Are you looking for a place to debate politics? Do you want to learn more about current events and how high school students can be involved in promoting change? Then the Democrats Club is for you. Seniors Lily Adams and Katelyn Connolly started the club last year for students interested in politics.

“Katelyn and I met in debate our freshman year,” Lily said. “We both realized we had a similar love for politics and shared a lot of the same views. In debate class we’d debate a lot with students with different views than us. So when we decided to start our club junior year, we wanted to keep debate at the core of our club.”

The club offers a safe spot to explore new ideas and hear others’ opinions. Members debate different topics that are relevant to high schoolers such as women’s rights, marriage equality and other political topics.

“I think Democrats Club is really special in that we have a lot of diversity,” Lily said. “We have members who are Republicans, Democrats, Independents and so on. But also we have many kids who come to even just learn more about politics and be able to debate in a safe environment. Usually we have a topic to start off a meeting, but the beauty of having no real format is that we let the conversation lead itself.”

Any student is welcome in the club. The group offers a unique platform for discussion where students can participate in debate or just come to learn more about issues.

“We accept anyone into the club, even those who know nothing about politics or are not even democrats,” Lily said. “Through joining our club, another member and I were able to work on the Wendy Davis campaign. This has given me a better understanding of how to connect kids with issues they are passionate about. We hope to inspire other teenagers to get involved in politics, because it affects them. We have created a fun and safe environment for kids curious about their government.”

The Democrats Club meets every other Wednesday after school in Becky Stucky’s Room 357.