Project Citizen: Kyleigh s Law. Julia Cohen, Claire Keller, Alexa Horowitz, Meghan Convery, Maggie Cooney

Transcription

1 Project Citizen: Kyleigh s Law Julia Cohen, Claire Keller, Alexa Horowitz, Meghan Convery, Maggie Cooney

2 What is Project Citizen? Project Citizen is a program for students and other youth organizations that promotes active participation in local and/or state government. Helps participants learn how to monitor public policy and make a change Develop their own political stance and democratic values Classes or small groups identify key problems in the community or state and work together to research the problem, develop their own solutions regarding public policy, and create an action plan that displays how their policy would be adopted Year long project that requires consistent group work (Step One: Preliminary Research, Step Two: Research, Step Three: Synthesis, Step Four: Website) Students develop portfolios of their work and present their work to community members Project Citizen is important as it gets students involved in active citizenship

3 Kyleigh s Law Problem began December 21, 2006 when Kyleigh D Alessio died in a car crash Purpose of the law is to protect young drivers Under Kyleigh s Law Many say the law allows police officers and predators to target young drivers

4 First Alternative: Take the Stickers Away No teen would be required to have red decals Eliminates the factor of targeting (police and predators) No implementation costs Teens driving without the sticker would save at least $100 if they were to be caught Teens who feel unsafe about the decals and their parents who feel uncomfortable with their children marked are supporters State legislature would support---police unit would not have to worry about suspicious people targeting teens Christie has admitted to not liking the law

5 Second Alternative: Leave it to the Parents Parents would indicate on a car registration that it may be driven by a probationary driver Information would come up on a routine license plate check Solution makes it so young drivers cannot be targeted Eliminates the cost of red stickers and the threat of predators because only police officers, the DMV, and insurance companies will know there is a young driver operating the vehicle Unfortunately police officers will still be able to target young drivers because they are still labeled as probationary drivers

6 Third Alternative: Eliminate the Fines Require GDL drivers to have the red sticker, but do not fine if they do not Members of society who want themselves to be identified by other drivers on the road Gives teens and parents a choice without consequences Equal number of supporters and opponents However, teens using the red sticker whether it is their choice or not will still be targeted

7 Our Solution MAKE NJ DECAL FREE Our solution ensures a young person s right to privacy by the 4th, 9th, and 14th Amendments of the Constitution Eliminates discrimination Teenage drivers will no longer be put at risk of being targeted by predators and police officers Removal of red stickers will not result in removing curfew (tends to be main cause of teen accidents) NJ representatives can work together to abolish the red sticker of Kyleigh s Law

8 Action Plan Parents of year olds and the children themselves will promote the solution and encourage the policy making process: In the policy making process, policy makers are essential to pass new laws and hear the opinions of members of the community. Good communication and an understanding of the states' wants and needs is necessary for the benefit of both parties. We will encourage drivers to stop using their decals as a way of peacefully protesting until our plan is put into action.

9 What Can You Do? School--Make posters, spread word on social media, high school drivers education classes can teach drivers the negative effects of the law, ask other students and teachers to sign a petition Community--Appeal to public s emotions (love for their children will persuade them), communicate as much as possible, persuade policy makers by alerting them of the dangers the sticker element places on young drivers (warn them what will continue to happen like the stalking of young drivers) Social Media--Join a facebook group, start a hashtag, sign an online petition ***A policy maker s main priority should be to listen to public opinion and ensure the safety of young Americans***

10 Reflection Kyleigh s Law was something we all could relate to If our plan is put into action we could feel the effects of our hard work We learned how to take an idea and build it into something that could benefit the entire state of New Jersey Project Citizen is an important way to introduce students into proactive leadership in policymaking Learned how to make our voices heard and become an active citizen Advocating for something we are passionate about