TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- More than 200 top high school students from around the state will attend the Alabama Youth Summit Dec. 2-3 at The University of Alabama to discuss political issues of the day.

Students will debate political issues of importance to them at the summit. Divided into topical groups, the students will talk about issues such as education, constitutional reform, the environment and tax reform.

The summit will convene Thursday, Dec. 2, from 6-9 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 3, from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. A complete agenda for this year’s summit can be found at http://youthsummit.ua.edu/agenda.htm

During a Friday debate from 12:15-2:15 p.m. in 30 Alston Hall, the students will rank issues in order of importance. Then, during the 2:30-3:30 p.m. session on Friday in 30 Alston Hall, they will present their choice of the top 10 issues concerning the state at the closing of the event.

The students’ goal is to have their selected issues seriously considered by Gov. Bob Riley. The students selected to attend the Alabama Youth Summit were chosen for their interest in politics and state government. High school youth groups Alabama Girls State, Alabama Boys State and Youth in Government will collaborate with the UA Freshman Forum to hold the annual meeting.

The Alabama Youth Summit is hosted by the Student Leadership department of the UA Office of the Dean of Students. It is supported by Freshman Forum, Emerging Leaders, LEAD Team, and many other student leaders, all of whom volunteered to provide accommodations for participants on Thursday night.

The idea of an Alabama Youth Summit was conceived by Pettus Randall of Tuscaloosa, the 1999 governor of Alabama Boys State. His platform included planning a conference in which Alabama youth could debate the top 10 issues that affect their state and present them to the governor's office. The 1999 governors of Girls State and Alabama Youth in Government also got involved in planning the first summit that was held in March 2000 when 130 delegates presented their top 10 issues to the governor.