropriate solutions and their recommendations for how to implement them.

 The Result

Working with the expert facilitation team from The Keystone Center for Science and Public Policy, KSS can provide unsurpassed guidance through the consensus building process in a spectacular mountain setting.  The Youth Policy Summit provides an opportunity for students to experience a process designed to build the skills they will need to successfully navigate a turbid world of public policy issues. The result of these Summits is not only a thoughtful set of policy recommendations but a prolonged impact on student’s lives.

In 2007, students form the Energy Efficiency Youth Policy Summit planted the seed for the formation of the National Energy Conservation Society (NECS), a national student organization whose goal is to incorporate energy efficiency in their schools. Many students in the past four years have gone on to a career in the field of politics, law or mediation as a result of their experience with Keystone Science School.

“Keystone was an amazing opportunity! Not only did I get interested in energy efficiency as a result of the Keystone conference, but I also realized how much of an impact energy efficiency has on my everyday life. Because of the Youth Policy Summit, I know that I want to be involved in a career that deals with energy efficiency.

When we finished our policy recommendations, there was an awesome sense of accomplishment that everyone in the group noticed, even the adults. I am extremely proud of the recommendations we created and look forward to seeing what happens to our policy in the future.”

Caroline Morel, Battle Creek Area Mathematics & Science Center
        -student participant from 2007 Energy Efficiency Summit