Heated debate, laughter, jests, opposing opinions, and passionate arguments are all things that can be commonly found at meetings for the CLA, or Civic Leaders of America, club at Townsend Harris.
“CLA is where people are allowed to freely engage regardless of what they believe in,” said sophomore Robert Indart. “There’s different topics that people can address, whether they agree or disagree, people always talk in that club.” Robert, who has channeled his political interests by volunteering to help candidates in his district, is a newcomer to the club. Having attended one meeting, he said his impression is that the CLA is a great outlet for anyone who likes politics.
The club focuses on discussing relevant political topics, from national issues to more local ones, even sometimes discussing the policies of the Student Union at THHS.
“From freshman year I have always been passionate about increasing political and civic engagement amongst everyone, not just those interested in government and policy,” said senior Maimuna Kader, VP of External Engagement for the CLA. She said she believes that the best part of the club is that it serves as a safe space: “The political climate in the world continues to get more and more intense, and I feel having these conversations behind a screen is not creating productive solutions. CLA offers that space and I wish more students took advantage of that.”
Treasurer of the CLA Junior Yassin Elabidi said that conversations are open but “are moderated so that we don’t get too off track.”
Students with an interest in politics say that they’ve joined to help explore career possibilities. Junior Anya Basnayake, Head of Public Relations for the CLA, said, “I applied to be a board member last year because I am interested in politics, and am considering it as a possible career choice.”
Club Advisor and social studies teacher Frank McCaughey said he appreciates the fact that the club’s focus is not conflict, but sharing views. “I think that it literally is just a place where there can be discussion. It’s not a debate, it’s not an argument. You can just go, share an opinion, and talk about it,” he said.
Mr. McCaughey has been the club’s advisor since its start seven years ago, and he said he is happy with its current form. “I think now might be the strongest it’s been in seven years,” he said. “We used to have meetings where there was nobody there.”
Anya, who will be next year’s co-president, said she agrees with Mr. McCaughey, and has big plans for the club’s future.
“I really want to get as many people involved as possible,” she said, “because simply knowing what goes on in the world isn’t enough. You need to be able to consider other people’s opinions and look at things with an open mind, and CLA teaches you to do just that.”
