Youth legislator: 'I just want to make a difference'

More extracurricular activities, a self-defense class, healthier school lunches and better middle school tracks are just some of the desires Douglas County students have expressed to 2009-10 Nevada Youth Legislator Franda Martinez.

"I just want to make a difference," Martinez said Wednesday at Douglas High School.

The 14-year-old Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School freshman was appointed a Nevada Youth Legislator by Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, in July.

"It's been a really amazing experience," Martinez said. "Sitting in the legislative chambers, I feel like a real senator."

The Nevada Youth Legislature was created by state lawmakers in 2007 to encourage Nevada's youth to play an active role in government. Martinez is one of 21 high school-age students who were selected from each of Nevada's senatorial districts.

According to the Nevada Legislature's Web site, the students are required to evaluate issues important to Nevada's youth, hold at least two public hearings, comply with the Open Meeting Law, and submit a report of its activities to the Legislature.

Martinez got the idea to apply from her history teacher Jason Kyle.

"I was inspired by him and filled out the application," she said.

In August, after being appointed by McGinness, Martinez met with her fellow legislators in Carson City for a training session.

"I really liked it and want to learn more," she said. "We toured the legislature building, learned what to do and how legislators can help Nevada."

Since then, Martinez has hosted three town hall meetings with her peers, one at the high school, and one at each middle school in the Valley. She's talked to students in person, and has solicited surveys and e-mails.

One issue that's surfaced in the meetings, she said, is that students feel they can't open up to school counselors.

"A lot of them don't like opening up about serious stuff," she said. "Maybe there should be another place where kids can go and chat, maybe an open house or home where adults can make them feel comfortable."

Martinez will take the issue and others she's learned to her next legislative session Oct. 15 in Carson City. Together, the youth legislators will debate and determine which issues are most important. They'll convene once more later in the year to work on a bill draft request, which they'll eventually present to the Nevada Legislature.

"They (state legislators) will review it and make a decision," Martinez said. "We'll be speaking for the youth in the state."