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5-06 Youth Ethics Initiative Conference Attended by 18 Students Keys-wide

KEY WEST – If you thought the subject of ethics was too lofty for teens, think again. Two youth presentation teams composed of Interact Club, and the newly formed 4-H Seasons of Service (SOS) Team members from Key West, Marathon, Coral Shores, Plantation Key and Island Christian Schools presented ideas on ethics at the Rotary International and Kiwanis International-sponsored Youth Ethics Initiative (YEI) Conference last month at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The Keys teams led three break-out sessions each at the conference for youth participants last month.

This diverse body of 18 students who attended this conference for teens organized and run by youth did so to educate each other on the subject, but more importantly, to learn to apply ethics to real life situations. Noah Sutter, team member from Tavernier explained, “I feel it is important for people to have both sides of an issue so they can choose a position based on good information and what is the right thing to do.” And that’s what happened when a first-time mix of students from Monroe County public schools, a private school and home schools joined efforts to create two 40-minute presentations entitled, “Torture: Is it Ever Justified?” and “Corporate Ethics: How Monopolies Still Exist” that each team presented to Dade County peers at the Youth Ethics Initiative held April 18 at the Miami Beach Convention Center .

The Key West student team prepared the presentation about corporate ethics. Under the guidance of Dina Kinnune, a reading teacher at Key West High School and the Interact advisor, the well-informed team put together a thorough presentation. “They did a great job focusing on how monopolies exist in business even though the Federal Government supposedly has laws against it,” said Kinnune.

Wade Acevedo, a junior at Key West High School, spoke for the second year in a row at the Youth Ethics Initiative Conference. At a recent MYCP awards banquet, he shared his experience and said, “Our focus was on monopolies and we got all the other students involved in the session by asking them to name companies they know well like clothing stores and restaurants. Then we shared with them the corporate structures they fall under to illustrate free enterprise is not always what it seems. It got them thinking about the real effect of monopolies in today’s economy.”

Acevedo’s father, Randy Acevedo who is the Superintendent of Monroe County Schools, was also at the MYCP awards banquet and listened to his son’s speech. For good reason, he was very proud of his son. He said, “The youth ethics conference is really important because these kids are going to be business leaders. They need to know the basics but they also need to know right from wrong. I strongly support this kind of education for our students.”

In order to research the topic of torture for the Middle and Upper Keys team, sophomore Katie Greenman, team leader and Interact member at Marathon High School, organized training for the Middle and Upper Keys team to take the American Red Cross (ARC) Youth International Humanitarian Law (IHL) course. They are now certified by the ARC to disseminate information about IHL to their peers. Greenman said, “The topic was important because we as presenters had just been introduced to the IHL and wanted to share this information through an extremely controversial topic (torture), so the other students could feel as interested and passionate as we felt.”

MYCP Upper Keys Prevention Coordinator Michele Sutter and Marathon attorney Frank Greenman provided the initial IHL training a couple of months ago. Sutter and Kim Coldicott, the County 4H Extension Agent for the University of Florida, continued providing support and mentored the team in their presentation skills. Team Member Xotchil Musser, a freshman at Coral Shores High School, said, “People my age are future leaders, so we need to understand the rules of IHL and how to act ethically.” Jerry Renfroe, a middle school student at Plantation Key School, added, “More people need to know about the IHL, especially people my age, actually I think everybody should.”

The Youth Ethics Initiative (YEI) was started in 1998 as a committee that’s goal was to inform peers of the need for civic involvement in areas such as media, sports, sexuality, individuality, health and government. It was a collaboration of Rotarians in Rotary International District 6990 involving Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties and Grand Bahama Island, together with members from Kiwanis International clubs in Southeast Florida. “It tells me that the Rotary members and YEI adult organizers must have a lot of trust in us to let us [youth] run the conference – that makes me feel proud to be a part of this group.” Musser added. The theme of the 2006 conference was “My Ethics - A Place of Thought.” Youth Ethics Initiative, Inc. hosted the Youth Ethics Conference for high school students interested in ethics and integrity as they relate to business, sports, politics, personal, and professional life. The goal of YEI is to provide high school students an opportunity to expand their understanding of ethical issues, develop leadership skills and improve critical thinking and decision-making. The student-designed and student-led conference challenged student participants to consider ethical issues and concerns of importance to them. Team Member Hanna Gray, a home -educated student from Tavernier wrote, “Eighteen kids left the Keys, headed to a rally where their minds would be stretched and their leadership skills put to the test.” Monroe County sponsored two teams at this year’s conference thanks to support from Monroe Youth Challenge Program (MYCP) District Prevention Coordinator Michele Sutter who has a passion for ethics and International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

As a side note, Sutter was recently nominated as one of 12 adults in the eastern service area to become a national trainer to teach IHL courses for the ARC in public and private arenas. Sutter’s passion for youth being exposed to thoughts of humanitarian treatment of people of all cultures is evident in the amount of support she provides the teams. According to YEI officials, Monroe County is seen as a “poster child” for YEI because of the number of students our county sends every year and the quality of the team presentations. This year we sent two teams, one formed of students in the Upper and Middle Keys and one from Key West. The Key West team was broken into two teams by the conference hosts, while the Middle and Upper Keys team was divided into three groups. They still had to make their scheduled presentations under the stress of the change. “They were well prepared and knew what they were talking about. We were very proud of the Keys’ teams,” said Keith Douglass, a board member of YEI who resides in Islamorada, and is a member of the Rotary Club of Marathon who is one of the sponsors of YEI Inc.

The mission of YEI, Inc., is to, “support adolescents by fostering student-led experiences, educational events and literary opportunities that address contemporary moral issues better to encourage critical insight, integrity and responsible conduct,” said a YEI Inc. representative. The YEI Inc board believes, “that if the opportunity exists for young people in high school to learn communications skills and practice new behaviors it would lessen the problems of gossip, cliques, truancy, discrimination, separation and violence in schools.” Because of this goal MYCP has aligned itself to support the Youth Ethics Initiative along with other events sponsored by MYCP like Challenge Day.

Sutter said, “What’s most amazing about this year’s Middle and Upper Keys team that went to the YEI is that they lived miles apart, and yet they were disciplined and creative enough to make study dates where they used their time productively to create their presentation. “ Which included speeches, display boards, a PowerPoint presentation, and group activities where participants had to decide on an action in response to a scenario where the decision to torture or not torture would be debated. About the challenge of presenting this topic to peers from Dade County, Greenman said, “it was a blast, we heard their views, taught the rules, and probably ended up learning as much as those participants.”

“Watching the students challenge their peers to consider ethical dilemmas and choose a high standard of behavior, was inspiring to me,” said Sutter. “They led their peers in meaningful and provocative discussion with confidence.”

The Key West team members were Juniors Brooke Oropeza, Katelyn Oropeza, and Wade Acevedo as presenters plus two participants, Senior Alison Leamard and Junior Steven Monsalvatge. The Middle and Upper Keys team members were Katie Greenman and Ashley Evinrude, sophomores from Marathon High School, Freshman Noah Sutter from Island Christian School, Eighth-Grader Jerry Renfroe from Plantation Key School, Freshman Xotchil Musser from Coral Shores High School, and Senior Ali Aldrich of Duck Key and Hannah Gray of Tavernier who are both home schooled. As well as Interact involvement, most all of these kids are part of the SOS Team, a new initiative formed by the Monroe County 4H Extension Program, partnering with MYCP, American Red Cross and the Monroe County School District. The 4-H SOS Team focuses on providing outreach education in the areas of hurricane awareness/preparation, lightning/thunder storm safety and flood/flash flood awareness in order to serve their communities in the event response or recovery efforts are needed.

Sponsors of YEI Inc. include Coldwell Banker Schmitt Foundation, Publix Super Market Charities, Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, The Ocean Reef Foundation, and the Rotary Clubs of Key Largo, Upper Keys, Marathon, Big Pine and Lower Keys, Key West and the Sunrise of Rotary Club of Key West. Monroe Youth Challenge Program, who channels students to the conference, is a project of the Monroe County Education Foundation to foster acceptance, respect, and success in the youth of Monroe County. For more information about this project, Challenge Day, or any other MYCP sponsored program call MYCP District Prevention Coordinator Michele Sutter at (305) 852-1664 or go to www.keysschools.com or www.youthethics.org