Cassandra Baker, 13, says watching her parents struggle financially and the instability of the economy makes her concerned about her future. She points to school curricula as the source of her worries, fearing that she’s not being educated on topics that will help her understand politics, navigate life and manage money.
Cassandra, a member of The Scouts Troop 149, was one of more than 60 people in attendance Tuesday night at the second Nevada Democracy Project community listening session, an event co-hosted by Vegas PBS and The Nevada Independent .
The theme was youth issues and election questions, which inspired conversations from those as young as 8 up to senior citizens on topics such as gun reform, discipline at schools, the state of local news coverage, voting, environmental hazards and the future.
“Looking at my parents’ lives and seeing that no one’s prepared for what it is, I feel like I’m going to be even less prepared because of education,” said Cassandra, one of 20 members of her troop who attended.