On Oct. 2nd, the Maine Civil Liberties Union (MCLU) hosted a Bill of Rights conference for teens from Southern and Central Maine. Participating schools included St. Dominic RHS, Bonny Eagle High School, Deering High School, Portland High School, and others.

The conference was composed of five workshops: Amendments I, IV, and XIV, Student Activism, and “Youth Speak.” The 1st amendment workshop dealt mostly with the freedom of religion and determining when one person’s freedom impinges upon another’s. The 4th amendment workshop discussed the right to privacy and the differences between individual rights and the greater good. The 14th amendment workshop dealt with Title 9, the clause that set governmental regulations over male and female equality at school and at work. The other two workshops gave information on starting and increasing activism in protecting these rights for all people. An emphasis was placed on youth rights and how students can protect them in their schools and communities.

The MCLU is an organization founded in 1968 that was established in order to preserve freedom of religion and speech, freedom to protest, and freedom of privacy. The MCLU ensures that the Bill of Rights is upheld for all people through lobbying, litigating, and advocating.